Say 'Thank You,' Paul!

I remember my mother teaching me to act thankful for new underwear or socks from my grandparents on Thanksgiving, Christmas, or my birthday. What I really wanted was a new six-shooter and Greenie Stick-M-Caps that went “BANG!” I took a lot for granted when I was young. I never thought about the food, clothes, home, and everything else my parents gave me every day, but just what I wanted and thought was fun. I remember crying on my birthday once because I didn’t get the exact bicycle I wanted.

We can be that way with the Lord, who gives us every last thing for body and soul. He has given us beds, lots of clothes, 1,095+ meals every year, clean water, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, husbands, wives, electricity, homes, vehicles, gasoline, roads, jobs, salaries, investments, dishes, phones, TVs, computers, education, furnaces, air conditioning, freedom, friends, vacations, books, musical instruments, pets, parks, sports, museums, trees, sunshine, packed grocery stores, welfare and government agencies, military protection, salaries, medicine, nurses, doctors, dentists, therapists, hospitals, restaurants, insurance, photographs and videos of the past, lawnmowers, lawns, neighbors, artwork on our walls, indoor plumbing, tables, chairs, couches, windows, stoves, refrigerators, microwaves, dishes, dressers for all of our stuff, talents, skills, spiritual gifts, 1440 minutes every day, 365 days every year, libraries, hardware stores, movie theaters, hymns and Christian music, pencils, pens, and paper, tools, sewing machines, carpets, farms, employers, employees, the Bible in our own language, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, godly teachers and pastors and other church workers, schools, high schools, colleges, seminaries, a beautiful church building, a wonderful church family of dear Christian friends who love us, a Savior who died to give us forgiveness, life, and salvation, and faith in Him. And toys. Yes, toys, underwear, and socks! In a few minutes, I thought of over 100 blessings we receive from our Heavenly Father. Everything we have, whether physical or spiritual, comes from our gracious Lord. We came into this world in our birthday suits, and we go out in our best suits. Everything came from Him, and we leave it all behind. However, what we do with it in the meantime is vitally important.

Jesus tells a parable recorded in Matthew 25:14-30 about a man going on a journey who entrusts 3 workers with 10 bags of gold, 5 bags of gold, or 1 bag of gold. The first two invest what they are given and double its value, pleasing their master when He returns. But the third dug a hole and buried it because he feared losing it. He did nothing with it. He had it for a while, and it did no one any good. The Master was not pleased.

In November, we plan to have three Sundays focusing on what the Lord has graciously entrusted to us, namely our time, talents, and treasures. Whether God has given us a little or a lot, it’s not ours to keep but to use and invest for Him. Perhaps we’ve always thought of the church as a place where we receive many things. But where do they come from?

There is a story of a great King long ago whose son was being married, so he invited all the nobles of the land to a great banquet to celebrate. Instead of expensive gifts, the king asked each man only to bring a jug of fine wine, which would be poured together to create a fabulous mixed wine for the wedding banquet. As each noble arrived, he poured his bottle of wine into a huge barrel. The King dipped out a cup of the blended wine to give the toast, and he took a sip. Surprisingly, he spat out the cup’s contents and shouted, “This is nothing but water!” Each noble thought that no one would notice if he only brought water instead of expensive wine to the banquet. They each thought that the others would bring the ‘good stuff.’ 

So, how many of those 100 blessings has the Lord entrusted to you? And just what are you doing with them?