Hosanna Restoration Church

We have all read what Paul wrote about God’s grace being sufficient for all things. Often times when that particular scripture is spoken of it is made to sound like God told Paul to just suffer through and that is what we should do too. But could it be that when Paul was asking God to take the thorn away, God responded by telling him that he already had everything he needed to put it away himself. After all, it would not be too outlandish to believe that God’s special favor and blessing would be sufficient. Remember, Paul saw a man who was lame and realized that he had the faith to be healed so he told him to “stand up!”

So what exactly is sufficient? In the natural, we would see that as having enough. The challenge for us is to learn to think in God’s terms. You see, what we may deem as sufficient is more often than not far less than what God has in mind. God’s idea according to the amplified bible is that in every situation we would have enough to require no aid or support plus we would have an abundance left over to for every good work and charitable donation. If that is God’s definition of sufficient, I have a ways to go.

Now obviously this is not just about money! We need favor and blessing for a long list of things. No matter what it is, according to God’s word, we already have it. We just need to put it into practice. Consider the fruit of the Spirit. If we are going to love those who hate us, we need and abundance of love. Well, God is able to get it to us. Actually He has already delivered it! The truth is He has delivered it all. We have an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness and goodness. We have it because it dwells in us through Christ who is in us. We just need to quit misplacing it! When we do, we need to look for it!

Recently, I misplaced a particular instruction manual. I really needed to make a call to the service department and the number was in it. We were going away for a few days and I knew I would have time to take care of it. We got to our destination and I could not find it. I searched several times and decided it must have been left at home. We got home and I searched some more. I looked everywhere at least twice. Once I said, “This is driving me crazy!” Then I corrected myself and every time that thought came I refused to confess it. After a couple of days I sort of gave up. You know how that goes, you say you are not going to think about it any more, but then you start looking again. Well, I woke up the next morning and knew just as clear as could be where it was. It was in the computer bag right where I put it. Praise the Lord!

The point I am trying to make with this story is that I looked long and hard to find something as simple as an instruction manual because I knew I had it. I should be even more determined to find all that God’s grace has provide for me. His grace is sufficient. We are never self sufficient in the sense of not needing God, because our sufficiency is in Him and He has given all things to us. So you see we don’t lack anything, we just need to draw on the grace that God has deposited in us.