Counting that matters
Psalm 130:5 NLT
I am counting on the Lord; yes, I am counting on him. I have put my hope in his word.
There was a children's show I watched as a child on television that had a character I liked. He would count everything! He was actually a "Count". I can hear him right now as I write this, saying, " one, ringy-dingy, two, ringy-dingy, three, ringy-dingy, as he rang a door bell. I wonder if you can guess who I'm talking about? Although, this is a fun memory, and we may laugh a little bit, I'm reminded in Psalms that it is Him we count on. How often do we count on things and people to meet our needs in life, only to have disappointment quickly set in?
Did you know that God counts all the time? He uses numbers all throughout the Bible for us to know this. The word "count" means to reckon up, calculate or compute.
For example; when Jesus paid our debt for sin, God was counting. What I mean by this, is that as far as God was concerned He counted our debt and pulled out the big rubber stamp, through Jesus’ accomplishment at the cross, and said "Paid in Full".
When we have financial debt in our lives it can feel weighty. When we think we owe people it can seem it will never come to an end. But with God, when he says paid in full....He truly means it!
I once heard a story about a couple that had oil discovered on their land in Texas. When they were informed of the discovery, the couple had been living in extreme debt. Although, they moved on to the land years before when they purchase it, they had no knowledge of the full wealth they possessed. I think as Christians, God inheriter’s, we can live like these people. We are in Christ, and in Him is the fullness of God, but we get stuck looking beyond Him to the circumstances and measurement sticks. We put our gaze on the bank to be reliable, or people and places to be our answers, but He is the only reliable One and the only Authentice Debt Payer! Whether you live in uptown, midtown or downtown, the question is this: Are you relying on you and your accounts, or are you reckoning with Him.
The next time you find yourself wanting to count on something or someone, you can ask yourself this, has God already settled this? Did He put it in the paid column? If the answer is " yes" then you can hold that thing or person with an open hand instead of clutching tightly.
His bank is full and you can cash your spiritual checks each day, in complete confidence.