Keeping the Change

 “But he said, ‘Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Genesis 43:23

I remember when I was a little girl and would go with Daddy to the store. He would give me money to buy a treat as we were standing in line to check out. He wouldn’t handle the transaction for me, but would encourage me to interact with the cashier. After the purchase I offered him the change but he would always say, ‘You can keep the change.’ I always was excited that He gave me the double blessing… the treat and the leftover money. 

In the continuing saga of the family of Joseph they had paid for the grain their family needed to survive the famine. On their way home, each brother opened his sack only to find the money had been returned. Instead of turning around they continued home and enjoyed the grain. Later on, when the shelves were once again empty, they made their way back to Egypt to purchase more grain, but this time with double the amount of money. They were fearful that they would lose their lives because they hadn’t returned the money found in their sacks. After they told their story to the steward of Joseph, he assured them that God must have given them the money because he had received payment from the transaction…their debt had been paid.

Those words this morning just hang in the air with such humility and gratitude in my heart. We don’t need to look very far to see the extravagance and generosity of God in each of our lives. Just like Daddy, God gives us not only the means to receive but the blessing of ‘keeping the change.’ Just like the steward said, God has given us treasures in our sacks. God paid our debt for us when He stepped down from the throne and put on flesh, being crucified for my sin and your sin. Christ died and Christ was raised to pay our debt once and for all. We didn’t deserve this extravagant mercy and we certainly don’t deserve to ‘keep the change’ from that transaction on the cross. But that is who our amazing God is…He pays the original price and we get every penny of mercy and favor leftover from the transaction. 

There is no need to fear any kind of lack in the future because God has gone before us and will provide us with everything we need. And because we have such a generous God, there will always be leftover change.