Indescribable Gift
VIRGINIA CROWLEY
Scripture Readings:
John 4:7-10
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. “Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, 8 because his disciples had gone into town to buy food. 9 “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would ask him, and he would give you living water.”
Romans 5:12-21
Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned. 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a type of the Coming One. 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift which comes through the grace of the one man Jesus Christ overflowed to the many. 16 And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification. 17 Since by the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the overflow of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is justification leading to life for everyone. 19 For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Commentary:
Our Gift’s Provision
These verses became very real to me one year when Mitch and I were planning to lead a medical missionary team from our church to Nicaragua. I had made an extensive list of medicines and supplies we would need. I sat, Bible in one hand, list in the other, to pray for our Lord’s help about getting all these supplies. I whispered, “Lord Jesus, Your Word says you know all our needs. Please help us.” I reached for the notebook with the list when the verse from 2 Peter 1:3 came strongly into my mind. I stopped asking, and began repeating that verse, and a similar one, 2 Corinthians 9:15, over and over, and thanking Him for His two-fold promise. By the time we were ready to leave, we had been given enough supplies to fill 35 large Rubbermaid bins!
Still, we were concerned because the week we were to leave, the 5 MD’s were being taken from us through circumstances beyond their control. We had a staff of 6 nurses, 2 EMT’s, 3 pharmacists, 4 dentists, and several volunteers. After seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit, all said they felt that since He had brought us this far, He wasn’t telling us to cancel. We proceeded, and left for Managua very early the next morning. Arriving at Managua’s airport, we could see the worried faces of the missionaries, whom we had not spoken to that early morning.
They told us how very concerned they were about our coming. What they had not known, and we certainly could not have known, was in that Socialist country, all the doctors in Nicaragua had gone on strike the night before we left. There were no doctors in the entire country who were working. If our doctors had come, it would have caused an international incident. As one of the missionaries said, “Thanks be to God that you didn’t bring any doctors!” And thanks be to God, all the churches who were sponsoring our clinics were out in remote small villages.
There was nothing that we as a team, with the help of our Lord, couldn’t handle that week. I will never doubt the promises of God, of His Word. Christ is our Indescribable Gift, ever meeting our every need.
Prayer & Reflection:
Father, we thank you for our Indescribable Gift. Jesus Christ, indescribable because the riches of His glory and grace know no end; We do not deserve this gift, but you freely give it despite our sin. You deserve all honor and praise for giving us what we could never earn! Thank you for your mercy and grace.