When Grace Overflows
By Dean Collins
When was the last time you had more than enough? For many of us, we get more than enough calories a day! But there are quite a few of us who can’t say the same thing when it comes to exercise.
When we are young adults, we often worry about having enough income to cover expenses. Parents often worry if they will have enough to meet educational and medical expenses. And as we get older, the conversation turns to whether we will have enough savings to manage our senior years.
Over the years working with churches, nonprofits, colleges, and even municipalities, I rarely hear leaders say they have more than enough resources. It is much more common to hear fears of whether they will have enough to get to the end of the month or year.
There are many references in scripture of God providing not just enough but more than enough in different situations. The apostle Paul told the church in Corinth, and us, that, “God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having sufficiency in all things at all times, we may abound in every good work.” As we continue reading from 2 Corinthians 9, we discover that as we are generous with our resources, then God makes sure that our needs will be met as well. We will have more than enough!
In Psalm 123 we bump into that phrase in a different way. The psalmist said, “We have had more than enough of contempt,” and “More than enough scorn of those who are at ease, of the contempt of the proud.” We don’t mind having more than enough food in the refrigerator or more than enough money in the bank but having more than enough trouble is a whole different thing!
All of us have been overwhelmed at some time or another when some individual or group gave us more than enough trouble, pain, lip, or threat. The psalmist cried out for God’s mercy in a season where he or his companions were in that condition. Sometimes we are at the end of our rope because we have had what feels like more than enough sickness or heartache.
In 2 Corinthians, Paul not only indicated that God provides for our physical needs, but he gave testimony that the Holy Spirit had revealed that God’s grace was sufficient in every situation: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
We have a tendency to forget God’s promises, both in seasons of plenty and in seasons of struggle. Today’s scripture readings remind me of two things.
1) God calls us to be generous with what we have. We may not have enough money in the checkbook today to give financially, but we can always give our time, our ear, or our helping hands to someone who needs encouragement. God assures us that he will provide for us and that we are to provide for others so that we reflect God’s image in the world around us.
2) We will have times when our troubles are more than we think we can handle. In those moments we can cry out for God’s mercy. God will always give us his grace and mercy for today. And we can trust him that if tomorrow is another day of being overwhelmed, then he will once again pour out his mercy for us. His love and faithfulness are new every morning!
Father, thank you that in every situation and season you are more than enough. Thank you for reminding us that, like the psalmist, we can be truthful when we feel overwhelmed. Today we ask for your mercy and grace to meet our needs. And we ask that your Holy Spirit prompt us to share what we have with those around us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Psalm 123:3-4; 2 Corinthians 9:8-12, 12:9 ESV
Photo by Pexels
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