November 28

His Generous Bounty

"We all live of his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift. We got the basics from Moses, and then this exuberant giving and receiving, this endless knowing and understandingïall this came through Jesus, the Messiah." John 1:16,17 (The Message)

How often do we stop and meditate on the generous bounty that our Father has bestowed upon us? Surely He has given us gift after gift! If we were to just think about all that has been given to us physically, our list would be quite long: families, jobs, homes, food, friends, the beauty of nature, the seasons and the wonderful changes they bring; oh, the list could go on and on! In this text, John elaborates on the generous bounty and he ties it into spiritual bounty rather than the physical. Yes, we have much to be thankful for as far as our physical bodies are concerned, but there is so much more to be grateful for when it comes to the spiritual! Moses gave the law, which pointed to our need for a savior. The law taught mankind right from wrong. It gave us the basics; what we needed to get by in life. It also showed us how fallen we truly are, because it brought continual failure as our sins kept us from keeping the law perfectly. Truly, the next step in God's plan brought us real joy, for when God gave us his Son, that is when we truly understood what a wonderful bounty we were given! It is because of Jesus Christ that we have received in joy the gospel and salvation that he has brought to this whole world! It is because of the gift of salvation that we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and we can know and understand God's Word. When Jesus Christ came to earth he brought pardon, redemption, protection, sanctification, and peace here in the present, and heaven in the future. Surely there is no greater bounty than that, and all this came through Jesus, the Messiah! Generous bounty? You bet! And we are the recipients. Truly we are blest! Let us never cease to thank our Father for all the gifts that He so generously gives to us over and over again!

Father, how thankful we are for your generous bounty in our lives! We are grateful for how well you take care of us physically, but even more than that we are thankful for the abundant bounty that you have given to us through your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you so much for salvation, for forgiving our sins, for your constant watchcare and protection in our lives. We are grateful that you did not leave us in sin, but gave us the tools and your Holy Spirit to help us be transformed into the very image of your son. Thank you, Father, for giving us the gift of peace: peace in the here and now. The world is full of worry and fear, and yet we are free from that. How grateful we are! And as if all that wasn't enough, you have given us the hope of living with you in heaven for all eternity! We live off your generous bounty, gift after gift after gift, and we are eternally grateful.  Amen