God's Indescribable Gift

“If you would ‘seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,’ all things would then be added to you. You are meddling with Christ’s business and neglecting your own when you fret about your lot and circumstances. You have been trying to do the providing and forgetting to do the obeying. Be wise and pay attention to the obeying, and let Christ manage the providing. Come and survey your Father’s storehouse, and ask whether He will allow you to starve while He has so great an abundance in store.” – C.H. Spurgeon

As a family, one of our inside jokes is that if there is ever a natural disaster that results in an extreme food shortage, we will all head over to my younger sister’s house. She is not a “prepper,” but she does have an entire room in her house stacked from floor to ceiling with food and household items. In fact, I’ve often kidded her that she has everything that a supermarket has except for shopping carts.

Whereas my sister has accumulated her vast food supply by clipping coupons and watching for special deals such as BOGOs, you and I have an even larger reserve of food, drink, and the other basic necessities of life at our disposal. It is called the Word of God, which contains such promises as Matthew 6:32-33; Matthew 6:7-11; Philippians 4:19.

Not only does the Bible contain God’s assurances to provide for our needs as His children, but it also includes countless true stories of Him having done so… from the Jews in the Wilderness to Elijah by the Brook Cherith. In the first instance, God provided daily manna for millions of Israelites as well as fresh water from a rock and even quail. In the second instance, He ordered ravens to deliver meat and bread to Elijah as he drank readily from the brook’s clear water.

When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah to Zarephath to live with a widow and her son. When he arrived at her house, she was gathering sticks to build a fire to bake bread with her last handful of flour… after which she expected to die of starvation along with her son. However, because of her faithfully obeying Elijah’s instructions, God ensured that she never ran out of oil or flour for as long as the prophet lived in her house.

And then there is Joseph, who God used to store up grain to feed not only the Egyptians during a famine, but also his father Jacob and his brothers.

My friend, this Christmas, please remember that God’s promises are sure and His reserves are inexhaustible. Now go and enjoy some quality time with your family and friends as you celebrate His greatest gift to mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ!

“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15 (BSB)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President