Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope this blog won’t serve as an interruption of the day’s festivities or time with family. Or maybe this is just what you need right now. After all, with Thanksgiving, we should bring to mind all of the blessings we should be thankful for and I want to help do that.
The scripture I wanted to use is from 2nd Corinthians 9:15. It says
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
Wow, I mean that verse just blows me away. Often times the most impactful verses are also the most succinct. But I want to talk about this “indescribable gift.” The original text uses the word “unspeakable,” which means it literally cannot be described in full. In this verse, Paul is speaking of the gift of Jesus. The gift of Salvation, and of eternal life. However, succinctly and powerfully, John 3:16 puts it, we still cannot fathom how deep the Father’s love for us! One of my favorite passages of scripture is in Ephesians 3:14-21. I’ll give some of the verses here:
16 “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man,
17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length, and depth, and height-
19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”
Paul wants us the Ephesians – and us – to know how big, how wide, and deep and vast God’s love was for us.
However, in the very next verse, Paul writes, “the love of Christ which passes knowledge.” Actually, if you notice the end of verse 18, it appears to cut off mid-sentence. In a way, that’s what it looks like and is perhaps what happened. The Bible commentary I like to refer to says, “It is as though on some starry night the spectator looks out on God’s unbounded universe in all directions, lost in wonder.” What a thought! We’ve perhaps felt that feeling. Is it describable? Even harder t describe is the love of God, the gift of His Son, and the gift of grace!
I want to go a little further though. Back to that verse from 2nd Corinthians 9. Although some of the most powerful scriptures are succinct, it is even more powerful when we read the context. So I want to start in verse 8 and work our way to verse 15.
8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
9 As it is written:
‘He dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.’
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”
God gives us gifts and all that we need. Not only to supply our every need, but He goes beyond that, He blesses us. His plan is for us to bless others with the gifts that He has given us. It’s also a beautiful promise, that God will supply our every need. Let’s keep reading:
12 “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgiving to God,
13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,
14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.”
In Matthew 5:16, Jesus says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Although I want to say that we need to share what we have been blessed with, it’s important for us to recognize what we’ve been blessed with first. It can be hard for us when we go through trials in our lives to remain thankful, but I want to encourage you. God has given us an amazing gift.
The gift of eternal life, of His Son, and of His love.
I want to encourage you to think about this amazing gift. No matter what you’ve been through or are going through, God still wants to give you His gift. It’s free to you. Meanwhile, we can be thankful for all of the gifts that we have, the ability to give to others, and God’s indescribable gift to us.
Happy Thanksgiving!