How Much Did It Cost?
“Everything written in the past was written to teach us…” (Rom 15:4)
In December 1940, Winston Churchill sent a letter to President Roosevelt to say that Britain, after two years of resisting Nazi attacks, had run out of money to pay for the assistance they had been receiving from the US. He wrote, “The moment approaches where we can no longer be able to pay cash for shipping and other supplies… You may be assured that we shall prove ourselves ready to suffer and sacrifice to the utmost for the Cause, and that we glory in being its champions. The rest we leave with confidence to you and to your people, being sure that the ways and means will be found which future generations on both side of the Atlantic will approve and admire.”
Even though Laws had been passed in the US after WW I to prevent involvement in foreign wars, the President authored a program called “lend-lease,” in which the assistance given by America could be repaid “in kind,” not necessarily in cash, after the fighting ended. As it turned out, the help sent from the States to Britain not only saved that country but also provided the means for defeating the Nazis and ending the war. The Allies won!
One cabinet member in the US called the lend-lease effort inspired, a “flash of almost clairvoyant knowledge and understanding.” We still celebrate the victory over oppression from 80 years ago. I don’t think anyone is concerned about how much it cost in dollars to defend liberty versus dictatorship. How grateful we are and how thankful we should be!
That sequence of thought brings to my mind the greater threat, the one that continues to plague humanity, that is beyond our ability to pay for what we need to defeat it. We are at war with the devil. Sin is all around us, inside of us, a constant danger to our souls. Temptation is an everyday occurrence. We have no resources to combat it, our will power is too weak, and we can only appeal to an outside source for help.
And our God says, YES! He paid our debt, he has supplied everything we need, and we have nothing to repay him “in kind.” The good news is that he does not require repayment in any form (that is called “grace,” a free gift) … except … he wants our hearts, our dedication, our submission to his love, and that by our own choice.
He offers us inclusion in the divine family, the gift of peace (John 16:33), a life that is “full” now (John 10:10), and the promise of living with him (John 14:3). How can we respond appropriately in any way except with total gratitude for the salvation he gives us (Heb 12:28)?
Our awareness of his great gift, the answer to our deepest need, given because he IS love for us, even as weak and undesirable as we are, should overwhelm us with thanksgiving. Every day when we wake up, we should be aware of how much we owe to our God and Father. May it be so.