2 Cor. 9:8 Monday

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Cor. 9:8

Last Sunday morning at 7:30 (believe it or not I made it) those of us who work with the Burmese refugees at our church in some capacity met at Panera Bread to discuss where we go in 2010. There were about twenty-five of us who put our heads together and asked the question, “What next?” At least three of us who work very closely with them on a regular basis have the same sentiments. Here is the jist of what we believe and said.

This is not our work, IT’S GOD’S WORK.

God would not have brought the Burmese to us if he hadn’t had a plan. He has a plan -- IT’S HIS PLAN.

We will only be required to serve them to the point He has equipped us -- HE HAS EQUIPPED US.

Ours is the easy part -- to sow and water the seed. His is the hard part – to make it grow. I CAN’T MAKE IT GROW.

God isn’t in a hurry, BUT USUALLY I AM!

We cannot meet all their needs, BUT WE CAN HELP THE ONES WHO CROSS OUR PATHS.

I can do this, because God is able to make all grace abound to me, so that in all things at all times, having all that I need, I will abound in every good work.

I can give a glass of water. I can feed. I can clothe. I can visit. I can be there. I can help. It’s really not that hard; it’s really pretty simple. We don’t need to fix; we need to befriend.

Listen to what actually happened this morning that illustrates the point I'm trying to make.
This morning there was a teenager in the youth group who was sitting right next to our family where we sit every Sunday morning, who had a nosebleed. I was unaware of what was going on, but two rows back Christina wasn’t. So since she was seeing what was going on, Christina poked Josh who in turn poked me which in turn, made me turn around to see Christina who asked me if I had any Kleenexes, as she was pointing to the teenager having the nosebleed. I jumped up with my Puffs travel tissues that Bella had been playing with and went across the aisle to help the boy. Quickly he stuffed one tissue up his nose to stop the bleeding and he used the others to wipe off his arms, hands and clothes that had been spattered with blood. Heather, who carries baby wipes with her for Brayden, threw the baby wipes over to me knowing they would be wetter. So, between Christina, Josh, Heather and me we all got the bleeding stopped and the boy taken care of. I guess you could say even Bella, my granddaughter helped because she had been playing with the tissues that I grabbed that were laying on the seat in the first place.

My sisters, isn’t it our "work" to help "the bleeding stop" in a world who needs a savior whose bleeding never stops -- who binds up the wounds of the broken hearted and sets the captives free?

God is able to make ALL grace abound to you, so that in ALL things at ALL times, having ALL that you need, you will abound in EVERY good work. None of us knew when we left for church what was going to happen once we got there. None of us knew that this nameless teenager was going to have a nosebleed. And none of us knew how we were going to respond or that God had already equipped us before we even knew we were going to respond. None of us had planned it, orchestrated it, or even knew what was going to happen. But because God is able, He knew it, he equipped us, and he took care of the boy -- through us. God is able to do this – to do all of this. That's just the way he operates.

I will be highlighting different words everyday throughout this week, just like I always do. But, know from the start you don’t have to meditate on any other words besides “God is able” –and to know that, to really know that, to absolutely unquestionably, without a shadow of a doubt, to know that God is able....... is enough.