Every Good Deed

Scripture: "And God is able to make all grace abound in you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." 2 Corinthians 9:8

Observation: Everyone wants sufficiency. Everyone wants to abound in Grace. But it is often not for the right reason. God does not give for me to store up.

Application: As I was leaving my subdivision the other day I got behind a black Mercedes. The license plate read, "soblssd". I hear that a lot. Big houses. Airplanes. Vacation homes. The list goes own. All attributed to God's blessing, but all intended for personal pleasure. Not that there is anything wrong with these things. There is no shame in taking personal pleasure from God's graciousness to me. But there is a thin line to walk with this. Truly giving God glory and honoring him means more than just calling myself blessed. It means that my life impacts others. Blessings are not to be stored up inside of me to create a type of reservoir for my own personal enjoyment. They are designed to equip me to do good works. They are designed to enable me to better serve others.

Prayer: Life is rough at times. The daily grind can become exhausting and it is awfully tempting to hold on to blessings. It is so easy to attribute them to You with my mouth, but covet them in my heart. Teach me to be a vessel that pours itself out for You. May every good gift that comes from You bring You honor. Not just from my lips, but from my actions. By the way I live my life, may Your honor reach the lives of others. May the sufficiency You have given me reach those who are in a season of lack. You have a heart for the needy. For the Poor. For those who have no defender. That is Your ultimate goal for how I am to spend the resources You provide. Kindle in my heart a great desire to share that same goal. May every season in my life further develop the sufficiency I need for every good deed you have called me to.