Insufficient spiritual funds

Psalm 116

I love the Lord, because He has heardMy voice and my supplications.
2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,Therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.
3 The pains of death surrounded me,And the pangs of Sheol laid hold of me;I found trouble and sorrow.
4 Then I called upon the name of the Lord:"O Lord, I implore You, deliver my soul!"

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;Yes, our God is merciful.
6 The Lord preserves the simple;I was brought low, and He saved me.
7 Return to your rest, O my soul,For the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8 For You have delivered my soul from death,My eyes from tears,And my feet from falling.

9 I will walk before the LordIn the land of the living.
10 I believed, therefore I spoke,"I am greatly afflicted."
11 I said in my haste,"All men are liars."

12 What shall I render to the LordFor all His benefits toward me?
13 I will take up the cup of salvation,And call upon the name of the Lord.
14 I will pay my vows to the LordNow in the presence of all His people.

15 Precious in the sight of the LordIs the death of His saints.
16 O Lord, truly I am Your servant;I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;You have loosed my bonds.

17 I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,And will call upon the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord Now in the presence of all His people,
19 In the courts of the Lord's house,In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.Praise the Lord!

The only worthy thing we can do to "repay" God for His mercy and grace is to simply lift up our empty cups and call on His name, asking for more: more of His mercy and grace, more of His love, more of HIM. There is no service great enough, no sacrifice big enough, no action righteous enough to "repay" God or to "make it up to Him" - every good thing we do makes us more indebted to Him and His mercy for freeing us to love Him and know Him.

If you think you have "made a deal" with God and feel like you have to "repay" Him, STOP. Recognize that in every moment you are only being suspended above the flames of hell by a thin thread - God's grace. But that thin thread is strong, and will not break. Live a lifestyle of clinging to the cross - because it is truly the only sure thing we can hold to and keeps us from being lost in a dark, trecherous sea forever.

Stop trying to repay God or match Him - lift up your empty cups and ask for more of Him, because THAT is the most glorifying thing we can do. Walk with me and learn this with me - it is such a hard lesson, but it is crucial for us to learn so that GOD is truly glorified.

Good resource for more of this teaching: Desiring God - John Piper ministries