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, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20, 21 NKJV)
I did a search on the word "abundant" in the Bible and came up with 46 verses that included the word. There are many more verses that talk about God's abundance in different words... "more" "exceeding" "multiply" ... and others. It is clear that God has told us we have more than enough of everything we need in this world.
God is generous, but generally speaking, people are not. We are always afraid there won't be enough for ourselves... for today, for tomorrow and for our future. We stockpile our riches. We bottle up the manna. We need to know there is enough for "me."
This isn't just about individual though. We have the same problem with our governments and even our churches. Grain sits rotting in silos while people starve. Churches build bigger sanctuaries, and fancy family life centers while families nearby are having their power turned off or are being evicted from their homes.
I am so proud of Holy Cross and Project Matthew. I suppose if we collected the money represented by all that food all year long, we could have a pretty nice family life center in a few years. Instead, we prove God's abundance. There is always enough to go around if we unclench our fists. Do all of the people receiving the boxes "deserve" free food? Probably not. There are probably a few that choose to take charity rather than work. There might even be those who can afford their own food but are "cheating the system" to get something for nothing. Maybe some families have found a way to apply twice and will have a box for Thanksgiving AND one for Christmas.
But God did not give abundance to go around to only those who "deserve" it. If he had, then we would all be beggars, wouldn't we? There IS enough for everyone. God says so! And if we open up our hands and our hearts in genorosity, he will prove it over and over and over again.
A B.C. comic fom many years ago showed 2 cave men talking. The first one said, "I was going to ask God why he let so many people in this word go hungy, endure poverty, and suffer injustices." The other asked, "Why didn't you?" The first replied, "I was afraid he would ask me the same thing."
We must stop living the false gospel of scarcity and start living the truth of abundance.
God of Abundance,
Increase our faith in your word. The word that tells us there is enough for all. Help us to stop fearing that there won't be enough for "me" if we give it away. Amen.
Joys: a little quiet time; a small break in my workday to discuss the Bible with a friend (it reminds me what my work is ultimately about); sweet, juicy oranges
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