When it comes to doing God’s will in ministry, we really have no excuses.
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)
If you look at the verses prior to 2 Corinthians 9:8 you will see that Paul was writing to the Corinthians about their ministry to the Macedonian church. He told them that they needed to be prepared to follow through with their commitment and should do so generously and cheerfully.
Though these verses referred to giving, we could apply the principles in 2 Corinthians 9:8 to any kind of ministry.
- What God wills, He provides for. — “And God is ABLE to make”
- God’s provision to do His will is complete, not just a trickle or portion of grace. — “ALL grace ABOUND to you”
- God will always come through with the grace to do His will, no exceptions — “so that in ALL things at ALL times”
- Though God will give you everything essential for accomplishing His will, He may or may not give you excess. — “having ALL you NEED”
- God’s objective in giving us grace to do His will isn’t that we keep His provision for ourselves but that we have in order to give. — “you will ABOUND in EVERY good work”
If there is a problem in this, it is not with God. Before making excuses for not doing God’s will in ministry, do some soul searching.
- Is this really God’s will?
Perhaps what you are pursuing is not truly God’s will but what you think should be done. You might have good intentions but not God’s intentions. You might have good ideas but not God’s ideal. — Keep praying about it.
- Are my motives right?
Perhaps in the depths of your heart, you want God’s grace so you are blessed. While God does take care of us, the ultimate goal of God’s grace in our lives to to be able to give to others. “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Pet. 4:10) — Learn to be generous and faithful with the little God gives. He could be waiting to give you more until your motives are right.
- Am I missing what God is actually doing?
God provides for ministry in a variety of ways, not just monetarily. We sometimes put expectations on God as to how He must operate. If you put expectations on God as to how He should be operating, you might not be seeing what He is putting into place. He might be providing but you don’t see it because you are looking elsewhere. — Let God be God. He sees the big picture. He knows what is truly needed to accomplish His will.
Church Leaders, Also Read: God’s Power for the Church: The Grace of God