EVER READY

One of the outstanding products that I still remember from my secondary school days is a brand of batteries named EVEREADY. Back then, access to electricity was limited to a few areas and it was quite unreliable. Having a torch with you at school was therefore something that was high on almost every boarding school student’s list of requirements.

In those days, the EVEREADY brand of batteries was the brand of choice for most students because it shone brighter and lasted longer. That meant you were spared from frequent purchase of batteries and you got to save your pocket money. As a ‘boarder’, that was very important because it could mean the difference between having a cup of tea with or without sugar.

Fast forward to our lives today as saints, and you find that the principle of being ever ready is top on God’s expectation of us when it comes to handling money and material stuff. “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate” (1 Timothy 6:17-18, KJV).

The believer is called to be on standby when it comes to distributing to the necessities of saints and sinners alike. In the mind of God, there is no reason why any of His children should be found at a point where they are unable to answer to the need that God wants them to solve. When you understand that God is not depending on you but His grace in you to take care of the needs of those He leads you to give to, the idea of being a distributor of blessings becomes easy to handle.

According to the Bible, “God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].” (2 Corinthians 9:8, AMPC). Wow! There is nothing in that verse that sounds like being broke or “I can’t afford”.

Now, granted, there are many who are not yet experiencing that level of prosperity today. If that is you, never mind. You are not alone and you are not the first to be in that position. You are however a candidate for this grace-kind of prosperity. What does it take to get there? It all starts by you accepting that the grace-kind of prosperity is God’s vision for you. Don’t argue and resist it. Before long, you will be saying to yourself, “why not?” instead of “poor me”.

What a high calling! God thinks very highly of us and it is time we size up and start thinking the same. Let’s lay aside the religious and traditional thinking that have for so long limited many of our minds with the idea that we don’t need to expect much - we need just enough for us and our loved ones. Well, guess how many people are God’s loved ones. That’s everybody, and it sets the level of how large our expectation should be as distributors of the grace-kind of prosperity.

So, let’s accept to “…be rich in good works” and to be ever “…ready to distribute”. I want to warn you though. You don’t get to that place with any ordinary mindset. It takes a mind that is “…willing to communicate”. In other words, a mind that is eager to give and receive; a mind that is sold out to “distributing to the necessities of the saints…” (Romans 12:13).

Joseph ENYIMU