Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009

Pastor Benjamin Zahn

The gracious giver

The Bible tells us, "He [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?" (Romans 8:32)

As you read these words, you might be filled with quite a bit of uneasiness about the future. Maybe there is a quiet fear that fills you heart right now, one that you haven't felt in a very long time, if ever.

It doesn't take long to figure out why. I don't know if there has been an evening newscast that hasn't addressed at the fact that jobs are disappearing. Rumors circle that leave those still employed scared that they might possibly be laid off. Your eyes glance at the numbers from the [New York] Stock Exchange and see numbers decreasing instead of increasing. To top it all off, you've repeatedly heard the statement: "It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better."

This sense of uneasiness can fill your mind with questions: "What about my job? Will I have be employed in six months? What about my savings? How much more will I lose? What about my expenses?"

But it's not just about me.

The questions can also be about people we care about: "What about my kids? What does this all mean for their future? Will they be able to find a summer job? What about my parents who are living off their retirement portfolio? Will they be able to make ends meet?"

But it's not just about our families.

Soon the questions rise to a bigger scale: "What about this place we call the land of the free and the home of the brave? What about my country? What's going to happen to this nation - the place I call home?"

For all of our questions, the Apostle Paul has a question for you. He asks, "He 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?"

In other words, here you and I are with a God who loves us so much that he gave up his Son to wash us clean of our sins and to claim us as his own. He didn't have to. He could have left us to drown in despair over our own sinfulness. He could have left us to sulk in fear about how we would make things right with him. He didn't. He took action because he had to. He sent his Son to save you and me from our sin. Believe it and know that if God kept that promise to save you from the punishment your sins deserve - hell - don't you think he'll keep his other promises, too?

God doesn't promise a life that takes us from the rags to riches, from worry-filled to worry-free, from painful to painless. He does promise to provide what we need.

Perhaps it's time for each of us to take a break from the news, sit down with our Lord in a quiet place and answer Paul's question:

"He [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?"