While in the pawn shop, Donald met TikToker Jenelle Marie.  As they visited, Donald told Marie about his situation.  Marie, wanting to help her new friend, opened a GoFundMe account to raise funds for Donald and his wife.  In a short amount of time, $1,200 was raised.  Marie posted a video of the moment she handed an envelope to him with the funds that had been raised.  He didn’t want to accept it, but she insisted.  With those funds, he was able to pay off his debt to the landlord and maintain possession of the jewelry he was about to pawn.

Compassionate donors kept donating to the GoFundMe account established for Donald.  To date, over $450,000 has been donated to help the elderly duo.

Last August, the funds had grown to $164,000.  Marie asked Donald to meet her at the store so that she could share some good news with him.  When Marie told him the amount of funds that had been donated, he was stunned and overcome with emotion.  "He graciously said he could never ever thank us and the people who donated," Marie wrote on the GoFundMe page.  "He said he didn't deserve it. He was 'just an ordinary man', but we explained to him that he's so much more than that!"

Donald’s debts had been paid, and more. *

Because of our sins, you and I are in extreme debt.  We don’t have the personal resources to pay the debt.

But God loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay the debt of our sin.  Jesus, the sinless Son of God, had to give His life as payment for our sins, “for the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).  Through His atoning blood and our acceptance of His offer, our debt is paid in full – and more.  Our debt is paid, we are added to His family, we are given every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) including an eternal home in heaven.  We don’t deserve it, but God loves us and desires to bless us.  We are beneficiaries of His grace.

God will pay the debt and give eternal life and other spiritual blessings to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  He will continue to cleanse from sin and provide an eternal inheritance for those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7-9).

“He paid a debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt I could not pay,
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
And now I sing a brand new song,
“Amazing Grace.”
Christ Jesus paid a debt that I could never pay.”

He'll pay our debt – and more.  Won’t you graciously accept His amazing offer through your trusting obedience?

-- David A. Sargent