Sign up for Abundance is defined in The American College Dictionary as
- An overflowing quantity or supply (e.g. of grain),
- Overflowing fullness (e.g. of the heart), and
- Affluence, wealth.
Synonyms are copiousness, profusion
Abundance clearly states that one has an oversupply above the need. The need can be satisfactorily provided for if the supply was just “full”. Therefore, when the supply is in abundance the need is guaranteed to always able to be provided for satisfactorily, and there can be no doubt of this, because extra is always there to provide for any unexpected contingency.
Such is the clear statement concerning our God. It is stated in one context as a guarantee to meet the requirements of every need. Phil 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” In another context it is stated in terms of abundance above the need, and even the desire... Eph 3:20, 21 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (21) to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Yes, our God supplies our daily food, our daily fullness of heart, our affluence, our wealth in spiritual things, and abundantly so. This should raise our faith, our zeal, our living in Christ to a level beyond the reach of doubt. But it is sadly not so with too many Christians.
We’ve all heard some Christians say that they don’t know if they are worthy of the promises that God makes to them, or if they will ever be qualified to be in the bride with Christ. The scriptures assure us of two very relevant perspectives on this point. Which perspective we hold will determine whether we grow into the perfection that God has designed for us, or whether we just wilt on the vine, and are discarded, continuing to disappoint even ourselves.
From one perspective the scriptures assure us that of ourselves we can do nothing, and we can in no way please God.
John 15:5, 6 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (6) "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.”
Jesus even spoke the same concerning Himself in His relationship with God.
John 5:30 "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.
And since Jesus also said in John 6:44 "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;” we see that we are in Christ only because it is God’s will, and both we and Jesus can do nothing outside of God’s will. So clearly of ourselves we are nothing, and can do nothing. Outside of Christ we would be cast off and burned.
But if we continue to live in that view after we are in Christ, is that not self-defeating, and receiving the spirit in vain? Being in Christ, we are supposed to have His view of life, not our old one. This brings up the second perspective in Jesus’ words.
John 6:39 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.”
Jesus was absolutely sure he would fully accomplish the Father’s work as long as He stayed in the Father’s will! And it needs to be the same for us. As Paul said in Phil 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” And Jesus said in Mat 19:26 “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." We understand as in 1 Cor 3:7 “So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.”
The success then of our salvation is dependent on how well we know God, and how well we trust God and obey God in all that He has promised He will bring to perfect completion in our lives. And what do we read of this?
1 Pet 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”
2 Cor 9:8 “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Titus 3:6, 7 “which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, (7) that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Heb 6:17, 18 “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, (18) that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.”
You can see by what is underlined in the above verses that not only is God the only source of power and strength for what is to be accomplished in us, but all that He provides for us has been provided in abundance! There is no possibility that we are short of anything we need to accomplish the fullness of God’s will in our lives. There is none who can say that he or she is not abundantly provided for in mercy, grace, knowledge, power, strength, and faith and wisdom to accomplish all that God desires in their lives. And none who can say also that they are not abundantly provided for to overcome all the temptations of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life (1 Jo 2;16), and to overcome against flesh and blood, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places; even against Satan himself (Eph 6:12).
There are two great guarantee scriptures that address these issues. In Romans 8:35-39 we learn that absolutely nothing (except our own will) is able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. In 2 Pet 1:5-11 we learn that if we progress in the fruit that God desires each of us to have, then an “abundant” entrance will be ministered to us into the Kingdom of Heaven.
How then can anyone who calls themselves “Christian” live and wade in the doubt and despair of their own human frailties? Such are not truly Godly nor Christian for they have no true faith and trust in God and in His promises, and they also have no faith in Christ to raise them above their fallen status.
For those who are truly Christian, the truth of the human status is well know, but it is not held on to, it is not revisited, it is not continuously lived, but it is rather put behind as all prior things, even things of profit, that the Christian might gain Christ. Phil 3:8 “Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ”
Let us not live in our ever inadequate humanity, but rather to our ever abundant God. Living to God, through His Son, for His glory, our lives will ever be abundant in Him, as He is to us.
© CDMI
