I, Nicolas, Czar of Russia - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all.
1 Timothy 2:5.6

I, Nicolas, Czar of Russia
The Czar Nicolas used to visit his army's barracks incognito. One night he found a young officer, the son of a friend of his, asleep with his head on the table. Before him lay a sheet of paper on which the young man had added up all the sums of money that he owed through losses in games of chance. His situation seemed to him hopeless, and he intended taking his life. At the bottom of the sheet he had written: "Who could settle such a great debt?" Exhausted and crushed with sorrow he had fallen asleep.

The Czar's first thought was to wake him up and inflict a punishment on him that would set an example. Then he thought better of it. Wasn't he the son of his friend? He decided to forgive him. But a pardon did not effectuate payment of the debt that justice demanded. So he took the pen from the table and wrote under the desperate officer's question: "I, Nicolas".

We have all amassed an enormous debt before God through our sins. We have disobeyed His commandments and not loved Him as we should have done. We deserve condemnation, but God wishes to forgive us, and He can do so justly since Jesus has paid our debt. "For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5, 6.8). However, it is still necessary for us to accept the salvation He offers.