10/27/2021 ABUNDANT LIVING0
2 Corinthians 9:8 And GOD is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work. [Revised Standard translation]
Summary
Imagine having a house, but only focusing on one room in the house—the kitchen. Imagine it’s the only room you really spend time in or clean. It’s the only room that gets your attention. Then, imagine the state of “your house” after a few years, 10 or 20 or 30.
Or imagine having a car, but only focusing on one aspect of the car—filling the tank. You ignore the check light warning, you ignore the tires, you ignore putting on your seat belt or you even ignore when others fail to wear their seat belts too. Image the state of “your car, after 30 or so years or imagine that one day, you’re involved in an accident, even through no fault of your own! If you didn’t survive the accident, whose fault would you say it was if you ignored the safety aspects of the car?
2 Corinthians 9:8 tells us that GOD wants to provide for “you” and “me” “with every blessing in abundance.” GOD wants us to live “abundantly.” But, the human body, which GOD has provided, consists of “a number of parts.” And all the parts generally require some attention, some monitoring, and some care!
For example, consider the feet. Now imagine not ever noticing your feet. Imagine, you never wash your feet, you never cut the nails that grow on your toes, you never try to wear comfortable shoes, but instead just walked around “without shoes.” Like any part of the body that “is neglected” or not given sufficient attention, over time, things can happen. For example, ingrown toenails may start to occur, your feet may blister, you may develop corns, calluses, bunions or claws, mallet toes, athlete’s feet, a toenail fungus, or other problems. Even, if you don’t intentionally try to harm your feet, by wearing “ill-fitting shoes, the feet still have to be “monitored.”
In fact, many aspects of our bodies must be monitored. Like the nails on the feet, the nails on a person’s hands also must be monitored. Nails and hands must be cleaned, gloved, and in extremely cold temperatures glove or, when handling harmful solvents, protected. If not properly monitored, problems can occur. Untreated cuts can cause infections. The hand should be examined for “changes in their condition,” such as lack of strength, muscle weakness, or joint pain. The hands, like almost every other body part, need examination, exercise, and strengthening.
And it’s the same with “the teeth,” “the hair,” “the heart,” and other body parts. Each body part deserves a certain amount of attention for “it to function properly” and to often avoid problems, especially as the body ages.
GOD wants to bless every single body abundantly, but we inhabitants of these bodies must do our part as well.