There are few things that expose human insufficiency like the work of the ministry.
Whether you are a pastor, children’s Sunday school helper, Christian school teacher, or parent, you know that we can pray, plan, work, and give our best, yet still frequently come face-to-face with the reality that our best is not enough.
A pastor cannot personally meet every need in his church. A parent cannot control every choice a child will make. A teacher cannot force truth into a student’s heart. A soulwinner cannot produce conviction or save a soul. We can faithfully plant and water, but only God can give the increase.
The good news is that God does not call us to accomplish His work through our own strength. He calls us to depend on His.
This is where 2 Corinthians 9:8 comes in: “And 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.”
God’s Grace Supplies Every Need
Second Corinthians 9:8 does not say that God is able to make our natural ability abound. It says that He is able to make grace abound toward us.
Grace is God’s provision for what we cannot supply ourselves. When we lack wisdom, He gives wisdom. When we are weary or opposed, He renews our strength and courage. When resources are limited or the way forward is unclear, He provides and directs.
We often approach a ministry challenge by first calculating what we have: How much time is available? How many workers can help? What experience and resources do we possess?
Good stewardship requires that we honestly assess these things. But faith refuses to stop there. The most important resource in any work for God is the grace God promises to supply.
The most important resource in any work for God is the grace He promises to supply. Share on XGod’s Sufficiency Meets Every Challenge
Paul’s language in this verse is wonderfully comprehensive: “Always having all sufficiency in all things.”
There is no season in which God and His supply of grace ceases to be sufficient. He is sufficient when a ministry is growing and opportunities are opening. He is sufficient when progress seems slow, discouragement sets in, and we do not know where the provision will come from.
There is no season in which God and His supply of grace ceases to be sufficient. Share on XForty years ago this month, I arrived in Lancaster, and the following Sunday I preached my first message as pastor of Lancaster Baptist Church to thirteen people. In the weeks that followed, I learned that the building was in foreclosure and that the church owed thousands of dollars in unpaid bills. Our new sign was vandalized, the building was broken into, and the sound system was stolen.
Yet through every challenge, God faithfully supplied the grace, strength, and provision we needed. Looking back over four decades, the story of Lancaster Baptist Church is not what we were able to accomplish, but what our able God has done. His grace was sufficient then, and His grace remains sufficient today.
God’s Power Enables Every Good Work
God does not merely promise enough grace to help us survive. He supplies grace so that we may “abound to every good work.”
When ministry is difficult, our goal can quietly shrink to endurance. We simply want to make it through the next problem, the next week, or the next demanding season.
There are certainly times when faithful endurance is itself a significant victory. But God’s purpose is greater than helping us barely hold on. He desires to work through us so that we continue moving forward in obedience and fruitfulness.
The word abound speaks of overflow. God gives strength not merely for the burden we are carrying, but for the good work He still has before us.
God gives strength not merely for the burden we are carrying, but for the good work He still has before us. Share on X- When the responsibility is greater than our wisdom, God is able.
- When the burden is greater than our strength, God is able.
- When the opportunity is greater than our resources, God is able.
- When the opposition is greater than our resolve, God is able.
- When the work is greater than we are, God is still able.
Renewed and Equipped for the Work
This truth that “God Is Able” is the theme around which we are preparing to gather at Spiritual Leadership Conference 2026 this September.
The preaching of God’s Word will refocus our attention on the God who is able. In the pressures and routines of ministry, our attention can settle on immediate problems, limited resources, and personal inadequacies. Biblical preaching lifts our eyes to the Lord, strengthens our faith in His promises, and renews our passion to see His power at work.
The practical workshops and discussion panels will help equip us for the work God has given us. Depending on God does not make preparation unnecessary; it gives preparation its proper foundation. Biblical instruction and useful tools will help pastors, staff members, teachers, ministry leaders, and volunteers serve with greater wisdom and effectiveness.
The fellowship will remind us that we are not laboring alone. Shared conversations, united prayer, and time with servants who understand the joys and challenges of ministry can renew our perspective and give us fresh courage for the work awaiting us at home.
The music, testimonies, and seasons of prayer will help turn our hearts from self-reliance to worshipful dependence.
This year’s conference will be especially meaningful as we celebrate the fortieth anniversary of Lancaster Baptist Church and give God glory for four decades of His faithfulness. As we reflect on what God has done, our prayer is that these testimonies will strengthen your faith to trust Him for what He still desires to do in your life and ministry.
I am also looking forward to teaching two daytime general sessions that address essential needs in spiritual leadership. In “Grace and Truth Leadership,” we will consider how Christlike leaders hold biblical conviction and genuine compassion simultaneously. In “The Eternal Word in a Decaying Culture,” we will examine how God’s unchanging Word gives clarity, courage, and stability as we minister in a rapidly shifting culture. My prayer is that these sessions will help leaders stand firmly on truth while serving people with the grace of Christ.
Our desire is not merely that delegates leave with more information, but that they return to their churches with renewed faith, practical help, strengthened relationships, and a fresh desire to abound in the work of the Lord.
Perhaps you are carrying a burden that feels heavier than you can bear or facing a ministry need for which you see no answer. Perhaps the responsibility God has given you is greater than your strength or experience.
You do not need to pretend that you are sufficient. You need to remember that God is.
I hope you will join us in Lancaster, September 27–30, for Spiritual Leadership Conference 2026. Come ready to open God’s Word, strengthen your ministry, fellowship with other servants, and renew your confidence in the sufficiency of God. Visit slconference.com for more information and to register.
Whatever your burden, whatever the need, and however great the work before you—God is able.
Whatever your burden, whatever the need, and however great the work before you—God is able. Share on X
