Let us look into 2 Corinthians 9:8, “Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.” (ISV)
As we continue our series of meditations based on the above mentioned verse, we realize that God alone is the source of all the blessings that overflow in our lives.
Last week we meditated on Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. We read in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (KJV)
Paul had a great revelation of how God could supply our needs according to His riches in glory. This was because Paul understood who God was, and his encounter with the Lord brought about a major transformation in Paul. Everything that he destroyed before he met the Lord, Paul began to build, all that he desired previously he began to shun, and all that he rejected earlier he began to embrace. The church at Philippi stood with Paul, partnered and prayed with him and also gave generously. Their love and service was much appreciated by Paul who thanked them and it was in this context that Paul reminded the church at Philippi that God would certainly supply all of their needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
This is the change that should come in the lives of those of us who have come to know the Lord as our personal Saviour. All those things that we desired before we knew the Lord should be discarded, and everything that we disliked that actually pleased God, we should desire.
However when Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, this was how he wrote.
We read in Ephesians 3:19, “and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (LEB) and in Ephesians 3:16, “that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person.” (LEB)
This is Paul’s prayer for the church at Ephesus, and we read the entire prayer from Ephesians 3:14-21. We too can pray this prayer.
The love of God surpasses human understanding, and anyone who has experienced this love of God in their lives will see tremendous transformation in their lives. Only those who have comprehended the love of God will be able to move to the next level. The word of God reminds us that in the last days the love of many will grow cold. Every place where love should be evident, it will be found lacking. No wonder Paul says that we have to comprehend the height, depth, length and width of God’s amazing love for us.
There are three parts of the verse that I wish to highlight.
1. Know the love of God
2. Be filled with all the fullness of God
3. Grant you according to the riches of His glory
Firstly, to know God’s love means we realize that Jesus came down to the earth, took the form of a human being, suffered at the hands of sinful man, willingly took on Himself the sins of all mankind, gave up His position in the heavens so He could be our redeemer. For a short while Jesus was separated from the Heavenly Father and that was when He cried, ‘My God, My God why have you forsaken me?’ Secondly, we seek to be filled with the fullness of God. When both of these happen we will be granted overflowing blessings according to the riches of His glory.
• The pitfalls of ignorance
A lot of problems that come to us is because of our ignorance. It is up to us to rid ourselves of ignorance. For example we have a rule that those who ride motorcycles must wear a helmet. If the cop stops us for not wearing a helmet there’s no way anyone can excuse themselves saying they were ignorant that there was such a rule. So also no adult can put their finger in an electric socket, and be ignorant of the fact that it will give them an electric shock. Often we miss out on many good things because of our ignorance, and are unable to live the life that God has called us to live.
We as believers should not be satisfied with just attending church, but must know more about God and grow in the knowledge of God.
The Prophet Hosea said this in Hosea 4:6, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (LEB)
Ephesians 3:19, “and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, in order that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” (LEB) and in Ephesians 3:16, “that he may grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person.” (LEB)
Taking us back to Ephesians 3:19, we are exhorted to know the love of God that surpasses all knowledge. Those who have tasted this love of God will not yearn for the love of human beings and will not be discouraged when people don’t accept them. Many people are unhappy because someone is not talking to them, or someone has distanced themselves or someone has spoken ill of them. If we have experienced the priceless love of God in our lives, there is no way we will be upset when people reject us and fail to love us.
Keeping these three points in mind let us look at an incident in the Old Testament that will help us understand this better.
• Jacob knew that there was grain in Egypt
We read in Genesis 42:1-2, When Jacob realized that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" Then he said, "Look, I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy grain for us there that we may live and not die." (LEB)
The situation was such that Jacob and his sons were in the land of Canaan where there was a huge famine. In those days when they were struggling for their existence, in Egypt, there was much food. The reason was that Joseph interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams and he was elevated to the position to be second in command to Pharaoh. Based on the interpretation of that dream Egypt experienced seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. During those seven years of bounty, Joseph executed plans that resulted in Egypt having enough food to tide through those years of famine. Also, Joseph was in-charge of the distribution of all the food in Egypt. If Joseph decided he had enough food to give to all the countries surrounding Egypt. However, in Canaan Joseph’s Dad and brothers and their families were in so much need with not enough food to feed all of them.
While Joseph lived in Egypt like a king, his father and family in Canaan were living in want of food. As the sons of Jacob sat and looked at each other with no solution at hand, it was Jacob who was informed about the availability of grain in Egypt, and encouraged his sons to go, and get the grain so the family could be fed and saved. Egypt at that point was a place where their want could be replaced by plenty.
If we were to compare this with the church today, on the one hand we have Jesus who said that He was the bread of life and invited everyone to come to Him so they could be filled. He also invited all those who were thirsty to come to Him so their thirst could be quenched. On the other we as children of God are living mundane and ordinary lives just satisfied with just getting along. Many of us are just grappling with problems that come our way day to day, and have no time to experience the bounty that the Lord Jesus has in store for us.
Notice how Jacob was aware, and knew that though they faced famine that there was grain in Egypt.
We too need to know certain things, and must be rid of the ignorance in our lives. Think about why the Lord Jesus came down to the earth, and surrendered Himself to a cruel death on a cross. Yes, Jesus wanted to deliver us from our sins, but He also wanted to bless us with all other blessings. Many believers take an extreme stance where they will talk about the forgiveness of their sins, and next talk only about heaven. The fact is that there is a period of time between the two where we have to live our lives here on earth. We should therefore know the purpose for which God has kept us here on earth. Only those who know this purpose will be able to live lives that are meaningful.
Only in the presence of God is the place where our needs can be met. The Lord will never send empty-handed those who come to Him. We heard the good news of the gospel and this is the news that we should share with those around us. To someone who is not well, the good news is that they will be well. For those without finance the good news is that their financial needs will be met. Anyone who comes to Jesus is assured that every need will be met by Him. These are Jesus’ words, ‘Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.’ If after knowing the Lord for many long years we are still laboring and are heavy laden, it implies that we have not come to the Lord in the true sense. Our experiences may be otherwise, but God’s word stands sure for all time. We must come to the Lord with faith to believe that He alone can change all of our circumstances.
• The sons of Joseph went to Egypt
We read in Genesis 42:3, And the ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt. (LEB)
The ten sons of Joseph, heard but they did not sit around doing nothing, but went to Egypt to get the grain that was needed for their survival.
It is one thing to hear the gospel, but there will be no change if we don’t take a step to come seeking the presence of Jesus. There are many people who stay away from the Lord and fellowship for many years, and later regret that they did not seek the Lord when they could have.
There are two ways the Lord will fish for people. When He throws the net a huge number of people will come in response to the call. However, those who are rebellious and walk away the Lord will sometimes use the hook to get them back, and that could be painful.
We read in Genesis 42:5, “Then the sons of Israel went to buy grain amid those other people who went as well, for there was famine in the land of Canaan.” (LEB)
Notice how it was not only the sons of Jacob who went to Egypt, but there were loads of other people who went along with them from the land of Canaan because the famine had affected all of them. All the other people probably got the grains and got back with no change whatsoever. However, for Jacob and his sons there were tremendous benefits and changes in their lives simply because they had a relationship with Joseph.
There are many people who come to church, and go away with no change whatsoever. Only those who have that intimate relationship with Christ can experience the transformation that Jesus brings. Think about the multitudes of over 5000 men and women who followed Jesus and were fed with the five loaves and two fish. This was the same group that also cried out and said that Jesus should be crucified only because they had no relationship with Him. It should be our desire to grow in our relationship with the Lord Jesus.
We read in Genesis 42:8 And Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him. (LEB)
Joseph immediately recognized his brothers, but his brothers were unable to recognize who Joseph was.
The Lord also knows each one of us but sadly, many of us don’t know who the Lord is. There are many who come to church as mere spectators. Just because someone comes to church, it does not mean that their life will change automatically. Judas Iscariot is a great example of this. God loves everyone the same and treats everyone the same way. Nonetheless, only when we realize our part and do what we should do will we experience the blessings of God in their entirety.
There is much expectation from those outside regarding those who come to church. Interestingly, people outside the church believe that when one comes to the church, their lives should change for the better.
Paul established the church at Corinth, but after some years Paul wrote a letter to them. Firstly, Paul highlighted to them was that there was division amongst them, where some claimed they belonged to Paul and others to Apollos and others to Cephas. Secondly, there was immorality among the believers in the church, such as was not heard of even among those in the world outside. Thirdly, Paul addressed the fact that they did not solve simple disputes but took them to the court and involved unbelievers to settle matters for them. Fourthly they had no true brotherly love and that’s what prompted Paul to write 1 Corinthians 13 detailing on what real love should look like. Also we see that they had indiscipline in their worship, and Paul addressed this too by teaching them that everything should be done in an orderly way.
If the early church had so many issues, it is no wonder that we as a church grapple with so many more issues today. So we see that no life will be changed by just coming to church, but as each individual grows in their knowledge of God and in their relationship with Him there will be genuine transformation.
Joseph tested his brothers
We read in Genesis 42:16, “Send one of you, and let him bring your brother, but you will be kept in prison so that your words might be tested to see if there is truth with you. And if not, by the life of Pharaoh surely you are spies." (LEB)
• The brothers were tested by Joseph.
We can attend church and sing all the songs aright, but when we go through trials and hardships only then we will know if what we sing with our mouths are the true beliefs of our hearts. Now we have machinery that can test the genuineness of gold, but in days gone by gold would be scrubbed to analyze if it is genuine. As believers we too will go through test to see if our faith in God is genuine.
We read in 1 Peter 1:6-7, “in which you rejoice greatly, although now for a short time, if necessary, you are distressed by various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more valuable than gold that is passing away, but is tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (LEB)
Gold that perishes is tested by fire, but our faith which is far more precious than gold, will be tested so that our faith may be proved genuine.
No one should think that just by coming to church we will see changes. Change comes as we hear the word of God, and grow in our intimacy with Him. The Lord will test us, and try us so that we are refined, and some will lose heart and walk out. Know that those who stand firm through all the tests will grow and be changed.
• The brothers were guilt ridden
We read in Genesis 42:20-21, “You must bring your youngest brother to me, and then your words will be confirmed and you will not die." And they did so. Then each said to his brother, "Surely we are guilty on account of our brother when we saw the anguish of his soul when he pleaded for mercy to us and we would not listen. Therefore this trouble has come to us." (LEB)
When Joseph demanded that his brothers should go back to Canaan and bring the youngest brother, they were overwhelmed with guilt as they recalled all that they had done to Joseph. The fact was that the brothers did not recognize that the Egyptian ruler who stood before them was their brother Joseph as Joseph used a translator to speak to his brothers. It was only through this experience that the brothers of Joseph understood that they had done much wrong to Joseph.
One of the things that happens to us when we come into the presence of God is that He convicts us of our sins through His word. Sometimes people think that the Pastor is addressing some sin that they are committing not realizing that it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God. Only those who receive it as God’s word will be able to make the needed changes. The word reminds us that we are all faced with temptations that are common to everyone. The Holy Spirit of God will sometimes remind us, and convict us of things we may have done in the past, which we may not even have thought about.
We read in Acts 17:30, “Therefore although God has overlooked the times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent,” (LEB)
We are meditating on the glorious riches that are available to us in Christ. This will not come to us simply but there are steps that have to be taken. I have taken the story of Jacob, and his sons during the time of famine in Canaan, while their son Joseph was living like a prince in Egypt. I have compared Joseph to Jesus and his family to the church. Only when they realized who Joseph was did all of their wants cease to exist.
Observe the steps of a believer in the Lord Jesus.
1. We hear about God
2. We come seeking for Him
3. We get to know Him
4. Our faith is tested
5. We are convicted of our sins
The question we must ask ourselves is how are we growing in the Lord? Our coming to church should not become a habit, but we should grow in our intimacy and relationship with the Lord. As we grow in this relationship all of our needs will be met, and God will pour His bountiful blessings on us. May we grow in our knowledge of who the Lord Jesus is so that we can experience the abundant blessings that He wishes to lavish on us.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
