Your Red Marble Debt

keg932
5 days ago
2 min read

William Peterson, a traveler, stopped at Miller’s General Store where he overheard a conversation between Mr. Miller and a little boy dressed in tattered clothes. His name was Billy.

Billy was admiring the peas when Mr. Miller asked, “Billy, would you like to take some of them peas home?” Billy mumbled, “I aint got no money.” Mr. Miller said, “Well, you got anything to trade?” Billy replied, “All I got’s my prize marble.” Looking at the blue marble, Mr Miller said, “It’s a dandy, Billy, but I really like red marbles. Why don’t you go ahead and take these peas home, and when you come across a nice red marble, we can settle up.” Billy replied, “Sure will, thanks, Mr. Miller.”

Standing off to the side, Mrs. Miller shared with Peterson, “There are two other boys like him in our community, with poor circumstances. Jim loves to bargain with them for produce. When they come back with their red marbles – and they always do – Jim decides he doesn’t like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.”

Recently, Mr. Miller died. At the funeral, Peterson took his place in line to speak with Mrs. Miller. Ahead of him, in line, were three young men. One in an army uniform and the other 2 in nice dark suits. They hugged Mrs. Miller, then each one stopped briefly at the casket, placing their warm hands over Mr. Miller’s cold, pale hand. Then, each slowly departed, wiping away their tears.

As Peterson reminisced about the old days with Mrs. Miller, she took his hand and led him to the casket. She said, “Those three young men were the boys I told you about years ago. They were so grateful for the things Jim ‘traded’ them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size, they came to pay their debt.” Gently, she lifted Jim’s lifeless fingers, and beneath them were three exquisitely polished red marbles.

Did you know that CHRIST also paid a debt for us, kind of a RED or should I say CRIMSON MARBLE DEBT.

Colossians 2:13-14 ¹³When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you^[^a^] alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.