Skip to main content

All Things

            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? (Romans 8:32)

 

            Have you ever noticed the phrase “along with him” in this verse?  Yes, it’s always been there. Perhaps in different translations and interpretations, it’s not said in those exact words, but the point is that God gives us His Son, with one or more sides of “all things.” Too often, we subscribe to the “dessert first” philosophy and then decide we’re no longer hungry when it comes time for the main dish. We resent the notion that we must eat our vegetables or develop virtues. With a nod to C. S. Lewis, we want Turkish Delight – lots of it – and we want it now.

            Another idea to consider. Suppose you were to invite people to dinner and put together a sumptuous meal cooked to perfection. Would you seat some people at one table and give them access to everything you’ve made while seating others at a different table and providing them with a simpler fair? In this case, we’re not talking about people with food allergies, safety issues, or even the preferences of the diners. It’s all about your choices.  Would you? Neither does God.

            Suppose one of the diners pushed your offerings aside and said she wanted to be served several things you didn’t make. Would you be a bad host if you didn’t make them for that person? Let’s take it to a ridiculous extreme and make one demanded dish a roasted human heart. Would you be a bad host for refusing to make something that is illegal and or morally repugnant for you to make? And if you declined to make this dish, would you no longer be considered as giving your guests “all things”?

            The question is whether “all things” means that God must give us anything and everything we want or whether "all things" means that God will give us good things from what He has made that are good for us. If that doesn’t include everything we think we want, that doesn’t make Him ungracious. It makes us ungrateful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Virgin?

           Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)           This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18)           But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”            “How will this be,” Mary asked the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more