My uncle has owned a gas station for as far back as I can remember. As a teen, I called it the “magic gas station” because I could drive up in my car, and without saying a word, someone would come out and pump my gas, and more times than not, bring me a Pepsi and a snack too. I would give a quick wave to the attendant and drive off without paying a cent.

No, I wasn’t stealing. You see, my daddy had an account at my uncle’s station, and everyone there knew to put my charges on it. Then, they would send Daddy the bill at the end of the month, and he would pay it. Man, those were the good ol’ days!

I sure wish I had a magic gas station today as an adult. Now that I’m pumping my own gas and paying the bill, I truly appreciate the blessing of that situation. Recently, as I thought back to my father’s kindness of paying my account, a thought arose in my spirit. I suddenly understood that God had done the same thing for me, only on a much bigger scale.

God sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the debt of my sin. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT). He did that for you, too. John 3:16 says, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life” (NLT).

Think about that for a minute. Jesus, who never sinned and owed no debt, willingly took our sin and the debt we owed upon Himself. While the payment for my gasoline debt only cost my daddy money out of his checking account, our sin debt cost our heavenly Father the life of His one and only Son. And it cost Jesus His life.

Colossians 2:14 says, “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross” (NLT).

We all have a debt that needs to be canceled. Romans 3:23 says: “Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard” (NLT). This sin debt comes at a high cost: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT). Jesus freely laid His life down for you and me to pay the debt we couldn’t pay. He took our sins and put them on His account, and when He did, our accounts were wiped clean. And the only thing we have to do to receive this gift of forgiveness and eternal life is believe in Jesus.

I am in awe of God’s redemptive plan for all humanity. He knew from the very beginning that we would sin, yet He was willing to send His Son to die for us. The kind actions of my earthly father pale in comparison to the love demonstrated by my heavenly Father.

You may not have had a magic gas station growing up or a daddy to pay your bill, but no matter who you are, God can give you the assurance that your sin debt is paid in full for all time! Unlike the gasoline bill that had to be paid every month, your past, present, and future sin debt is covered once and for all. Only the blood of Jesus could give you and me such a miraculous gift.

Find rest in this truth by receiving God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation today.