Canceled

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. Colossians 2:13-14

Canceled. Paul addresses the Church of Colossae, reminding them that God canceled the record of debt through Jesus’ death on the cross. The Colossians’ debt to God was an account filled with sin. Not coin or cash, but the accumulation of sins throughout their lives, adding up, and often times, compounding with interest. Making minimum payments to payoff that type of debt just doesn’t work .

Our record of debt, the sins that we daily commit, whether knowingly or unknowingly, was nailed to the cross with Jesus. The Colossians’ sins were posted there too, as were the sins of the rest of the world. The payment Jesus made was one of force. Each nail, driven into His wrists and ankles, destroyed the debt we owed until He took His final breath. At that moment, He brought our debt to nothingness. It was canceled. No longer did a record of our sins stand between us and our Heavenly Father. Reconciliation occurred.

How often do we keep a record of debts, not our own, but someone else’s? We write down or make a mental note of how we were mistreated, lied to, and hurt. We feverishly keep track of each occurrence. We hold the debts against them and wait for the day they pay for their mistreatment of us. But, when we put into perspective the betrayal, deceit, lies, abuse, torture, and finally, death that Jesus went through to pay the price for things He never did, instead, paying the price for all the sins we committed, it makes us reconsider the record of debts we hold against others. We realize that Jesus not only died for us, but He died for them too. He freed us and He freed them. He reconciled us to God and He reconciled them. He loves us and He loves them.

Maybe it is time for us to be like Jesus, forgiving others, releasing them from their debts, and freeing ourselves of the mental and emotional prison we have built around ourselves. Jesus already did it for us. Now, it’s our turn. Let’s show mercy and grace to others together!

Prayer: Lord, You canceled our debt when You sent Your Son, Jesus into this sin-filled world. Through obedience to You, He set out to please You and reconcile the world to You. His blood washed us clean of our sins. He gave His life for our reconciliation to You and our forgiveness. May we live that out when we are faced with forgiving others. Give us Your strength and courage to do so. In Jesus' name, Amen.