| Paid In Full After living what I thought was a decent life, my time on earth had come to an end. The first thing I remember is sitting on a bench in the waiting room of what I thought to be a court house. The doors opened and I was instructed to go in and have a seat by the defense table. As I looked around, I saw the prosecutor. He was villainous looking and snarled as he stared at me. He was most definitely the most evil person I had ever seen! As I sat down and looked to my left, there sat my Attorney. He was a kind and gentle looking man whose appearance seemed so familiar to me - I felt as though I knew Him. Then all the sudden the corner door flew open and there appeared the Judge in full flowing robes. He commanded an Awesome Presence as He moved across the room. I could not take my eyes off of Him! As He took His seat behind the bench, He said, "Let us begin." The prosecutor rose and said, "My name is Satan and I am here to show you why this man belongs in hell." He proceeded to tell of lies that I had told, things that I stole, and in the past when I cheated others. Satan told of other horrible perversions that were once in my life, and the more he spoke, the further down in my seat I sank. I was so embarrassed that I couldn't look at anyone. I couldn't even look at my own Attorney, as the devil told of sins that I had completely forgotten about! As upset as I was at Satan for telling all these things about me, I was equally upset at my Attorney who just sat there silently, not offering any form of defense at all. I knew I had been guilty of all those things, but I also knew I had done some good in my life too. Couldn't that at least equal out part of the harm I'd done? Satan finished with a fury and then said, "This man belongs in hell! He is guilty of all that I have charged, and there is not one person who can prove otherwise!" When it was His turn, my Attorney asked if He might first approach the bench. The Judge allowed it over the strong objection of Satan, and then beckoned my Attorney to come forward. As He got up and started walking, I was able to see Him in His full Splendor and Majesty! Then I realized why He had seemed so familiar to me. It was Jesus representing me, my Lord and my Saviour! He stopped at the bench and softly said to the Judge, "Hi, Dad," and then He turned to address the court. "Satan was correct in saying that this man has sinned. I will not deny any of these allegations. And yes, the wages of sin is death, and this man does deserve to be punished." Then Jesus took a deep breath and turned to His Father with outstretched arms and proclaimed, "However, I died on the cross so that this person might have eternal life! He has accepted Me as his Saviour, so he is Mine." My Lord continued with, "His name is written in the Book of Life, and therefore, no one can snatch him from Me. Satan, you still don't get it. This man is not to be given justice - he is to be given Mercy." And with that, Jesus sat down, quietly paused, looked at His Father and said, "There is nothing else that needs to be said. I've already done it all." The Judge lifted His Mighty Hand, slammed the gavel down, and the following words bellowed from His lips. "This man is free. The penalty for him has already been Paid in Full. Case dismissed." As the Lord led me away, I could hear Satan ranting and raving, "I won't give up! I will win the next one!" I then asked Jesus, "Have you ever lost a case?" He lovingly smiled at me and said, "Everyone who has come to Me for forgiveness has received My Representation, and has received the very same verdict as you... PAID IN FULL!" |
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