Daily Devotional

There have been a couple of days recently when I was feeling pretty down and didn’t even want to open the Bible.  I just didn’t have the energy to search the Scriptures, and I didn’t know what to read or where to read.

That’s when 2 Corinthians 9:8 came to my mind, like a bucket of cool water drawn up from a deep dark well.  This is a great verse to memorize and hold onto when you’re going through challenging seasons of life.  It highlights what I like to call the “Five All's.”
 
The verse begins where all my favorite verses begin – with God.  If it wasn’t for the words “God is able,” the rest of the verse would be meaningless.  It wouldn’t even exist.  But because God’s power is infinite, he is able to strengthen us when we need it, and he is able to sustain us and provide for us no matter what we’re going through.

1. All Grace – The way God equips us for life is by his grace, which is an active mighty thing.  James Strong called it “the divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.”  God’s grace is the dynamic transforming power of his unmerited favor operating in our lives.  And he doesn’t just give us a drop of grace, or barely enough grace to get us through the trials of life.  He is able to make “all grace” abound to us.  The word abound means to overflow with abundance and excess.  The supply of God’s grace is inexhaustible.  It’s like a man trying to drink a cup of water out of a spigot at the base of Hoover Dam.

2. All Things – All circumstances, all situations.  Every trial, every disappointment, every crisis, every challenge, every conceivable need imaginable.
 
3. All Times – In other words, God will never let us down.  He will never be late to our game or fail to show up at our recital.  Young or old, and every point in between, God is always with us, and he will never leave or forsake us.  There’s never a moment in our lives when his grace isn’t freely available to us.

4. All Sufficiency – When I was growing up, I used to help my dad with a lot of projects around the house, and my job was often to hand him the right tool.  My dad had a million tools and it seemed like there was always a particular tool that was just right for the job.  That’s kind of what this verse is talking about.  No matter what “job” you are working on in life, God always has the right tool for you.  He knows which one you need.  He has an endless supply of them.  And he will provide you with everything you need to serve and obey him.

5. All Good Works – Why is all this so important to God?  Because he has work for us to do!  Work which he has prepared in advance for us to accomplish (Eph 2:10).  Work that brings him glory (Jn 15:8).  Work that helps bring faith on the earth (Jn 6:29).  When God makes his grace abound to us, we are able to abound in every good work.  That is a promise worth holding on to when you’re feeling down!

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