When we give thanks to the Lord, we tend to focus on God’s gifts in the past and the present. As we remember and dwell upon what God has already given, we can only rejoice in his loving care and faithfulness.

The Lord provides food and drink, clothing and shelter. He allows for the progress of science and technology and the enjoyment of human culture. Not only can we go to work, but we can also read books and enjoy music and film and sports. Then too, the Lord gives opportunity for school and college. And He gives so much more besides!

However, even with these gifts of God already in our hands, there can be a background concern.

Today we have these gifts, but what about next week and next year? What if this economic downturn doesn’t improve but only gets worse? And how could we bear it, should we lose our freedom to worship and live openly Christian lives? There are many, many reasons for worry!

Remaining thankful despite uncertainty is possible only when we realize that God’s past grace is the guarantee of his future grace. The Apostle Paul fosters this thought in Romans 8, when he asks the question: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (v. 32) The reasoning of the apostle is that since God has already done the hardest, the costliest, the most necessary thing for you to be saved, you don’t need to doubt that He will do all the rest, too.

Perhaps a simple analogy will help us to see the logic of our text. Suppose that a father is helping a son set up a business. To help reach this goal, Dad has already done the hardest part. He’s helped to create a business plan and – a crucial point – he’s put up the money.

Well, if Dad has already done what is the most difficult, his son can be sure that Dad will also do the things which by comparison are much smaller but are still needed to reach the goal. Surely Dad will be there to give advice, to provide guidance in the face of business obstacles, and to give support along the way. Dad’s past investment is the guarantee of his continued care and interest in the project – seeing it through to the end.

That’s the logic of Romans 8:32. God has a goal for us, that we who are sinners would live with Him in his eternal Kingdom. To achieve this goal, God has already done the hardest thing necessary: He’s given up his only Son! Surely He’ll give us the remaining things needed to see us through to glory.

As Paul says in verse 32, God’s past acts provide assurance that He will “graciously give us all things” together with Christ. All things! Our future is one of unimaginable joy and pleasure with God. Reason for gratitude!

But perhaps you feel that it’s just too easy to say what Paul says. Does God really give us all things? Does this promise of future grace fit with our life experience? All of us know what it feels like when God withholds certain things from us. What then does Paul mean when he says that God will give us all things with Christ? The first part of the answer is that God will give us all the things we need in order to arrive safely in his kingdom. Those whom God elects, He also brings to glory! He will provide for our needs along the way.

But we can say even more. “All things” is another way of saying “the world.” Don’t we read in Scripture that when Christ ascended into heaven, God gave Him all the nations as His inheritance and the ends of the earth as his possession (see also Psalm 2)? The riches of the world are yours because they are Christ’s. Christ the Bridegroom says to his Bride, “What’s mine is yours.”

Yes, the riches of the world really are yours – in Christ. We don’t enjoy all of them right now. But Christ has given us a promise: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). That’s the prosperity we’re going to enjoy one day as God’s people.

And even now, we’re getting the first taste of that coming prosperity. Every piece of bread you ate in the last year, every drink of water, every pay cheque, every ton of harvest from the fields during the last month, every pound of milk, every kilogram of beef or chicken, it all came to us from the storehouses of Christ’s wealth, who is the Heir of all things. Reason for gratitude!