Tuesday, August 5, 2008

“Repaying” the Lord

“How can I repay the Lord all the good He has done for me?” (Psalm 116:12 CSB)

An interesting question. And one that applies to everyone actually, because He “causes the rain to fall on both the just and the unjust.”

When we look back on our life and consider where we once were and where we are now, the reality is that we have a great deal to be thankful for. So the question is a fair one: How can we repay the Lord for all the good He has done for us?

Actually, we cannot. There is no way we can ever come close to repaying the Lord for all He has done for us. But we can at least respond with several important actions that the psalmist mentions to us.

First, we can take up “the cup of salvation.” In other words, we can receive the Lord into our hearts by faith and thus receive His salvation. And for those of us who have done that, we can simply affirm that salvation and live out that relationship.

Second, we can give the Lord the worship of our hearts. He is worthy of it, and it is at least something we can give when there is no other response that can be given. It is one thing that is uniquely ours to give.

Third, we can carry out the commitments we have made to the Lord. “Foxhole Christians” make commitments when the artillery shells are flying overhead, and once they stop they conveniently forget the promises they made. If we make a commitment to the Lord and give our word to Him, we need to keep our word, follow through, and carry out all commitments we make to Him.

So, although we can never repay the Lord, we can at least respond with positive actions that demonstrate our gratitude to Him for all He has done for us.

Father, We thank You for the opportunities before us today to respond to what You have done for us. May all our life actions reflect our gratitude to You. Amen.

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