A gift you could never buy
Paid in Full
Lincoln’s tools had been sold. He needed them to work—but how could he get them back? Someone was about to give him an unexpected gift.
Discover the gift1. A loving Father who is always fair
God loves me and knows the truth. I can come to Him honestly.
Look inside the letter
Before he became president, Abraham Lincoln had a store that failed. He owed money, and his tools for measuring land were sold. Then his friend James Short bought the tools and gave them back! Lincoln could work again.
His friend paid the cost; Lincoln received the gift. The Bible tells us about a much greater gift. To understand it, first let’s meet the One who gives it.
Peter reminds believers: God is your loving Father AND a fair Judge. You can come to Him for help. He knows the truth and calls wrong things wrong—even when His children do them. He judges impartially: fairly, without favorites.
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,1 Peter 1:17 · ESV
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Read the complete Bible passages
1 Peter 1:17–21 · ESV
And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Colossians 2:13–14 · ESV
And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
Grown-ups: lesson plan, discussion & sources
Read and explore together at the child’s pace. Begin with Lincoln’s gift, then follow three connected truths: our loving and fair Father, our journey home, and Jesus’ costly rescue.
- Prepare a Bible, paper, pencils, and five timeline cards. Read with younger children.
- 0–5 minutes — Tell the Lincoln story. Ask: what would you say to a friend who gave back something you really needed? Read 1 Peter 1:17–21 together.
- 5–11 minutes — Match care and fairness. Use the hidden-toy example. Explain impartial as fair, without favorites, and reverence as loving respect.
- 11–17 minutes — Pack a traveler’s heart. Ask how remembering our home with God changes the way we treat someone left out of a game.
- 17–24 minutes — Read verses 18–21 and arrange the rescue timeline. Explain redemption as freedom at a cost. Connect Jesus’ death and resurrection to repentance and faith.
- 24–30 minutes — Read Colossians 2:13–14. Explain the canceled record as forgiveness through Jesus. Assemble the memory verse.
- 30–36 minutes — Work through the six questions. Ask the child to explain one answer in their own words.
- 36–40 minutes — Return to Lincoln’s gift and Jesus’ greater gift. Choose a thankful next step and pray together.
Discussion & suggested answers
Does a loving Father call wrong things right?
No. His love and fair judgment belong together. God’s impartiality rules out family, national, financial, or religious favoritism.
Does fearing God mean we should hide from Him?
No. Reverence takes His holiness seriously and draws near truthfully, relying on His mercy—not treating Him as cruel or sin as harmless.
Why serve people if we are travelers?
Our hope beyond this life helps us put people before temporary prizes. It does not excuse neglecting neighbors, creation, promises, or work.
What can good deeds pay toward salvation?
Nothing. Christ’s sacrifice is the basis of forgiveness. Good deeds express gratitude and changed life; they are fruit, not a price.
What does canceled debt mean—and not mean?
It pictures the removal of guilt in Christ. Borrowing money is not itself sin, poverty is not proof of wrongdoing, and earthly financial responsibilities are not automatically erased.
What response does the gospel invite?
Repentance and faith: turn from sin to God and rely on the crucified and risen Jesus. Do not imply automatic salvation for everyone or salvation by repeating a formula.
Helpful teaching notes & sources
Read the full passages together: 1 Peter 1:17–21 and Colossians 2:13–14. English quotations use ESV; Russian quotations use the Synodal translation.
For more discussion: Acts 10:34–35 shows Peter learning that God does not favor one nation. Deuteronomy 10:17–18 connects fair judgment with care. 1 Peter 2:11–12 connects our journey with good conduct.
James Short bought and returned Lincoln’s surveying tools. Lincoln later repaid his debts. Compare the friend’s costly kindness with the much greater gift Jesus gives; the history sources are linked below.