Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
You probably know that every year, Forbes magazine publishes its list of the world’s richest people. This year Forbes calculated that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is the world’s richest person with an estimated wealth of $112 billion. Bezos headed up a list of 2,208 billionaires.
But there is someone Forbes overlooked on its list of the world’s wealthiest people. That someone is YOU, yes YOU! It’s true, your riches are calculated using a different kind of currency, but it’s actually a currency of greater value that Dollars or Francs or Euros, for this currency will endure forever.
In Eph 3:8, the Apostle Paul identified his calling: “To preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.” The word in the Greek New Testament translated as “boundless” literally means “that which cannot be measured, counted, or comprehended.” Even for all eternity, we will not be able to measure the depth of the riches we have in Christ.
What are these riches that are ours? Eph. 1:7-8 tells us we have been forgiven of our sins “in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us.” There is nothing of greater worth than the grace of God in forgiving our sins. And God hasn’t given us just a little grace. No, He has lavished His grace upon us.
No matter what season in life we are going through, no matter what kind of circumstances we are facing, every day is a day to thank God for the riches of His grace that He has poured out on us in forgiving us, in reconciling us to Himself, in filling us with hope and joy and purpose, in inviting us to live in the reality of His measureless love.
May the riches of God’s grace be with you,
Pastor Bob