2 Corinthians 9:8

Scripture:

2 Corinthians 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed…” (NASB)

Observation:

Yes, I have one! I had received a call from a friend asking to borrow a certain tool that he knew I had. The tool made the job so much easier and as he was about to do a home repair project, he needed one. I found myself not wanting to lend it to him, for in the past, some of the tools I lent him, came back damaged beyond repair. Today’s scripture speaks to us about God making grace abound to us where we will have all sufficiency in all we need, an abundance for every good deed. In the Discipleship Resource, found at men.ag.org, there is a resource entitled “Demands of Discipleship” and a lesson entitled “Generosity” where the term “stingy Christian” is mentioned. I had found myself being just that, a stingy Christian. God had blessed me with the knowledge and finances to have the tool my friend needed, and yet here I was, not willing to lend it to him. As I began to pray about it, the Lord spoke to me that I could use this as a discipleship lesson to my friend, so before I lent it to him, I had an open and honest conversation about how previous tools had been returned. When he returned the tool, it looked brand new, he had cleaned it up better than I gave it to him!  

Application:

• Personal Application: Continue spending time with the Lord daily. Sow righteousness and reap the fruit of God's unfailing love. 
• Family Devotional: Read this chapter to your family. Ask them if anything spoke to them as you read. Talk about their answers and show them that one important aspect of this chapter is that we must continue to spend time with the Lord and keep our hearts focused on His plans and purposes. Pray for them.

TOM SEMBER has been involved in ministering to men for over 20 years. He is an ordained minister with the AG in the NY Ministry Network. Tom lives with his wife, Carolyn, and children in New York. You can connect with Tom on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.