Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
Long ago when we were on furlough from mission service in Africa we had saved up $300 to buy a kerosene refrigerator to take back. But I lent the money to a church friend in my home town in Florida so he could recover his pickup truck, which had been foreclosed on for lack of payment. He was an old friend; I was sure would re-pay me.
Meanwhile we went to the Seminary in Washington. Week after week, month after month, I waited to receive a check from him by mail; but nothing came. Time got short; I worried. Was my friend unfaithful?
All this while I had been receiving bank statements from my inactive account in my little home town bank in Florida. I tossed them all unopened in a drawer, for I wasn't using the account.
Finally, I looked at them. There, months before, was a mysterious deposit to my account of $300. All this while I had been doubting my friend, while he had been faithful.
By virtue of His great sacrifice on His cross, your Savior deposited to your personal account the gift of justification, forgiveness of sin, eternal life. He details all the items of this Grand Deposit in Ephesians 1. You knew nothing of it. You did nothing to merit it or to effect it. It was yours all this while, while your human heart was in alienation from Him. You needed to learn what is the true Good News of what He has already done for you.
Then when you learned the Good News of the gospel, and you believed, you EXPERIENCED justification by faith, you rejoiced in sins forgiven, you began to know the new quality of life that is "eternal life." But it was all purchased for you at the cross of Christ, and deposited to your account "by grace." Totally undeserved.
Now give some thought to those myriads of people who have never understood the true Good News. They have to understand HOW "God so loved" that "He GAVE" all for them. Then genuine faith can grip their hearts and work the works of obedience.
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 21, 2003.
Copyright © 2012 by "Dial Daily Bread."
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