The Divine Debt Collector

I have been reading stories of the nasty antics that debt collectors are using on delinquent accounts. I am stunned by some of the things that they will do. They go way beyond bills printed on yellow paper and relentless phone calls. Some threaten to set a lien against your house, while others have even camped out in the family driveway. The House in Colorado recently sent to the Colorado Senate a bill to tighten guidelines on debt collection agencies practices. This will give the consumer in the mountain state some additional protection against the unscrupulous and illegal collection tactics of some agencies.

Consider the contrast between the tactics of these debt collectors and our practice of evangelism. Then consider the difference between the two outcomes. The debt collectors are merely pursuing temporal wealth, while we are dealing with matters that have eternal consequences. This week’s story is found in a troika (a Russian term for three) of stories about lost things--a coin, a sheep, and a son. In the first one we find that a woman frantically searches for her lost coin. The second story tells us about a shepherd who abandons his entire flock to look for one lost sheep. Both the woman and the shepherd have urgency in their task. They know that if they are not successful the coin and the sheep will be lost forever.

The stories are typically used to describe the 'frantic' efforts that God employs in His search for us. He does not give up. He goes after us; excuse the pun, like a starving debt collector. He is relentless because He knows that if He does not find us, we will be lost forever. That is definitely reassuring news. In a world that only cares about us for our money, it is nice to know that God cares about us for other reasons. But the stories can be turned slightly and used to prompt us to action. If God pursues us with such diligence, why don't we imitate him in our pursuit of our friends and family?

We prefer the model of the 'waiting father.' Dad patiently allows his son the freedom to nearly destroy his life. Dad does not try to manipulate, cajole or beg his son to return home. He just waits for his son to discover that happiness is not found in the material world. Pleasure that is fed through indulging in physical pursuits has an insatiable appetite and will eventually bankrupt the soul. This is a very attractive model. However, I am glad that God used both with me.

There was a period in my life that God backed away and allowed me to do some really stupid things. It took me a while to realize just how dumb I was. Once I did, he came after me with the zeal of a debt collector but instead of demanding payment he offered his love. We need wisdom to know which method to use with every person. But we also need to be willing to be aggressive when the situation demands a more assertive role as well as patient. Let’s enjoy how these parables remind us of God's love and grace as well as use them as a model for proclaiming the kingdom.