LEARNING DAILY
2
Corinthians 9:8, And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that
having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good
work.
“And God
is able”! The
question I want you to answer this morning is do you believe that statement? I’m
not talking about just believing it, I’m asking if you are able to apply this
statement to your situation, your need, your crisis that you are facing right
now. Here is another thought to consider. Would you hesitate to help meet the need
of another person or would your giving, your help (whatever it might require)
be an act of faith, trusting God to meet your needs while you are helping that
other person meet their needs? I know, you may need to read that again.
When I think
of these four words, I think back the to the situation three Hebrews faced when
the king made a statute and required everyone to bow down to it. They refused
and the king confronted them threatening to throw them in a fiery furnace if
they did not bow down. That’s a crisis! They responded with confidence that “God
was able to deliver them”. That’s trust and faith! That statement was not some
sort of speculation or hope but was based on the Word of God and their
experience as they walked with God. Think about this for a moment; they put their
lives on the line for their conviction. They believed that their God was able
to do anything, anywhere, and anytime.
Is that not
the issue every Believer must settle in their mind? If you need grace, God is
able to make it abound in you. You can absolutely trust Him; God has proven
Himself faithful by giving us grace through faith in Jesus Christ. To me that
means He has given us enough of what we need to help others in their need. Let’s
look at other Scripture as an encouragement. Jesus was tempted in all things
(Hebrews 2:18), so He is able to help us when tempted. That means we can help
others when they are facing temptations. Jude 24 encourages us to know He will
keep us from stumbling when facing difficult situations. “And God is able”
to ___________ (You fill in the blank)!
The Hebrews
facing Nebuchadnezzar finished their statement with “But if not”. That
powerful statement was a demonstration of their total trust in the power of God
to aid them in their situation when defying the king. It was not a command by
them to do so. It was statement of faith knowing He could take care of their
situation. But if He chose not to, they were determined to remain faithful to
Him. For Believers today, we must be able to “Yes, God is able – but if not”,
we are going to stand on our faith in His decision. There are those times we
pray and do not see Him answer the prayer as we might desire. That’s not the
time to blame God or shrink in our faith.
The issue is
not God’s inability to do anything; it is an issue of His sovereign will. The
Bible tells us of many individuals who went through difficult situations; what
they endured was never about God not being able! Every individual depended on
God and His ability to meet their needs. As Believers, we must stand in
confidence that God is faithful, not just when everything is going great, but
also in the days of testing and trials come. Those in the Bible who went
through testing must have had their minds made up about who God was and about
His faithfulness. It would have been too late once thrown in the fiery furnace
to decide. Job would not give into peer pressure when going through his trial. It
can be said for many more who placed their faith in God.
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