From Favoritism to Flourishing- Part 7 of 9: Grace Abounds: 2 Corinthians 9:8

         In these last three parts, I will show how the new standard and weakness we have developed over the first six parts of this series have laid the groundwork for a flourishing life that was impossible under the rule of Favoritism. You may remember from earlier in this series that we look at ourselves as having value because of God's love for us and that we have no merit on our own. While this perspective helps us escape a negative life of Favoritism, it can also help us reach a positive life of Flourishing. This is because we start to recognize that we can do nothing on our own to force an awesome life to happen and make a difference in the world. Both of these things are gifts from God. Let's look at 2 Corinthians 9:8:

8 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.

         Here is the first of the three steps necessary to find the flourishing life that God wants each of us to have: a humble admission that we have nothing to bring to the table and that God provides it all. A favorite verse of mine is 1 Corinthians 4:7:

7 For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?

         From this verse and the 2 Corinthians 9:8 passage, we can see that we can relax when we do any kind of ministry because we know that ultimate success will only come from the hands of God. We will never be able to change people's lives or make an impact in the world unless God lets it come to pass. Another relevant verse to this theme is James 4:13-15:

13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 

          In order to really, truly enjoy life, we need to learn to let go of what we once held as valuable, listen to what God tells us is valuable, and entirely depend on God for the pursuit of those valuable things. We will never have success if we try to pursue what is valuable in our own strength. Look again at 2 Corinthians 9:8:

 8 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.

           We need to know that, as we pursue what is good, we will often fail and God's grace will be there to carry us on when we do fail. Also, we need to stop being anxious about doing the right things to "earn" God's favor. Here, we see that God will provide for us every thing we need at every time we need it and that, through God's grace, we will abound in every good work. Good works happen in our lives only because God has supplied all the material and grace necessary to get the job done.
            This emptying of oneself is only possible when we have let go of our old, worldly identity and reached a place of weakness. More verses that solidify this point are 2 Corinthians 12:9:

9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

 1 Corinthians 2:2-5:

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

and Mark 4:26-29:

 26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

           It is a life long process, but as we empty ourselves during these first seven steps of escaping Favoritism, we prepare a vacuum that will suck in God's love and power and use it to change the world and bring glory to God. The next entry in this series will discuss how to open the floodgate to let that power and love rush in.
In Christ,
Simeon Snow