“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” (2 Corinthians 9:15, KJV)
I truly cannot think of a time that I was left speechless. As the saying goes, no preacher is ever left without something to say. I know there must have been some. I just cannot remember them. The only thing that comes to mind is when I gave my wife a gift one Christmas. It was a huge surprise for her. We had been discussing about going away for a vacation to some beautiful place. She wanted to go to Hawaii. I wanted to go to the Caribbean since it was closer. In fact, it was a plan that tied in with our wedding anniversary since we never had a honeymoon when we married.
So, one Christmas, I decided to surprise here with a trip to Hawaii. I lined up everything and worked out the details. I gave her a tropical outfit as one gift. That was ok, but she was kind of puzzled receiving such a gift in the winter. I put a second gift together which was a piggy-bank with vacation on it. I got some fringe and glued it on the piggy bank like a grass skirt. In the slot on the top, I put a map of Maui. When she opened that gift, she so welled up with emotion that she could not say a word. Just tears expressed everything.
Paul concluded this section of the letter on generosity with a statement, “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” Yes, the gift of God, eternal life, is inexpressible. This is especially so if we were to consider the infinite magnitude of this gift. If we would consider the cost of this gift, which is the shed blood of our Savior on the cross where he bore our sins, our griefs, our sorrows, our guilt, we might understand. If we could consider the infinite magnitude of our eternal blessings in heaven we might understand. If we could understand the magnitude of the spiritual blessings made available to all of us right now, we might understand. If we truly contemplated the gift of God, we would not be able to describe this gift of eternal life for the blessing of it exceeds the ability of our finite minds to fully comprehend.
It is in the backdrop of this thought that Paul concluded this section on generous giving. It is the primary motivation for our lives and good works, which include generosity. It is the blessed goal that today we see only in part but in the future will experience in full. It is the blessing of God’s love extended to us who believe. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.”
Renewing the Heart 