“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
I am about to step over a line here. But knowing what I know, it will be fine. Our church has a shooting league. We like to go to the new shooting range in town and shoot pistols at paper targets. Last night’s session was unusually difficult for my wife. For some reason she was missing the target… even from 10 feet! At one point, she turned to me and said, “you cleaned my gun and now I can’t hit ANYTHING. What did YOU DO to it!” So I’m writing about her!
Our master trainer Dan came over to her and watched for a few moments, then stepped forward and started giving her some instruction. His first words to her were, “You’re holding it wrong.” From there he went down a list of explanations as to WHY she was missing her target, then added corrective measures to help her improve. At one point, when she started to explain… Dan simply told her to “shut up!” And she did!!!
Dan has NO idea that THAT phrase is not allowed in our home. When our kids were growing up, those 2 words coupled together GUARANTEED a stern visitation and correction from Mom. The word “stupid” carried the same penalty. Katie finds those words rude and even disallowed them in our house. But now… she was LISTENING to Dan! Dan is my hero!
The verse today tells us that God is able to bless ME in EVERYTHING I do. This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. But the implied promise comes with an unstated codicil that, in my opinion, starts with the words… “Shut up!” The verse jumps out at me most when I find myself missing too many targets in life. Being a dumb follower, I have a tendency to yell heavenward … ”WHATAYADOIN!” Then, when I remember this verse, the FIRST thing I hear from God is… you guessed it… “Shut up!”
The key word in this verse is the simple word “ABLE!” God doesn’t say He WILL bless me. The unspoken implication is that he CAN… IF… and ONLY IF… I simply shut up, pay attention and DO what HE says! The action of ‘shutting up’ is the first proof of discipleship! A disciple of Jesus Christ ultimately WANTS to follow where He leads. If discipleship isn’t the main goal, what USUALLY follows from the reader is an argument.. “BUT!” At that point, God typically wanders off to ‘ABLE’ someone else!
By now you realize that this story is NOT about my wife. It is about me. I have to admit that I am a stubborn follower of Jesus, walking a few paces behind, holding my walking stick wrong, wandering off to look at something I’m not supposed to, asking questions that are off topic and generally acting like a child. God’s patience with me goes FAR beyond mine. But when I get into the brambles and work up a lather of sweat, at just the right time I will hear Him respond to my complaint with those loving words… “shut up, K.C.!” THEN another verse pops into my head with the instruction starting with the words… “Be still and know that I AM God!!” In other words… “Shut up K.C. and stop being a stupid disciple!!!! And BANG!!! Just like that… I get it!
