Just Enough
Scripture: This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an Omer[a] for each person you have in your tent.’” 17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the Omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed. 19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.” 20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and smelled. So Moses was angry with them. 21 Each morning, everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much — two Omers[b] for each person — and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the LORD commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning (Exodus 16:6–23 NIV)’’.
Brief Prayer: God, our heavenly Father, I thank you for the life and all the lead. I pray this sermon moved the readers and hearers of this word to faith and that your name be glorified afterward continuing your blessings upon us and taking full control of our lives, that the world will know you through your Son Jesus Christ.
When people become Christians, most often, they have a call. And this call comes with interesting situations. And when we learn about God and believe in him, we experience God in our daily lives — sometimes we forget that this calling has a deeper meaning which we cannot understand but only as we grow in the faith. This is important for new, old, and those still listening but yet to decide to take on the Cross.
Under the leadership of Moses, the Children of Israel were in the same situation many years ago as told in Exodus 6. When God called them out of Egypt, they had little information about what was ahead. The Bible made us understand in Exodus 6: 1- 3 that ‘’the entire Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, as the Bible says. The Bible narrates that this was the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. They were already in the desert. As their trials were about to begin, the entire community grumbled against Moses and Aaron instead of praying to the God that brought them out. The Israelites, according to the Bible, said to both men, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt. They forgot their suffering and only remember the remnant of food they received just to keep them active to serve their slavery.
In response to their cry, as we read further in Exodus 6, God sent them manna to eat. However, not without a warning. God told Moses to instruct them specifically to only take ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’. Well, one would have imagined that they were going to just honor the instructions. Instead, some took a little, others more. Some kept it as if they will not go to get anything the next day — these are things Christ will often shout and say ‘’ Oh ye of Little Faith’’ (Matthew 8:26).
Sometimes we face this as Christians to the extent possible that we use our understanding to do things to fit us. However, our thinking and our wisdom are just too minute for God or even just a foolishness to God, says 1 Corinthians 3:19. Some Christians, of course, err because of little faith. For others, sometimes it is because of overconfidence and a wrong understanding of how God works. For each of the sides, we need to learn the truth of God beyond the elementary things of God (Hebrews 6:1) so that we do not allow the evil one to lie to us about the truth of the God we serve.
Let me share an account of a tender young boy of 12 years old living with his uncle. His Uncle was away, and he felt the hunger of his life — not knowing where to get food for the day, he went and take a sleepless nap. Lucky for him, he slept off. When he woke up, he found an equivalent of 10 Cents United States Dollars on the floor — money he cannot guess or ever thing where it came from, nobody entered the room and he has swept this floor in the morning before he took his nap. As he grew up, he considers this as one of his life miracles. While many of us today may not see this much money, at least, it was ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’ to give him food for the day — just for the day. The Israelites were being given food just for a day, but out of little faith, they wanted to gather more.
In our world today, we face this similar challenge, almost in the same measure. In the world of Billion and trillion dollars, with wealth and riches singing and dancing to the music of all sorts, we can imagine how Christians coming to God translate their initial joy to mean having in abundance. But wait a minute, my dear. I understand we all agree that our God made this world and owns everything that is in it, but he is a God of Justice. He has given this world to the devil, and he left you in this world with a promise, not of abundance riches but abundance grace (2 Corinthians 9:8–9). God did not promise us worldly riches, but heavenly riches. He did not promise us bread and butter or an easy ride, but a narrow road (Matthew 7:14).
Does that mean he will not provide for us, No.? He will. He gave us explicit instruction as he did to the Children of Israel in Exodus when they were in the Desert. We are finding our instructions in Matthew 7:7–9. He even promised to be with us till the end of times (Matthew 28:20).
But this is the deal God provides for us ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’ so that we can remain dependent on him as the Children of Israel depended on him in the desert. As part of our training and commitment to his glory, he provides us the narrow way. But there are key benefits to this dependency:
1. For us not to go astray. Abundance for some people brings strive, pain, pride, and wickedness. To help us trim this temptation, he gives us ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’.
2. Abundance for many could take us away from our greatest mission on Earth as expressed in Micah 6:8 ‘’He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you. But to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? This is our abundance. He provides for us just enough so that we can focus on Justice, Love, humility, and his glory.
3. He has given us simple instructions like the Israelites and he expects nothing less but obedience and ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’ is a way to cultivate that obedience.
Ladies and Gentle, God is a loving God. He went further to ask us not to worry about anything (Matthew 6:34). His promise never fails and will never pass. He is faithful to his promise and Christ our Lord and Saviour is right beside him, pleading and reminding him on our behalf. Let us be satisfied with ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’ and work with the faith that works the truth of life. I can remember a time in my life when I was living on ‘’JUST ENOUGH’’. I can tell you, not a day he ever let me down. My biggest worries were if my kids were to fall sick, and I can testify, that was the period they were the happiest, healthiest and strongest. This is true for me and it can be true for all.
May the blessings of the Lord be with you and may you be both hearers and doers of his word — be not like the Israelites, but be faithful and trust his ‘’Just Enough’’.
Thank you.
