“In 2006, I remember standing in the Mumbai airport at the conclusion of my sixth trip to India. While I was outside the terminal, a young girl came up to me begging for money. Though I didn’t typically make this my practice, I felt impressed to give the girl all the Indian money I had with me. As I emptied my pockets, and gave her all the rupees I had (which I later learned was about a month’s average wage), the girl had the biggest smile on her face as she ran to a woman who I hope was her mother.
When I returned to the U.S., I told a friend of mine about the incident. My friend immediately said, “Bill, so often our overflow is someone else’s necessity.” Since that time, I’ve thought about that phrase hundreds of times. It’s given me a better perspective on God’s blessings and helped me see the needs around me.
I love the truth of 2 Corinthians 9:8 that says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” We know that God’s grace has already abounded to us…so that we might have an abundance for every good deed. May God give us the wisdom to express generosity as we understand that our “overflow is someone else’s necessity.”
Bill Williams, CEO of National Christian Foundation, in “Overflow for Every Good Deed” blog post for National Christian Foundation on 2 April 2014.
While this idea is not new (it can be traced to early church fathers such as Augustine among others), it’s expression here by Bill Williams is both fresh and forthright! This leads me to invite you to join me in prayer in response to the reality of this statement.
Father in Heaven, as our overflow is someone else’s necessity, give us wisdom to know the people with whom we are to share it, and by your Holy Spirit, help us humbly and willingly share in a manner that reflects the love of Jesus, in whose name pray. Amen.