[an error occurred while processing this directive] TheBible.net: Enough And To Spare
Enough And To Spare
by Allen Webster

    The prodigal boy in the pig’s pen saw things a little differently than he had when wanderlust first pulled him from his father’s  farm. Hungry, lonely, tired, and ashamed, he now wanted nothing more than to go home. He thought, “I’m hungry, but my father has plenty. Even his servants leave bread on the table when they finish eating.” He had good memories of home—and they led him back where he needed to be. (Stop and read Luke 15:11-24.)

    What about you? Have you left a Father who loves you? Did the devil’s playpen turn out to be more like a pigpen for you, too? You can come home. There is still “bread” enough and to spare. What does today’s returning prodigal find at the Father’s house?

    “STRENGTH enough and to spare.” Many would return but they just don’t know if they have enough strength to “hold out.” Perhaps you haven’t completely given up on God, but have said, “I just don’t know where I’ll find the strength to go on.” We sometimes feel like David:1 our “strength is dried up like a potsherd” (Psa. 22:15)—that is, our reserves are as depleted of energy as kiln-dried pottery is empty of moisture. Age (Psa. 71:9, 18; 90:10), carrying a sin burden (Psa. 31:10), discouragement (Psa. 39:12, 13; 88:3, 4), persecution (2 Cor. 1:8), adversity (Prov. 24:10), and depression (Psa. 38:9, 10) all have the capacity to rob us of spiritual strength. Some will miss heaven, not so much because they loved sin, but just because they got “tired” and quit trying hard to follow God. (Hence the frequent admonitions to “faint not,” Lk. 18:1; 2 Cor. 4:1, 16; Gal. 6:9; Eph. 3:13.)

    Where can we find the strength to go on? We can “…go in the strength of the Lord GOD…” (Psa. 71:16). Since both the Father and Son are “Almighty,” they have “strength enough and to spare” (Gen. 17:1; Rev. 1:8). They have promised to share their strength with us (Psa. 29:11). A great Bible paradox is: if we will give God all our strength, He will make us stronger (Mk. 12:30). His strength is “made perfect in our weakness” (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9). Paul wrote, “I can do all [not some, or even many or most] things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Phil. 4:13).

    Paul also spoke of “…the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power … Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Eph. 1:19; 3:20). God “girds” His people with strength (Psa. 18:32); He gives strength through wisdom (Prov. 8:14) and knowledge (Prov. 24:5). He gives strength to fight battles (Psa. 18:39), to conceive seed (Heb. 11:11), to keep our words and meditations acceptable to Him (Psa. 19:14), and to face trouble (Psa. 37:39). He “strengthenedst us with strength in the soul” (cf. Psa. 138:3). Yes, there is “strength enough and to spare.”

    “COMFORT enough and to spare.” When Mr. and Mrs. Lamech had a son they named him, “Noah,” for, they reasoned, “This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands...” (Gen. 5:29). Jesus is our “Noah.” He once turned, looked at a woman, and said, “Daughter, be of good comfort…” (Mt. 9:22; cf. Mk. 10:49). Symbolically, He has done the same to each of us. He comforts us in all the uncomfortable parts of life—uncertainty, loneliness, sickness, poverty, ostracism, grief, embarrassment, rejection, victimization, loss, death. In the most famous chapter of the Old Testament, David wrote, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psa. 23:4). Jehovah was once described as the “God of all comfort” (2 Cor. 1:3). He comforts us “on every side” (Psa. 71:21). Paul said he was “filled with comfort” in all tribulation (2 Cor. 7:4). The Holy Spirit comforted the early disciples (Acts 9:31), and uses His Word to comfort us today (cf. Rm. 15:4; Eph. 6:17; 1 Thes. 4:18). God even uses us to comfort each other: “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God” (Isa. 40:1; 2 Cor. 1:4; 2:7;2 Gal. 6:2; Eph. 6:22). Need heartening? Come to God—He has “comfort and to spare.”

    “BLESSINGS enough and to spare.” God can “open the windows of heaven, and pour out a great a blessing” that there is not “room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10). Just as He once gave fishermen enough fish to sink their boat (153 by count) (Jn. 21:6, 11), so He can give us more blessings than we have capacity to enjoy. The Almighty can “bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb” (Gen. 49:25).

When, in the general course of life, His children enter upon new paths, His providence goes before them (Rm. 8:28; Phile. 15). That is, He anticipates the blessings we will require and puts them in our path (Psa. 21:33). He knows what things we have need of before we ask Him (Mt. 6:8). Expectant parents enjoy fixing up the baby’s room during the forty weeks it takes the child to arrive. They know the little fellow will need diapers, so they get some. They know he’ll need to eat, so they buy formula and baby food. They know she’ll sleep a lot, so they put together a baby bed. God goes before us like that. Think of how God has preceded us with blessings:

  • Before we came into the world, He made it habitable (Gen. 1);

  • Before we needed salvation (Rm. 3:23; 6:23), He made it possible (Jn. 3:16; Rm. 5:8-10).

  • Before we needed instruction and guidance, He wrote the Bible (e.g., 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Pet. 1:3).

  • Before Abraham knew he needed a ram, God had one available to substitute for Isaac (Gen. 12:13). Similarly, when we offer our bodies as living sacrifices (Rm. 12:1, 2), and temptation gets too strong for us, He has a “way of escape” ready for us (1 Cor. 10:13).

  • Before we have to go through the dark “valley of the shadow of death,” He prepares us a way (Psa. 23).

  • Before we enter into eternity, He opened the gate to heaven (Jn. 14:1-8).4

    If we look back, we will find goodness and mercy following us (Psa. 23:6), and if we look ahead, we will find God meeting us with His goodness. Further, God’s giving is just getting started. John promises, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son” (Rev. 21:7). We’re not sure what “all things” includes, but, like Paul, we can hardly wait to find out (Phil. 1:23)!

    Come to the table. There’s plenty.

Endnotes:
    1And Jesus, too, since this is a prophecy of His dying hours on the cross.

    2Comfort is one of the key words of 2 Corinthians. It is found seven times in the book.

    3Preventest (qadam) means “to anticipate, meet for help.”

    4Adapted from Samuel Martin (quoted by Charles Spurgeon in The Treasury of David).

This item originally appeared at House To House/Heart To Heart ( v.8 n.3 May/June 2003)


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