December 2010

“How Do You Give Thanks?”

 “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else” 2 Corinthians 9:10-13.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, The Apostle Paul reminds us of the great generosity of the God who created us in His own divine perfection and who rescued us from our own human imperfection. God would send His only begotten Son into the world to save us from the deadly consequences of our imperfections. At Calvary, Jesus Christ would take the full brunt of God’s punishment upon Himself, the fiery judgment that had once been reserved for you, for me and for all born of sin. Give your undivided attention to that cross where Jesus suffered and died for you. That cross recalls God’s great love for you… and through the faith that your loving God first gave you in the waters of baptism, He has made you personal recipients of the greatest gift to be ever bestowed upon humankind. That gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Of course, the generosity of God doesn’t end at the cross, does it? God, who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Indeed, He does! Look no further than to those freshly gleaned fields that surround you, and behold the plentiful fruits of the rich and abundant harvest that God has bestowed upon the residents of this rustic farming community. The God who made certain your eternal salvation through His Son Jesus Christ makes certain that you suffer no want as you wait upon Him in this present day.  Luther would do an exceedingly fine job of summarizing God’s generous provision for you when he wrote, “He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life” (SC AC p.15).

God has enriched you in every way, hasn’t he? Your Heavenly Father supplies your every single need. What can you do other than to express your thanks to Him? How do you express your thanksgiving to God? Paul’s words of instruction to the Corinthians would make it clear to you. Daily exercise that same generosity which God daily exercises toward you.  How do you faithfully do that? It’s easy! 

Don’t waste the time God has given you. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2b). Don’t withhold the great salvation that God has given you through faith in Christ. Speak boldly, and share that Good News of Salvation with others! You are to “declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9b).

Don’t hide those talents with which God has equipped you. Remember that you are “are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for you to do” (Ephesians 2:10). Let others take their delight in what God has given you to offer. “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14, 16b). Shine brightly!

And don’t cling to those treasures that God has entrusted to you. Share your treasures with those who ask! Share your treasures with those in need! Share your treasures with those who would have no expectation of such generosity! SHARE FREELY! Invest what God has given you; invest it fully in all of the Lord’s people, and just watch with delight as the Lord causes your harvest of righteousness to grow and to grow!  In His great generosity, God has assigned to you time, talents and treasures. Use all that God has entrusted to you to His glory.  

AND FINALLY PRAY… do so continually… that you might wisely invest the time, talents and treasures which God has placed in your hands…

Pastor Bruce