“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:8 KJV)

You can abound in every good work!

I expect to succeed in everything I do because of promises like this one! Even if I do make a mistake, and I occasionally do, I expect God to help me make the necessary adjustments to turn it into a resounding success (His grace abounds to me). And, He always supplies my every need (Phil. 4:19). Some of my best successes, in fact, have come from adjusted mistakes and what I ended up with was far better than what I had originally planned! Often, “more than I could ask or imagine”. (Eph. 3:20).

Gods Guidance System 

A while back Susan and I were driving through Chicago during a torrential rainfall. We had the address we needed to go to programmed into our GPS. The rain was coming down so hard that we couldn’t see the road clear enough to safely switch lanes. We were in the wrong lane and drove right past the exit where we needed to get off! As soon as we missed our turn, a loud voice from the GPS said, “RECALCULATING!” Then, new instructions were given to get us back to where we needed to go. We followed those directions and soon arrived at our destination.

God is always recalculating for you! 

You have no need to worry or fear! Ever! Even if you make mistakes! God is able to make “all grace” (undeserved favor) “abound to you in all things!” And it’s guaranteed for you in the wonderful promise at top describing God’s sufficiency for you. 

Therefore…

“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,” (2 Cor. 3:5 ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2 Cor. 12:9 ESV)

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:13 ESV)

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“For you were bought with a price.” (1 Cor.6:20 ESV)

The maiden’s price paid in camels 

I heard an old story, supposedly true, about a rich young man in a far eastern country who was making arrangements with a young maiden’s father to marry her. Marriages in that country were always arranged and based solely upon the prospective groom’s ability to pay the required dowry (the price for her). The dowry was usually paid with camels. An average maiden would usually be valued at one to two camels, an above average one would be two to three camels, and an exceptional one could be as much as four camels, tops! But, a four-camel maiden would have to be exceptionally beautiful and would have to possess many other valuable skills and attributes, to ever be worth that much.

Nine camels!

The young man met with the father and said, “I offer you nine camels for your daughter!” Nine camels! This amount was unheard of! No one had ever paid more than four camels for a bride before! And this man was offering to pay nine camels for his daughter! The father immediately accepted the offer and was thrilled to receive such a high dowry amount for his daughter! He then set out to publicly announce the upcoming marriage along with the amount that was paid. Nine camels!

The story soon spread far and wide. 

People asked, “Who is this remarkable woman, who is worth so much? She must be exceptionally beautiful! She must be an extraordinary woman in every possible way, far above any other!”

Everything changed for the bride to be!

The father said, “I must have failed to notice how beautiful, wonderful, and valuable my daughter is. But not anymore! From now on, she will be treated as royalty in my home! She will sit at my right hand, the best place at my table! She will be served first. She will be given the best food. She will be clothed in the finest garments. All her needs and wishes will be taken care of by my servants.” Everyone in her village began to treat her differently, too. When she would arrive, people would say, “Here comes the beautiful nine-camel woman!” And they would admire her! Instantly she became valuable! The maiden was the same person as before, yet everything had changed for her! In an instant she became valuable. It was because of the price that was paid for her!

The highest price was paid for you!

In the same way, you have been bought with a price! (1 Cor. 6:20). And that price is the most valuable payment that has ever been paid! You have been paid for “with the precious blood of Jesus Christ”! (1 Peter 1:19).

Therefore…

YOU are valuable because of the price that was paid!

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,” (Eph. 2:8 ESV)

“Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” (1 Peter 1:18-19 ESV)

“Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matt. 19:31 ESV)

“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psalm 139:14 ESV)

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“…Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things…” (Matt. 25:23 KJV)

Want to move ahead to a greater level in your life? Here is the answer, “be good and faithful” with what little you already have!

Think about the logic of this from a parent’s standpoint

If you have a child who does not take care of his room, would you put him in charge of taking care is your whole house? No, you would not! In the same way, if you are the owner of a large corporation, would you promote someone into a higher position within your company if they were not first good and faithful at the lower position they already possess within your business? No, you would not! And God is saying exactly the same thing in this promise about the “good and faithful” servant chosen for increase.

Here is how to take advantage of this powerful promise.

Be good and faithful with what you already have in your hands, at home, at work, at school, in your marriage, in your people relationships, (whatever!); and then you will be increased to a higher level in it!

Therefore…

“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,” (Col. 3:23 ESV)

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28 ESV)

“And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.” (Luke 12:42-44 ESV)

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“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Cor. 9:7-8 NIV)

Put God first with with your giving

Susan and I love to give and have done so from the first day of our marriage. We saw in this promise Biblical principles to help us understand and receive blessings from putting God first in our financial matters. I’m happy to report that God has always blessed us dramatically according to this promise in His Word!

What this promise says and what it has taught us about giving

• “God loves a cheerful giver.”   We saw early on from this promise that God loves those who give cheerfully, and we wanted to do and be what He clearly said he “loved”!

• “Give what you have decided in your heart to give.” We always made sure we gave to things we truly believed in and cared about; something we could support wholeheartedly without reservation. We made sure that what we were giving to was producing good results and good fruit.

• “Not reluctantly.”  We fully trusted in the Biblical principle of tithing and understood from God’s Word that the first part of our income (10%) belonged to God and not to us. Therefore, we never considered it to be “our money” but always considered it to be “His money”. Therefore, as soon as our paycheck arrived, we happily wrote our tithe check first, to put “His money” to work for Him.

• “And God is able to bless you abundantly.” And we believed the promise in Malachi 3 that He would bless us for being faithful in this respect. We were convinced that God was able to bless us abundantly, we expected Him to, and He always has! Above and beyond, in fact!

• “In all things at all times, having all that you need.” We believed God would always meet every need (Phil. 4:19), and it has always been so!

• “You will abound in every good work.” We expected God to give us good work to do, to provide employment, and that He would bless us and prosper us in whatever we put our hands to. That, too, has consistently been the case!

A positive test to do

According to Malachi 3:10, God says to test Him on this promise: “Test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.” 

It has proven true!

And we HAVE tested Him by our consistent giving throughout the years, and He has always kept his promise! We are blessed!

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“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” (Matt. 10:29-31 NIV)

A gasp, then total silence

One day while listening to the news on the radio, the announcer suddenly gasped, and then there was complete silence. I wondered what had happened to him and turned up the radio and listened carefully. Soon, he came back on and apologized for the sudden dead air space.

He explained what had happened

He said, “Where I am sitting here in the news room, I face a large plate glass window looking outside the building. As I was reading the news just now, a sparrow suddenly hit the window and fell to the ground. When that happened, I remembered that it says somewhere in the Bible that God sees when a sparrow falls. What startled me, wasn’t the sparrow hitting the window, but it was the thought that I was sitting so close to where God was looking!” The announcer obviously didn’t understand the simple truth of the verse, which is that God sees a sparrow fall because He sees everything all the time.

Points to ponder

This section of scripture, which mentions the sparrow falling, has several good points to ponder. Here is the passage again, with my comments added in parenthesis and italics.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny?  (Sparrows are cheap) Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. (God takes care of cheap sparrows and notices when every single one of them falls). And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered (God is so aware of every tiny detail about you that He even knows the number of the hairs on your head). So don’t be afraid; (therefore, you don’t have to ever fear, because God is constantly aware of everything about you, and is aware of your needs) you are worth more than many sparrows (exactly what it says!).

No need to worry!

So, the promise here is that there is no need for you to ever be afraid, because God sees you all the time, cares for you, knows what you need, and will take care of you, because you are very valuable to Him!

Therefore…

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isa. 41:10 ESV)

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:6-7 ESV)

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” (Nah. 1:7 ESV)

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“For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. (Heb. 4:2 KJV)

One group did and one group didn’t!

This promise is talking about two groups (types) of people hearing the same Word of God that was preached to both of them. One group heard it and profited from it and one group heard it and did not profit from it! Many Christians don’t believe the Word of God completely (wholeheartedly), and so they get no profit from it! It doesn’t work for them! Oh, they say they believe. But, when push comes to shove, and the chips are down, so to speak, they don’t actually do. And, the proof is in the results. To follow them around and watch them, and to listen to their “talk” (what rolls out of their mouths), you would never think they were Christians. Out of their mouths come worry-words and doubt-words. And this makes the Word of God not work for them!

Why is this so? 

The Bible puts it this way, “the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.” The promises of God are all faith activated! The Word of God only works for those who mix faith with it! That explains why some Christians benefit from the promises of God while others do not!

This is a huge problem in the church!

Christians who should be walking and living victoriously by faith, and enjoying the “fruit” of God’s thousands of promises, which cover every conceivable need, act and behave like unbelievers. 

Here is another example

God promises in James 1:5 that you can ask God for wisdom and He will generously supply it. But, you read a little further in the same passage and you will find this qualifier (James 1:6-8 KJV) “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let that man not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.” A double minded man! Unstable in all his ways! That is the problem!

Here’s what to do!

Decide today to trust the Word of God completely, no matter how things may look! If the Word of God promises it, that must settle it for you! Mix your faith with His Word and it will work for you every time!

Therefore…

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb. 11:6 ESV) 

“And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matt. 21:22 ESV)

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“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?” (Matt.6:31 ESV)

The sudden flood

When I was a young child, we lived a half mile from the Van Duzen River in Northern California. One winter it rained so much that the river suddenly overflowed its banks and grew to an astounding five miles wide!

It happened very fast and we were caught totally by surprise!

We were in our home having dinner, not expecting any problem, when suddenly water started coming into the house from under the doors. We didn’t have time to save anything from our house or farm! When Daddy saw the water coming into the house he jumped up from his chair and grabbed my brother David and me and rushed us out the front door. Our car was already not drivable so we waded quickly through the fast-rising water towards the nearest hill, and then we climbed upward to safety. From our vantage point on the hill we looked down to see our home, livestock, and everything we owned, quickly disappearing under water!

“Don’t be afraid!!

Even though it was obvious that we had just lost everything, Daddy told us repeatedly not to be afraid.  He said it would be okay because he would be taking care of us. While assuring us with his gentle words, he held our small hands tightly in his strong ones. And we felt safe!

And Daddy kept his promise!

He was able to take care of us because he had plenty of money in the bank as well as good flood insurance! We in fact didn’t go without a thing! We went to the store and bought clothes and we stayed in a nice hotel until Daddy could make more permanent arrangements.

In the same way, God has our needs completely covered!

No matter what should suddenly happen to us, or how bad something may look, we never have to “be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?” He has it all covered!

Therefore…

”Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!” (Luke 12:24 ESV)

”And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19 ESV)

”If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Matt. 7:11 ESV)

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“Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.” (1 Cor. 10:6 KJV)

Avoid the school of hard knocks

This is the promise of many “examples” readily available throughout the Bible to help us avoid evil things. By using them for instruction we don’t have to learn critical lessons first-hand at the “school of hard knocks”. They will provide insight to keep us from making the same mistakes others have made.

In some cases, the examples are positive ones (Esther and Joseph) and teach us about faith.

Here are two examples

The first one is about Joseph who remained faithful to God, and was blessed even during negative times. The second is about David, who fell into deep sin, but was eventually restored to God.

We can learn some important lessons by reading about their lives

• Joseph – A young man with visions from God, was sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. He was lied about and betrayed by his slave owner’s wife. He was put into prison and remained there for many years. But, he did not lose hope because he knew God was with him! He was always faithful to God and God blessed him and made him successful. He went from the pit to the palace in one day! (Gen. 41:46).

• David – Lusted after another man’s wife, had an affair with her, then committed murder to try and cover it up. He was shown his sin by Nathan, he then repented, and was restored to God. (Psalm 51). He is referred to as “a man after God’s own heart”.

Therefore…

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off every encumbrance and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance The race set out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.…” (Heb. 12:1-2)

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“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” (James 3:17 NIV)

Heavenly wisdom defined in Scripture 

The above passage defines heavenly wisdom in a few words. Below is the verse, written out one piece at a time, with added scripture to further show meaning and application. 

• “The wisdom that comes down from above  – “ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

• Is first of all pure – “The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.” (Psalm 12:6)

• Then peace-loving – “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” (Matt. 5:9)

• Considerate – “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Phil. 2:3-4)

• Submissive – “Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Eph. 5:21)

• Full of mercy – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Luke 6:36)

• And good fruit – “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (James 1:5)

• Impartial – “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality,” (Acts 10:34) 

• And sincere.” – “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Cor. 2:17)

Therefore…

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)

“For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;” (Prov. 2:6)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10)

“Blessed is the one who finds wisdom, and the one who gets understanding, for the gain from her is better than gain from silver and her profit better than gold. She is more precious than jewels, and nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called blessed.” (Prov. 3:13-18)

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