The Check

Owen Lotz never had much money starting out, and he racked up more credit card debt with every passing month.

His first debt accumulation method was saving money!  Owen liked to buy the latest designer clothes that he couldn't afford, so he shopped at a department store where the receipts said in little print, “Total Amount $63.00” and in big print, “YOU SAVED $92.50!”  Owen kept saving and saving, and the more money he saved, the more he owed on his credit card.  But he was thinking how rich he could get just from the credit card reward points.  He could even go to some stores and get an offer at the checkout to save $20 by giving up $25 of reward points!

His second method was his coffee habit.  Every morning, without fail, he would drive to Dunkbucks Coffee and get his favorite multi-dollar flavored coffee.  Even though it was a takeout counter, the screen asked if he would like to add a tip on his purchase as well as on the state, county and city taxes on his purchase, and he felt too guilty to say no.  The coffee shop and the credit card company both appreciated his business.

His third method was his thousand-channel cable subscription.  While it was expensive, he could not picture life without being able to watch Great Chefs of Northern Argentina or the show where people picked between three houses where they could live the good life in Tasmania.

One day on the sidewalk, a mysterious man approached him, seemingly out of nowhere, and said, "You are blessed!  I have written a check to pay off all your eleven thousand dollars of credit card debt.”  Owen wondered how this man he never met knew how much debt he had racked up.  The man reached into his pocket, handed him the check and took off down the sidewalk.

Owen couldn't believe his good fortune.  A man who had nothing to do with racking up his debts had just written a check to clear them!  He couldn't wait to tell his fine Christian friends down at First Denominational Church at the service that night.

The first friend said, "That isn't fair.  YOU piled up that debt.  No one but YOU should have to pay it off."  Owen had to agree with that logic.  Fairness DID dictate that he "man up" and be responsible for the debt he had accumulated.  He wasn't a charity case like some residentially flexible person (known as a homeless person in pre-politically-correct days).  He was a real man, after all.  No one should be giving HIM a handout!

The second friend said, "It might not be that man's will that you be debt-free.  You never know what that man will do.  He works in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform.  That check might not even clear, and then you'll be stuck with more debt as your write other checks on the strength of that check, thinking you have money you don't really have.  Your checks will all bounce and the bank will be able to pay an hour’s salary to its new VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion just from the insufficient funds charges you will rack up!"  Owen pondered the logical conclusion that this check thing was too good to be true and that he should place no faith in that check, even though it was in his pocket.

The third friend said, "You have his name and address on the check.  You should write to him and let him know that you are willing to pay part of the price for your own spending.  He should be impressed with your partial payment offer and think what a good guy you are."

The fourth friend said, "You should make a deal with that man that if he will just pay off your debts, you'll serve him in some way."  Owen scratched his head at this comment, wondering how anyone could say such a thing when the man had already DONE something about his debts.  But he knew that his fellow believers at First Denominational sometimes said things he had trouble understanding.

The fifth friend said, "You should ask that man to pay off your debts if it be his will.  That is the respectful and humble way to approach the matter."  Owen wondered how it could NOT be the man's will when he had already done something about paying off his debts, but he had heard similar statements so many times before at First Denominational that he wondered if he was missing something.

The sixth friend said, "Oh, I heard about that payoff stuff.  I read about someone who tried that debt-free check thing and it didn't work for him.  You shouldn't believe it will work for you either."  Now Owen was starting to have his doubts.  Perhaps this check wouldn't work for him after all.

The seventh friend said, "I've been warned that the man's lower-numbered checks all used to clear in bygone days, but today they don't clear anymore."

The eighth friend said, "The Bible Expert Guy on the radio says that anyone who participates in that debt-clearing check thing is in a cult and not even saved, and many are being led to hell by that deceiver."  Now Owen was really worried.  His eternal destination was not worth risking over a chance that the check was actually a cloaked ticket to hell.

So Owen decided to leave the check in a drawer without cashing it.  He still has to make the payments himself on his ever-increasing credit card debt.

You might think Owen was insane, but many Christians do the same thing when they leave their healing checks uncashed.  Jesus paid for our healing (1 Peter 2:24), yet many Christians believe denominational lies and never cash their heavenly healing checks.