ABUNDANCE
We
are surrounded with abundance but are mostly blind to it. There is a
significant reason for that, which is not necessarily directly our
own fault, but primarily due to the fact that we are finite beings
and are therefore limited accordingly in our perspective. That is
not to say that God has made us blind to the abundance of our
surroundings, but that we do not relate well to the resources of the
eternal Creator of all things. Therefore, it is necessary for Him to
help us to open
our eyes
to the great abundance of His creation by capturing our attention
through His inspired word.
Abundance,
according to Webster, is "Great plenty; more than sufficient
quantity. Wealth." Such a simple definition fails to
comprehend such a broad subject. Abundance is best defined by that
which it embodies. Take for example the universe and listen to its
declaration of abundance. "The heavens declare the glory of
God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters
speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech
nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out
through all the earth and their words to the end of the world."
(Psm. 19:1-4) By their very existence they declare what abundance
is by
pointing to their Creator. Our concept of such a One, whose power
and abundance could conceive and create with such magnitude, is
limited by our finite nature. Therefore, He directs our attention to
the abundance of His handiwork in order that we expand the limits of
our thinking to comprehend His greatness. "'To whom then will
you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?' says the Holy One. Lift
up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, Who
brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the
greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is
missing." (Isa. 40:25-26)
When
Abraham could not comprehend God's unlimited ability to give him and
Sarah the child He had promised, God "...brought him outside and
said, 'Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to
number them.' And He said to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'"
(Gen. 15:5) It was not until Abraham was pointed to the abundance of
God's creation that he could comprehend such ability and therefore
believe
in the Lord. The result was God's accounting of such faith as
righteousness. The accounting of such blessings ultimately rested
upon the observation of abundance in order to comprehend the
greatness of its Creator.
Later,
we see Abraham's mature faith demonstrated in his willingness to
carry out the sacrifice of that same child of promise. (Gen. 22)
When he was stopped short of executing his son, God stated His
pleasure in Abraham's faith and reiterated His promise; "...in
blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your
descendants
as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore;
and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In
your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you
have obeyed My voice." (Gen. 22:17-18) We are all blessed as a
result of Abraham's faith and his willingness to see God's abundance
in order to drive
that faith to its obedient fruition.
We
might question our own faith when we compare it to that of Abraham's
and consider the magnitude of such a sacrifice. How can we
demonstrate that kind of faith in our own lives? The answer to that
question is: Our faith must be established in the same way that
Abraham's was. It must be established on the foundation of God's
unlimited greatness to accomplish His will. The way that we must do
that is to look at the abundance around us and draw on that
realization. God's word forever points our attention to the
abundance of His power, His mercy and His grace. Read it. Meditate
upon it. If we fail to look at God's abundance, we limit the outcome
of our small faith. How many great works have gone unaccomplished
because we failed to consider the abundance of God's ability to work
in us?
Remember,
He "...is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think, according
to the power that works in us"
(Eph. 3:20) That being the case, it is incumbent upon us to be
reminded of the abundance of His ability and be motivated by His
power to accomplish that which we otherwise would consider
impossible. Thankfully, we are not called upon to make the kind
of sacrifice that Abraham was called upon to make. However, we have
been given a great work to accomplish which demands great faith.
That work is the spreading of the gospel to a world lost in sin. As
we view ourselves as only a handful of people in the midst of
millions of lost souls, that work seems overwhelming and an
impossible task. If our focus is on our limited numbers, or on a
lack of financial resources, or on the limitations of the facility
where we meet, or on any number of other obstacles that we can find,
then the accomplishment of our mission will be limited accordingly.
What we must constantly be mindful of is that God is not
limited. Listen to Paul's admonition; "And God is able
to make all
grace abound
toward you, that you, always
having all sufficiency in all things, have
an abundance
for every
good work." (2 Cor. 9:8) The grace
that he speaks of is the supply of that which we lack. It is that
part which we must depend on Him
to
supply. It is not our responsibility to try to figure out how
He is going to supply it. If we busy ourselves in that futile task,
then we are not focusing on His abundance, but rather, we are
focusing on the limitations of our own thinking.
When
the Israelites stood on the threshold of the promised land, and heard
news of a land flowing with milk and honey, their attention was drawn
away from the abundance of that which God was ready to give to them,
and their faith was shaken as their attention was drawn only to the
giant people and the fortified, walled cities that they viewed as
insurmountable obstacles.
(Num.
13) Let us not repeat their fatal mistake. If God has given us a
work to do, be assured that He can do it through us if we will
believe. As God said to Jeremiah, "Behold, I am the Lord, the
God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer.
32:27)
-
Gary V. Womack - January 2004