07
Dec '19
More Than Enough
07
Dec '19
If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever. Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 2 Corinthians 3:9-12
My family is hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year. My wife and I have had new worries that came with it. Do we have all the ingredients? Is the ham big enough? Did we get enough sweet potatoes? Where are the dinner rolls? These worries and decisions are trying to ensure that we have indeed done enough for everyone to feel good. Like the holiday, my faith has had worries as well. As my knowledge of who God is has grown, I still ask myself if I am doing enough. You see, I have not won every battle and sin is not devoid of me. Temptations still tugs at me, and there are times where I actually do not sense God’s presence. Despite those things, there is a peace knowing that He is always there whether I sense Him or not, and it is not by my actions that makes me His child. It is by His grace, and that is more than enough. That I am truly thankful for.
We should never have doubt that God’s grace is sufficient. As I focused on the 3rd chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul spoke about the New Covenant with God through Jesus Christ. In reading this, one sensed the level of freedom Paul felt from his past transgressions. His words to the Corinthians were to encourage them of this new faith in God that was quite different from those of their ancestors. In the times of Moses, God was a God of fire, fury, and discipline. One might say He was a God of fear. However through Christ, God had become a God of forgiveness, grace, and mercy; the God of love. The thing is God has not changed over both Old and New Covenant. The difference is just in the relationship. His love for Moses was as great as it was for Paul, and He disciplined those who do not follow His instruction whether it was Adam then or us today. It is that very level of consistency that makes God utterly dependable. That is where our confidence should come from. It is not that the old way is irrelevant for if God wrote it, it must be perfect. Yet, the new way gives us freedom to dare boldly to live up to that standard without fear of failure. As a song by Donnie McClurkin says, “We fall down. But we get up. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” That is what Paul was getting at.
God is always faithful. As the song ‘One Thing Remains’ reminds us, His love never fails, never gives up, and never runs out on us. While my intention is not to make suggestions for next Sunday’s worship service, it is to bring home the point of just how reassured we should be of God’s love. It sees the best in us even when we sometimes do not. So this holiday, let us take up what Paul said and move boldly sharing God’s love to all we connect with. What holds you back from embracing God’s plan for you? How can you let His Spirit move you toward greater confidence in Him? My prayer is that we are thankful for God’s grace for it is indeed more than enough.
Amen, and Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
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~Kent
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About Kent:
“I am what all Christians are: flawed and always growing. I am not immune to failure, and I don’t always do the right things, but I learn from my mistakes, and always show love to all who I know. Furthermore, through Christ I have joy knowing I have His grace even though I didn’t deserve it and His love even as I can’t imagine it. I have written devotion for the past 14 years using my life’s experiences both before and after being born again and focusing on its relevance to Biblical teachings and today’s culture.”
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