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Friday, September 16, 2016

A Debt of $0.00

A DEBT OF $0.00

The following story appears to be an "urban legend," but is fun to read nevertheless:

In March 1992, a man living near Boston, Massachusetts received a bill for his as yet unused
credit card stating that he owed $0.00. He ignored it and threw it away. In April he received
another and threw that one away, too.

The following month the credit card company sent him a very nasty note stating they were going
to cancel his card if he didn't send them $0.00 by return of post. He called them, talked to them,
they said it was a computer error and told him they'd take care of it.

The following month he decided that it was about time that he tried out the troublesome credit
card figuring that if there were purchases on his account it would put an end to his ridiculous
predicament. However, in the first store that he produced his credit card in payment for his
purchases he found that his card had been canceled. He called the credit card company who apologized
for the computer error once again and said that they would take care of it.

The next day he got a bill for $0.00 stating that payment was now overdue. Assuming that having
spoken to the credit card company only the previous day and that the latest bill was yet another
mistake, he ignored it, trusting that the company would be as good as their word and sort the
problem out.

The next month he got a bill for $0.00 stating that he had 10 days to pay his account or the
company would have to take steps to recover the debt.

Finally giving in, he thought he would play the company at their own game and mailed them a
check for $0.00. The computer duly processed his account and returned a statement to the effect
that he now owed the credit card company nothing at all.

A week later, the man's bank called him asking him what he was doing writing a check for $0.00.
After a lengthy explanation, the bank replied that the $0.00 check had caused their check processing
software to fail. The bank could not now process ANY checks from ANY of their customers that day
because the check for $0.00 was causing the computer to crash.

The following month the man received a letter from the credit card company claiming that his
check had bounced and that he now owed them $0.00 and unless he sent a check by return of post they
would be taking steps to recover the debt.

The man, who had been considering buying his wife a computer for her birthday, bought her a
typewriter instead.

As I read that story, I couldn't help but think of the debt that we owe because of our sin.
"The wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23). But, for those who are in Christ, that debt has been
canceled -- we owe nothing. "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ
Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Rom. 8:1)

Despite that fact, though, Satan continues to make us feel that we still owe something (he's
not called "the accuser" for nothing!). But listen to these words of comfort:

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them
before our God day and night, has been cast down.' And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." (Rev. 12:10-11)

Praise be to the Lamb whose blood makes it possible for us to have a debt of $0.00!

Have a great day!

Alan Smith

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