Why do we Limit God?

II Corinthians 9: 8 "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

I was talking to my sister, Christa, today, and she was telling me of a Bible study she had just finished on trusting God and knowing His attributes. Pairing this with Pastor Mike's series on Ambitious Faith, I have had this on my mind today--why do we limit God? We know intellectually what He is able to do, but we don't always apply it into our everyday, minute-by-minute lives.

This reminds me of last Saturday's car appointment. Though a silly example, here it goes. I was already in a not-so-fine-mood due to Ryan having to go into work on a Saturday. (Not a good attitude, as you can read in my "Saying thank you for those 'bad' days" post). I trudged off to get an ordered part installed into my car. Of course, though the technician said it would just take about 15 minutes, I had detailed visions of me spending hours in the dealer waiting room while Carter ripped pages out of germ ridden magazines. God graciously saved me from my own negativity, and I didn't even have to leave my car upon getting to the dealer. My part was installed in 5 minutes as I waited at my car. In addition, the service and part were free--under warranty, which I didn't expect either.

In a better example, my sister-in-law, Sarah Cox, sent me an e-mail about a divine appointment she had with a neighbor. TWICE, God miraculously had Sarah leave her normal routine, just by a prompting of the Holy Spirit, to find this woman she barely knew at the exact second she could help her. One meeting involved her getting the neighbors checks "mistakenly" delivered to her house. When Sarah went a couple of days later to return the checks, the neighbor needed to tearfully confide in this Christian stranger. The story is amazing, but much too detailed to explain here.

Why do we awake each morning with expectations for only the mediocre and a "normal" day? God is able to do abundantly more, and He wants us to expect His miraculous hand in our daily events. Why did I run into so and so today at Costco? (Expect God has given you a divine appointment and find out if they need to talk!) Why did I sign up to do outreach for the church today? I'm feeling so tired. (God can have you do more than hand out papers. You can lead someone to Christ TODAY! Your tiredness will demonstrate the fact that any fruit is of God and not of ourselves).

As your day goes along, don't limit God and try to fit him into the schedule and normalcy of your day. Don't just acknowledge Him in quiet time, prayer and church. Let Him take control and let Him show you His will in all the "mundane" and unexpected turns of your day. He can use you abundantly more when you expect Him to be your Master and Lord in everything!