All Sufficiency

Last week, I heard a wonderful sermon by a 24 year old girl that is living out God's call on her life. Since then, I've been pondering this Scripture that she mentioned in passing. Her topic was profuse with Scripture, but this one stood out to me.

"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." (II Corinthians 9:8, NASB)

While she continued to speak, I continued to mull over this thought. I found myself circling words like grace, all sufficiency, and everything. I even drew lines connecting them together. 

But upon reflection a week later, I see even bigger words like the all before grace, and always, and every good deed. When my kids tell me I "never" say anything positive or that I "always" criticize them, I quickly remind them that "never" and "always" are very big words. So why would Paul use these words that are total, complete, final and huge?

I obviously can't speak for Paul and I would never dare speak for God...I just know this is what He's been speaking to my heart this week:

God's grace can permeate absolutely everything about me (mind, body, spirit, soul, attitude, etc.) to an ultimate completeness that is so all-inclusive that I will never lack anything that I need in order to complete any loving gesture, kind word or thoughtful expression that He would ever ask me to do.

So why do I spend so much time trying to figure out what He wants me to do or say in any given situation...because, after all, if I'm living a life of Love...everything I do or say should be what He has asked me  to do or say. (Confused yet? Welcome to the mind of an ADD deep-thinker!)

Bottom line...there's this word that's tucked only eight words shy of the beginning of this verse and it means the difference between trusting in myself to do or say the right thing, or trusting in Him: 

grace.

Do I really believe that Jesus meant it when He said, "It is finished."?? If so, then why do I waste any energy trying to figure out this thing called life? 

Trust Him to know what I need.

Trust Him to give it when I need it.

Trust Him to guide the "good deeds" He wants me to do.

And trust Him to not only do it...but with an abundance.

Ahhh...sweet freedom from worry, doubt, fear, angst, drudgery and toil.

"All sufficiency"? Yep...sign me up!