But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
“God wishes each of us to work as hard as we can, holding nothing back but giving ourselves to the utmost, and when we can do no more, then is the moment when the hand of divine providence is stretched out to us and takes over.”
Luigi Giovanni Orione, a.k.a. Don Orione (1872-1940) in The Westminster Collection of Christian Quotations, edited by Martin H. Manser (Louisville: WJKP, 2001) 304.
Don Orione founded a congregation in Turin, Italy, known as “The Sons of Divine Providence” more than a century ago and rallied many to join him in caring for widows, orphans, and the disabled. The group persists to this day and has touched countless lives. They tapped into the secret source of generosity: divine providence. Have you?
God sees our work, and He sees our giving. He also sees what we hold back. He does not need our money. He wants our hearts. When we are “holding nothing back but giving ourselves to the utmost” His grace and power rests on us. This becomes evident to all around us. God’s grace and power, rather than our own might, makes things happen.
Hold nothing back. Entrust your life to divine providence like the widow in Mark 12:41-44. She’s the only NT giver that Jesus celebrates as a model for the disciples! Why? She put in everything! Jenni and I plan to end another year by holding nothing back. It’s the giving Jesus celebrates and His grace and power are sufficient. We are not alone in taking this approach.
Just yesterday, after I read this thought by Orione, my friend, John Stanley, alerted me to a post by Fred Smith on this same theme of holding nothing back. It’s called “Dollars and Scents”. Clearly, God wants His people to unleash what is His to accomplish His purposes for His glory. John’s in. Fred’s in. We are in. Care to join us? Hold nothing back.