Preserved in Jesus Christ – Day 17

At Christmas, on birthdays and special occasions, we enjoy giving and receiving gifts. It is our way of showing our love and appreciation for one another. However, this psalmist has a problem. After listing all the many blessings he has received from the Lord, he poses the question, “What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me?”

It is a good question. It is one we should ask of ourselves. What can we offer the Lord for all the blessings he has given us? If we draw up a list of blessings that we have received, each one of our lists will be different. For the Lord is a personal Saviour and deals with each one of us on a one-to-one basis.

Some of the blessings, such as a heavenly Father who is merciful, good and compassionate, and listens to our prayers, a Saviour who laid down his life for us, a Holy Spirit who empowers and inspires, will be featured on all our lists.

Our lists will begin to differ when we come to our personal circumstances. However, at the end, we will all be asking the same question, “What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me?”

We can give the Lord unconditional love: “Love the Lord you God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37

We can show our love for him is genuine, by being obedient: “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.” John 14:15

We can prove our love by our faith in him and by trusting him implicitly: “No one can please God without faith, for whoever comes to God must have faith that God exists and rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6

Maybe, the best gift we can give God is to lead such lives that one day he will welcome us with the words, “Well done you good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of the Lord.”