Provision Before Necessity

Everyone has a different opinion about what "provision" is. When we call God our Provider, are we saying that we'll have the bare minimum and just barely be able to feed ourselves, or that we'll have a steady, secure income and plenty of everything?

One of the downsides of being really young is that I don't know. I could make a guess, but I won't really know the answer until all of this is over, and by then I'm not sure that I'll be able to blog about it. So I'll tell you what I think.

"And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

That word "abound" is "perisseuō" in the Greek, and the literal translation is "to furnish one richly so that he has abundance."

I've heard a lot about the "prosperity" gospel and how it's become rampant in the churches- many say that Christians are selfishly desiring wealth from God, and we should never strive for riches because Jesus said that we should be "poor in spirit." That word "spirit" is "pneuma" in the Greek, and guess what it means?

"Spirit."

Jesus never said that we should be just plain poor. But He also said that we shouldn't strive for riches. Why? Because He doesn't want us to strive for something that He desires to set in place for us.

This is obviously a very small example, but please bear with me. The other day I stopped at the gas station to fill up my new car (it's actually used, so it's technically a new used car. Hmm....) Of course no one enjoys filling up their cars, and I'm no exception, so I wasn't particularly joyful about this pit stop.

When I checked my email that afternoon, I saw that one of the nursing homes where I play had just direct-deposited my payment from a month earlier into my account that morning, and it was almost exactly the amount that the tank of gas that I had just purchased cost. So, really, it was like I had barely spent a dime.

Am I always going to have more than enough just when I need it? The Bible says that I am. Do I know for sure? I'm just going to have to say "yes," because I'm not going to be absoutely sure until I'm just about dead.

Jesus loves being our Provider. He loves making us smile and taking care of the things that we can't take care of. Before we even know what we need, He has it set in motion to be in our hands at just the right time.

That's what I think, anyway.