Pay it Forward

What it means

The simplest way to define “pay it forward” is that

“when someone does something for you, instead of paying that person back directly, you pass it on to another person instead.”

 You ever go through the drive-thru only to find out that the person in front of you has already paid for your order? Doesn’t that make you feel good? Most people I know, fully intent on paying for their own meal, after hearing that their meal was already paid for by the person before them (and if they have the money) will then take it upon themselves to pay for the one in line behind them.

Why do we react this way? Because we know the world and people in the world typically function in a way that is completely contrary to this sort of thing. Satan is the prince of the power of the air Eph 2:2 the god of this world 2 Cor 4:4 and therefore he is delighted anytime humans act selfishly instead of “loving their neighbor as themselves.”

Doesn’t this sort of thing seem kind of unnecessary? I mean, couldn’t we each just pay for our own meals and be done with it?

I don’t know.. are you able to make atonement for your own sins? Not according to what the bible teaches.

Couldn’t God have just made it to where we don’t sin at all? Well, sure he could have. He could have made you a robot completely devoid of free will. Do you think you would’ve preferred to have been created like that? Sometimes we may feel that way but ultimately I think we all would agree to have free will is better than to not have free will.

What is the difference if I am paying for my own meal instead of the one behind me if our orders are more or less the same price? I’m here to tell you today that your order costs infinitely more than the one who came before you. I came to tell you that you cannot afford to eat out at this fast food restaurant we call life. The order you’ve already placed is not within your budget. You couldn’t pay for it if you worked all your life for a thousand lifetimes saving every penny from one life to the next. But praise God the one who came before you has already paid and now he’s driven off somewhere. You’re in no position to pay him back though you want to with every fiber of your being. Well I also came here today to tell you that in a roundabout sort of way you can try. You can do what he would have you to do. You can do what we call “paying it forward.”