"Lord of glory, You have bought us, With Your life-blood as the price, Never grudging for the lost ones, That tremendous sacrifice; And with that have freely given, Blessings countless as the sand, To the unthankful and the evil, With Your own unsparing hand.
"Wondrous honor You have given, To our humblest charity, In Your own mysterious sentence, 'You have done it all to Me.' Can it be, O gracious Master, That You deign for alms to sue, Saying by Your poor and needy, 'Give as I have giv'n to you'?"
The Lord of glory is also the Lord of generosity and grace. We see the evidence of His gracious love in the world around us. The Creator's generous gifts overflow for all people, even "to the unthankful and the evil." "He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45b). Even though we are sinful, rebellious people who do not deserve such generosity, we still receive these gifts from the Lord's "unsparing hand."
Such generous gifts sustain our earthly lives, but the Lord of glory has given us much more. The unsparing hand of the Lord did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all. Jesus willingly laid down His life as the "tremendous sacrifice" for the sins of the world. He shed His blood on the cross for all of "the lost ones." The blessings of forgiveness and eternal life are gifts of God's grace for all who trust in Jesus.
From the Lord's generous hand we have received the privilege of sharing with others what we have been given. We proclaim the Good News of Jesus' death and resurrection and the hope of salvation through faith in His Name. We not only share the news of eternal blessings, but we also have opportunities to share the earthly blessings we have received. The Lord's unsparing hand gives "wondrous honor" even to the humblest of our charitable efforts. In His "mysterious sentence, 'You have done it all to Me,'" the Lord who gives becomes the Lord who receives. On the Last Day, the One who honored our charitable giving will identify Himself: "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me" (Matthew 25:40b).
All around us we see the need and respond to Jesus' loving invitation, "Give as I have giv'n to you." The love and service that we give to others, the kindness shown, the encouragement given, the food and clothing donated, the visits to the lonely, all of these are gifts given to Jesus, the Lord of glory who bought us for Himself with His own blood. The gifts we share with others reflect His sacrifice and the immeasurable gifts He has given to us: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you by His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).
THE PRAYER: Lord of glory, lead me to be unsparing in the gifts I give to others in Your Name. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Carol Geisler. It is based on the hymn "Lord of Glory, You Have Bought Us," which is number 851 in the Lutheran Service Book.
Reflection Questions:
1. How does the Lord bless us when we give?
2. In what ways did Jesus become poor so that you might become rich?
3. How do we serve Jesus when we serve others?
Today's Bible Readings: Isaiah 23-25 Ephesians 5:17-23
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