Down in South Louisiana they use the term “lagniappe” (lan’yap). It usually denotes a little bonus that a friendly shopkeeper might add to a purchase. By extension, it may mean “an extra or unexpected gift or benefit.”
In chapter one of the book which bears his name, Joshua is receiving instruction from God after the death of Moses. God tells him:
6 “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua receives some “Lagniappe” from God. He tells him something Joshua probably did not expect. He had seen the work of God. He had heard His message from Moses. He had even felt His leadership as he was spying out the land, but now God tells him, “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Wow!!! The LORD is going to be with him personally. We hear that same message repeated in Matthew 28: 18-20 when Christ tells the disciples “…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
The disciples had experienced the emptiness of Christ’s absence, but now He was promising to give them something extra, something they did not expect.
The greatest result of salvation is not heaven. It is the personal and practical presence of the Living Christ in the life of the individual. When we come to Christ, we realize our lostness and great need. We believe that He is able to give us eternal life, but we really can’t understand His presence until we experience it. Christ in man. Wow!!! Now that’s the kind of “Lagniappe” we can really appreciate.
© Mike Rasberry 2005
"As the pastor of Bay Springs Baptist Church, I thank you for dropping by our online home, hoping you will drop by in person on Sunday morning!"