I watched a television program featuring Jascha Heifetz, now retired, teaching an advanced class of young violinists. These artists seemed to have reached perfection, as far as I was concerned, but evidently they and Heifetz did not think so. So they went through the tedious exercises over and over again until they were acceptable to the master’s ear. What hours of disciplined practice all artists, acrobats, performers in any realm, must go through to reach the top! It has been said that when acrobats are not performing, they are practicing. Need we wonder that Christians in general make so little impact for Christ when they are content with the lowest possible training in prayer, Bible study, witnessing, and all the exercises of godly living? The greatest of arts, Christ-like living, has the fewest who can master it. The greatest warfare on earth is carried on by the poorest-trained rookies in all combat. How easily satisfied we are with poor performance! It may satisfy us, but is the Master pleased? Will it merit His “well done”? There are few advanced students in the school of Christ but plenty of dropouts and a multitude of the mediocre.
Devotion of the Day
DOUBLE ABUNDANCE
God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.
II Corinthians 9:8
God’s grace is not only amazing grace, it is abounding grace. He abounds toward us that we may abound toward Him There is abundance of grace in order that there may be abundance of good works. “Always having all sufficiency in all things” – what could be more satisfying than that? It is another way of saying, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” There is nothing stingy and niggardly about the grace of God. “Of his fullness have all we received and grace upon grace.” Jesus came that we might have life more abundantly.
And as God abounds toward us, we should abound toward Him. Paul was a great example of what he wrote. With all his infirmities, his thorn in the flesh, his opposition and persecution, who ever abounded to every good work as he did?
Our penurious and miserly service today declares that we live cheaply in our souls. We do not lay hold of the riches of grace in Christ Jesus. Our output is small because our intake is small. “My God shall supply all your need,” and beyond that do more for us than we can ask or think.
Let us be doubly abundant, in grace and good works.