PUT IT ON HIS TAB.

Dear friends, I am so happy to bring you the best news yet.

JESUS PAID THE PRICE!

Imagine taking a friend out for lunch at a very nice restaurant because you promised her a treat. You enjoy the meal, the laughter and the fellowship. Eventually, the waiter brings the bill. You glance at it and, although it is a little more than you had budgeted for, you smile and reach for your card.

Just then, the waiter gently raises his hand and says with a smile, “Ma’am, there’s no need. The bill has already been settled.”

Stunned, you and your friend look at each other and ask almost in unison, “By whom?”

The waiter smiles again and points towards the exit.

“The gentleman who just left asked us to put it on his tab.”

You thank the waiter, leave a generous tip and walk out of the restaurant wondering who this kind and generous man was. But above all, you leave grateful because someone else paid a bill that belonged to you.

As wonderful as that story is, in reality, something greater than that has already happened.

YES… THE GOSPEL! 

The word Gospel simply means Good News.

Good News of what Jesus Christ has already done for us that we could never have done for ourselves.

The Gospel is much more than the forgiveness of our sins. It is the glorious story of substitution.

Someone went in our place.

And that Someone is Jesus Christ.

There was a cost.

There was a bill.

There was a price.

HE PAID IT.

Jesus did not ask the Father to ignore the cost or pretend it did not exist. NO!

HE PAID IT.

The prophet Isaiah told about it long before Jesus came when he said:

“Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows…”  Isaiah 53:4  KJV

The Apostle Paul also later explains it this way:

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:21  NKJV

What an exchange!  Jesus took our place so that we could stand in His.

Sometimes I imagine a sinner coming before God.

Justice presents the account of all they have done:

Every sin.

Every failure.

Every shortcoming.

But before another word could be spoken, Jesus steps forward and says,

“ABBA…. it’s alright. Just put it on My tab.”

When we sin…

When sickness comes…

When discouragement knocks at our door…

When anxiety tries to overwhelm us…

We have every right to come boldly to our heavenly Father—not because we deserve it, but because Jesus has already paid the price.

“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”  Hebrews 4:16  KJV

The Gospel is news, good news; not advice.

Advice tells us what we must do.

News tells us what has already been done.

The Gospel is not God saying,

“Try harder.”

The Gospel is God saying,

“My Son has already paid the price.”

So when we come with:

Our sins…

Put them on His tab.

Our guilt…

Put it on His tab.

Our shame…

Put it on His tab.

Our condemnation…

Put it on His tab.

Our reproach…

Put it on His tab.

Because of Jesus, we have been fully reconciled to God.

That is why it is called the Good News.

Dear friend, if today you are carrying a burden that feels too heavy, remember this:

Jesus has already carried the heaviest burden of all.

Rest in that truth.

Receive His grace.

Be thankful.

The price has been paid.

The account has been settled.

What wonderful news!

JESUS HAS PICKED UP THE TAB. 

OLUYINKA EGO-MARTINS ©