Thought for June 5, 2024

• 70: Titus breaches the middle wall of Jerusalem 
• 1661: Isaac Newton admitted to Trinity College Cambridge
• 1851: "Uncle Tom's Cabin" published in serial form 
• 1946: Virginia Thrailkill has a baby boy; father says, "ugliest baby I've ever seen." 
• 1947: Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe outlined by George Marshall
• 1967: Six Day War between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria begins
• 1968: Sirhan Sirhan kills Robert F Kennedy
• 1981: Centers for Disease Control reports pneumonia affecting 5 men in LA--AIDS Epidemic begins
• 1985: Steve Cauthen wins at Epsom Downs to become only jockey to win The Derby and the Kentucky Derby
• Born: John Maynard Keynes, Breonna Taylor, Mark Wahlberg, Elena Cornaro Piscopia [first woman to receive academic degree from a university], Thomas Chippendale, Jay Hardwick, Tony Slayden, Bill Moyers, Robert Kraft [Patriots], John Carlos [Mexico City Olympics], Suze Orman, Kenny G, 
• Died: O Henry, Ronald Reagan, Stephen Crane, Bill Tilden, Conway Twitty,

Thought:

On my birthday, I am contemplating again the verse that I chose as my so-called "life verse." I am convinced that there is no one verse that can serve as our life verse through all our lives, that God gives new meaning to scripture as it meets us where we are in life as the Living Word. But 2 Corinthians 9:8 has been a go to verse for me for almost 50 years.This verse follows a familiar passage [2 Corinthians 9:6-7] wherein God tells us that if we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly--so sow the seeds of the gospel and the fruit of the Spirit bountifully. Then He tells us not to be begrudging about what we sow. I sowed a lot, but I am bitter about it, did it from duty only and not from love. Instead, be a cheerful, hilarious giver. And like most of God's commands, He follows with a promise. WE can sow bountifully and cheerfully because of verse 8. Break it down with me this morning:

• God is able. Stop and think about the ability of God. Is anything too difficult for Him? He can do exceedingly, abundantly above all I can ask or even think. If He is for us, who can be against us? The starting point here is God is making a promise and it is based on His ability. I know the promise is real and will be kept because there is nothing He cannot do.
• To make all grace abound toward me. Unbelievable, except God said it. God is able to make all grace abound toward me. Think about how much grace that is. And the good news, He can make all grace abound toward me and all grace abound toward you at the same time because His storehouse of grace is unlimited. So when God asks me to do something it comes with His promise that He is able to make all grace abound toward me for that service. Filled with all grace, covered by all grace, surrounded by all grace, I can answer His call "yes."
• So that I will always have all sufficiency in everything. God's reason for sending abundant grace toward me is so that I will have sufficient grace to answer His call and accomplish His assignment. But notice--His grace is always sufficient, I need nothing else. And I always have His grace when I am walking in His paths. So I have all sufficient grace at all times in every assignment from the Lord. 
• His sufficiency is an abundance for every good deed. Amazing that the sufficiency of Jesus is an abundance for me to complete my assignment. Ephesians tells us that we are His poem created in Christ for good works. Here He tells us that we have His all-sufficient grace in abundance at all times, in every assignment to do the good works He has sent us to do. 

What a way to start the day---has God called you to do any good work for Him today. If so, we can sow bountifully and cheerfully knowing that He is making all grace abound toward us so that we always have His sufficiency in everything to complete His assignment for today. All He needs is our "yes."

Blessings

Larry