A Lavish Blessing

In my last post, Where Are the Other Nine?, I discussed the benefits of gratitude. God has indeed lavished blessings on me. Don and I experienced one of those on Monday and Tuesday last week as we drove to Monterey for a two-day stay.

The sky was a clear, cerulean blue, the ocean a deeper, smoky blue. Stunning Monterey pines stood out against the backdrop. We left San Jose in heavy fog, which lifted about an hour after we left home. There…not a cloud in the sky.

We explored places we hadn’t been before, although we live only an hour and a half away. We held hands and ate wonderful crepes at Crepes of Brittany. (Thanks for the referral, Debbie and Wes!)

We walked the Old Fisherman’s Wharf. It was great fun to see the myriad of restaurants, tell the maître-d’s who were trying to drum up business that we’d just finished brunch, and move on.

Don and I just enjoyed being together, with no time commitments. At Don’s request, I left my laptop at home—a rarity. I’m glad I did, and was able to focus on him, and on God’s beautiful creation all around us, both in people and in the environment.

Make Me a Blessing

“Make me a blessing” is a good prayer, and one God will honor. When we truly have hearts full of gratitude, that flows back out through us in generosity to others.

“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.”

— 2Corinthians 9:11

God gave us some opportunities to be generous. And because our hearts were full of gratitude, we rejoiced in being able to help someone else.

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah

While living and ministering in the Los Angeles ghetto, I attended Pasadena’s Lake Avenue Church. Pastor Ray Ortlund had a way of leading us (me) into the presence of God. I loved it when he told us he started every morning singing (in a rich baritone, mind you) this beautiful old hymn, written in Welsh by William Williams, considered the most famous hymn writer of Welsh Methodism.

“Guide me O Thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land.

I am weak, but Thou art mighty, hold me with Thy powerful hand.

Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, feed me ‘til I want no more…”

Thankfully, God asks us to “make a joyful noise.” He doesn’t require that we know how to sing in four-part harmony. He doesn’t discount my joyful noise because my voice is weak and shaky. But this song—oh, the words lead me through that attitude from gratitude to generosity.

The Greatest Gift

And didn’t God give us the greatest gift, which we celebrate at Christmas? As our late pastor, Tim Wood, used to say, “He (Jesus) lived the life I couldn’t live, and died the death I should have died.”

But hints of William Williams’ struggles come through in his hymn, in terms like “barren land,” “weak,” “hold me.” I think that’s one of the draws of this hymn. We all encounter difficulties in life; that’s a universal. And yet our God is and always will be a God of grace and guidance and Presence.

It’s easy to think we’re “good.”

“Of course I’ll go to heaven; I’m a good person” – or “you’re a good person, why is this hard stuff happening to you?”

But our goodness pales in comparison to the holy righteousness of the God of the universe!

Scripture says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We’re all in the same boat. If the boat capsizes in a stormy sea, you may be able to swim farther than I, but neither of us will make it across the ocean.

Even so, whether a murderer, a gossip, an envier, a drunkard, a materialist, or a thief, none of us will reach heaven without receiving the gift God sent Jesus to offer us. Sin is simply missing the mark, and I sure know I do that.

“For the wages (penalty for) of sin is death; but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

— Romans 6:23

Let’s go back to that boat analogy. You and I are swallowing salt water, coughing, spitting it out, paddling with all our might to stay afloat on the raging waves. Suddenly, a hand reaches down to each of us. Do we grab on in gratitude, or do we say, “No, I can make this on my own.”

That is the hand of Jesus Christ, reaching down to give us forgiveness, grace, mercy, love, and eternal life.

Photo Credit: Amine, from Pexels

Have you reached out to that rescuing hand?

^“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

— Romans 10:9-10, ESV

“He who has the Son has the life; and he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

— I John 5:11-12

If we have experienced this new life, we have everything to be thankful for. Let’s bless others this Christmas season out of grateful hearts.

How can I bless you this Christmas season? It may be a difficult one due to loss, pain, illness, dysfunctional relationships, or financial hardship. But I pray you will experience the peace and love of Christ in a new and fresh way.

“Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulders. And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.”

—Isaiah 9:6

HALLELUJAH!