Monday, February 11, 2019

MATT Good morning! I’m Matt Farmer, Associate Pastor at Central United Methodist Church in Meridian. The film, Saving Private Ryan, though disturbingly graphic, tells the gripping story of a World War II rescue squad sent to bring a soldier out of harm’s way. Mortally wounded and near death, the squad leader calls Ryan close and simply says, “Earn this.” Men had given their lives to save Him, and he needed to embrace the sense of indebtedness such sacrifice should incite. Ryan owed his life to those who had rescued him. Paul, likewise, felt indebted. Christ had sacrificed Himself to pay for Paul’s sins and set him free from judgment and death. Paul’s response? “I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.” Why was he indebted to them? The Greeks and barbarians hadn’t died for him, nor had the wise or the unwise. But Christ had. The sacrifice of the Son of God on his behalf was so overwhelming to Paul that he in turn felt an overwhelming need to share God’s redeeming love with everyone. We can’t earn God’s gift of love, but we have an obligation to share it with others who need Him.