The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
Psalm 68:17-19
For several years now Christie’s Auction House in Paris has partnered with charitable organizations in a special fundraising event. For the most recent event, the group chosen was one focused on Alzheimer’s research. The auction house takes an artwork by a well-known artist and encourages people to enter a drawing by making a 100 euro donation. Tickets are sold around the world with 120,000 sold in 2026. After the owner is paid, the balance is donated to charity. This year’s winner was a Paris man named Ari Hodara. When he got the phone call from Christie’s, he was not sure it was for real. Hodara told a reporter his first response was, “How do I check that it’s not a hoax?” Hodara is now the proud owner of Pablo Picasso’s 1941 painting “Head of a Woman.”
If we stop and think about it, God’s gracious offer to us of salvation and everything that comes with it seems almost too good to be true. There is no reason or explanation for God’s generosity toward us apart from His nature. Certainly we do not deserve any of the blessings and benefits we receive as His children. Yet instead of being grudging and giving reluctantly, He blesses us beyond what we can imagine. This is an outflow of His great love for us and while we should be grateful for it, it should not take us by surprise. Jesus said, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:11).
