No Charge!

Bible Reading: John 3:16-17; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:8-10

“I’m so hungry,” said Casen as his dad turned the car into the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant. They’d spent the morning cleaning up their elderly neighbor’s yard, and now Dad was rewarding Casen with his favorite lunch of burgers and fries.

“That will be $18.54 at the second window,” the cashier told Dad after he placed the order.

Casen saw his dad wince. That seems like a lot, Casen thought. Even though he and his dad had worked hard and earned this treat, Casen knew money was tight.

But when Dad drove to the window and handed the cashier twenty dollars, she didn’t take it. “No charge,” she said, beaming. “The man in the car ahead of you paid your bill.”

Dad’s mouth dropped open. “That’s wonderful!” he said, accepting the food with thanks. Then he drove to a nearby picnic table.

As they ate, Casen asked, “Dad, I don’t get it. Who paid for our lunch?”

“I don’t know. He drove away too quickly. I’ve heard of people doing that, but it’s never happened to me before. They call it ‘paying it forward.’”

“What’s ‘paying it forward?’” asked Casen.

“Sometimes people feel blessed and they want to share it. So, they pay for a stranger’s food or coffee, or they do some other kindness. Then later, the person who received the blessing will pay it forward to someone else.”

“Wow, I can’t believe anybody would do that for a stranger,” said Casen.

They ate quietly for a few minutes. Then Dad said, “You know what? I said nobody’s ever paid it forward to me, but someone did. Someone very important paid it forward, and His enormous gift changed my life and yours forever.”

Casen thought about it, then asked, “Are you talking about Jesus?”

“Exactly. We didn’t know Him, so to us it was like we were strangers. But for us, He became human and laid down His life so that all who trust in Him can be forgiven for their sins and receive His free gift of salvation—no charge! That’s really paying it forward.”

Casen grinned. “And we pay it forward by loving others the way Jesus does and sharing what He did for them. That’s pretty cool.”

“It’s phenomenal,” Dad said. “Fist bump?”

“Fist bump.”

-Teresa Ambord

How About You?

Have you ever given away something you loved to benefit another person? Or done a kindness for a stranger? It feels good to help even if you do it secretly, but that doesn’t make it easy. Imagine how much greater Jesus’s sacrifice was when He left heaven to live as a man and suffer and die for our sins. That was truly paying it forward. How can you share the blessing of knowing Him with others?

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Jesus paid our bill