Aug 10, 2020
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow…
This morning’s Gospel Invitation from John 3 makes it very
clear—because God loves, He gives. We serve a generous Lord who
promises blessing even in a world where the days of darkness are
many and when all is vanity under the sun (Ecclesiastes 11:8). This
is the same God who, in Psalm 112, promises the righteous man that
his generations will abound in blessings, and that “abundant wealth
within his house will ever be in store.” In Psalm 23, the psalmist
declares that his shepherd has supplied all his needs and that his
“cup with blessings overflows.” In light of this fountain of
blessing and never ceasing mercy, how shall we respond? We turn
again to the psalter, where we find in Psalm 100, “Declare the
glory He deserves, give blessings to His name.” Our lips are filled
with songs of thanksgiving, and this gratitude enables us to be
generous to those around us. Isaac Watts, in Alas! And Did My
Savior Bleed, puts it memorably: “drops of grief can ne’er
repay the debt of love I owe; Here, Lord, I give myself away, ‘tis
all that I can do.” —Henry C. Haffner
Key Words: Cast, Give, Spirit, Rejoice,
Remember, Light, Darkness
Keystone Verse: In the morning sow your seed, and
at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will
prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
(Ecclesiastes 11:6)
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10
Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many
days. 2 Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for
you know not what disaster may happen on earth. 3 If the
clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if
a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the
tree falls, there it will lie. 4 He who observes the
wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the
bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the
work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow
your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not
know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will
be good. 7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the
eyes to see the sun. 8 So if a person lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember that the days of
darkness will be many. All that comes is vanity. 9
Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you
in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and the
sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things God will
bring you into judgment. 10 Remove vexation from your
heart, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of
life are vanity.