Abundant Provision
Many moons ago, HC Maples gave me a blackberry cane. Since I don’t trust my gardening abilities, I planted it next to my back door so I would remember to water it. Within a few years, the brambles took over the sidewalk, covering the path to our back yard.
The next year, we moved a few slips to a narrow fence row near our garage. Once again, the blackberries flourished. They grew, multiplied, and provided more fruit than we could imagine. Last year, we had berries in the freezer that lasted us all year.
This year, I took gallon bags full of berries to my sister’s house where she taught me to make blackberry jelly. And if you want a jar, we have plenty to share.
From HC Maples’ abundance, he shared a slip of blackberry and blessed our family for YEARS to come.
Scripture is full of passages that point to God’s abundance. How he gives to his creation and blesses them for YEARS to come. A few of the stories I think of include God providing manna in the wilderness, God’s promise to take the Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey, and Jesus feeding the multitude. I am sure you can think of many other stories similar to these.
We are pointed to his promises to give abundantly more than we could ask or imagine. (Ephesians 3:20-21)
So what exactly does He give?
He gives the fruit of His spirit as we welcome it to grows within us: love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
God abundantly gives salvation, second chances, mercy, acceptance and direction. (John 3:16, Luke 15:11-32, Romans 9:18, Psalm 32:8)
Too often, I find myself living in a space of scarcity. My thoughts run to phrases like: there isn’t enough, I didn’t get my share, I want more, it isn’t fair.
Yet this limited perspective of the world, this limited perspective of Christ is not at all in line with Christ. All good and perfect gifts come from God within whom there is no partiality. (James 1:17) And these good and perfect gifts are best understood with a perspective of God as sovereign and supreme. These gifts are most likely experienced through a trust that God truly is about His work, and as I focus upon the work He has given to his children as reconcilers of humanity to Christ, I can trust Him more and more.
When I live in scarcity, I am trying to impose my will on the environment and people around me.
When I live in abundance, I am abiding in the world of God’s limitless resources and possibilities where He brings all things together good. (Romans 8:28)
We can trust Him. He is good, He is faithful, and He will provide.