Supplemental Income

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t never fails!  At least four times a day I receive a plethora of e-mails promising me vast and glorious riches if I will just take a few minutes to fill out a quick survey, review a new business scheme that is guaranteed to earn me hundreds of dollars for just minutes of my time, or agree to stuff envelopes from my home!  Everybody it seems has some magic way of earning more money with little or no effort.

While there is nothing wrong with earning a decent salary, these little advertisements in my inbox and on my television screen serve as constant reminders that our society is constantly in the pursuit of the ever elusive dollar bill!  The more we have, the more we want and the more we get, the more we have to work.  No amount of income is sufficient and people are always looking for various means to supplement their salaries so they can own more stuff.  The only problem is, they don’t have the time to enjoy these items because they are working more and more to supplement their income so they can buy more things.  It is a vicious cycle.

But the real allure of these little programs is that they offer so much for so little.  Just yesterday I received an e-mail that asked me if I wanted to earn a certain sum just for visiting stores as a “secret shopper.”  At first, I found myself saying, “Hey, I could do that.  A few minutes a day and Presto!  Instant trip to the Bahamas!”  When I calmed down, however, I realized that this was just too good to be true.  Although earning a few extra dollars might be nice, spending time in shopping malls and chasing price tags is not my idea of a swell time.  But I have to be honest, the idea of getting paid so much for doing so little is appealing.

Unfortunately, this mentality has become very prevalent in the Christian life as well.  It is not that we don’t want a deeper and a richer relationship with God; we just want it at little or no effort on our part.  What we’re really looking for is a way to receive supplemental blessings from God without pursuing our relationship with Him or living the Christian life according to His commandments.  When we encounter difficulties and trials, we want God to remove them, making the way ahead less challenging, granting us more blessing for less trial, and more reward for less obedience.

It might surprise you to know that, in a round about way, the Apostle Paul made a similar request of God.  Now we know that Paul was not afraid of hard work nor was he discouraged by difficult trials or challenging circumstances.  However, there was something in Paul’s life which bothered him greatly.  We do not know what it was but we do know that he asked the Lord to remove it from him.  In fact, Paul asked God three times to take away his “thorn in the flesh” and three times God said no!  Paul had to learn that God’s blessings do not come as a supplement; they come as the mainstay of our relationship with Him.

Please notice, however, that God did not leave Paul without hope.  In 2 Corinthians 12:9 God gives Paul this wonderful promise, “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.”  What a statement!  What a promise! What a glorious truth! 

Please notice that God says His grace IS sufficient.  He does not say will be sufficient in the future.  He does not say it was sufficient in the past.  God does not indicate we need anything to supplement His grace!  No!  His grace is all we require!  It meets every need we have.  It gives us strength in any and every trial.  It provides shelter in times of trouble and comfort in times of pain.  It is our strong tower in danger and is our strong defense when we are under attack.  In times of weariness, God’s grace is our place of quiet rest.  God’s grace is all we need. Nothing more!  It does not need a supplement!

Today when you got out of bed and faced the morning, you did so because of God’s grace.  When you entered your car and drove to work, you did so because of God’s grace.  You are reading this now because of God’s grace and this evening when you retire to peaceful slumber you will do so under the umbrella of our Heavenly Father’s grace.  It is sufficient and the weaker we are; we find the stronger He is.

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oday, are you enjoying the fact that God’s grace is all you need?  Do you find that His word and His provision are the only things necessary in your life?  When you are faced with difficult trials and challenges, do you know the peace and assurance that comes from leaning on God?  Have you grasped the truth Paul learned as he heard God’s voice speak these words to him?  We have all we need, we have all we could hope for, and we have best that God offers.  We have His grace and it IS sufficient for us!  Are you enjoying God’s sufficiency today?