[Love's] depth and breadth extend far beyond the bounds of human reasoning. To the unenlightened eye, it would seem irrational, maybe even eccentric. Within the narrow confines of ordinary common sense, this kind of loves makes no sense. Its object is so undeserving. Its source is so unfathomable. And the medium of its expression suggests a sort of divine absurdity that defies anything understood by men and women.

The conduit through which this love flows is a cross - a barbaric tool of revenge that for millennia has epitomized the greatest agony and the deepest shame one may know. Historically, the cross was reserved for the vilest of the human race. It was considered to be the place where the trash of the universe finally met the incinerator of justice. It was here that the baby-killer finally identified with the horror he had inflicted on pure innocence. It was at this place that the callused and obstinate criminal would finally weep like a small schoolgirl. It was where the worst possible offenders would finally be joined with the worst possible consequence. It was on this bloody altar that agony and agape met and embraced. Since that day, nothing has been the same.

"Are you suggesting that we owe God nothing at all, even after all that He has done for us?" one pastor asked me.

"Kurt, what could you owe God for all that He has done for you?" I asked. "How could we ever repay God for a priceless gift?"

"Of course, I know we could never repay Him," Kurt said. "But we can spend our lives trying to repay Him."

"And how do we do that?" I persisted. "What could we offer God that would even begin to repay Him for the goodness to us?" Kurt's perspective isn't an uncommon one, but my question to him begs an answer. How could we ever repay God for His great gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ?

Adam and Joshua were best friends who served in Vietnam together, often fighting side by side during intense battles. One day Adam's unit pulled out, and he was stuck alone behind the enemy line. He had been wounded and wasn't able to stand to his feet. Upon discovering what had happened, Joshua rushed back into the heat of the conflict and battled his way to the foxhole where Adam lay without hope. Joshua threw his friend across his shoulders and began to run for safety. As he approached the protection of his own unit, Joshua was shot in the back. He collapsed forward into another foxhole where his allies immediately cared for both him and Adam.

Adam spent a month in the hospital, requiring back surgery and physical therapy. He had paid a great price to save his buddy. But to him, Adam was worth it. After all, they were best friends.

One day after they arrived back home, Joshua came home to find Adam putting his lawn mower back into his garage. "What are you doing?" Joshua asked.

"I just came over and mowed your lawn" Adam answered.

"Why?" Joshua asked.

"Well, I was thinking about it," Adam said. "You saved my life in 'Nam, and I thought maybe I could try to repay you by mowing your lawn."

How do you think Joshua felt when Adam told him that?

…We are all born sons and daughters of Adam, destined for destruction - yet believers have been rescued by our Joshua - Jesus Christ. He didn't simply risk His life. He gave His life for us. What could we ever do to repay Him? There is nothing that we can do but to accept the fact that He loves us that much. Will His love make a difference in the way we act? Of course it will! However, our behavior is the results of His actions toward us, not a repayment for them. Don't try to pay a price for a priceless gift. To do so only demonstrates that we have no concept of the gift's infinite value … God's desire is that you will grow in your knowledge of His love and your capacity to receive it. Forget what you think you owe Him and accept, by faith, that it has already been paid.