Category: Abundant Living

The Counter-intuitive Key to Abundance

You carry within you joy, peace and hope, for you carry within you the Holy Spirit of God who is joy, peace and hope.

Meditation Thought: “Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.” (2 Thessalonians 3:13)

Joy! Peace! Hope! These are the gifts you carry and the gifts you will find will give meaning to your life when you distribute them.

Remember, there is such a thing as a “second wind”. If you will force yourself to keep moving even when you are exhausted, you will reach a point when your “second wind” – the movement of the Spirit – will relieve you. Your will to keep moving is your faith and your faith is the mover of the power of the Spirit.

Look not at the road, or at your feet – but at your goal.

Inspire your mind with the vision of the goal before you, renew your strength with trust in the Word, lift up your emotions by receiving the gentle Spirit into your heart and cherishing Him, delighting in His company.

Seek the example of Jesus as to how to most effectively pursue your goal.

You carry within you joy, peace and hope, for you carry within you the Holy Spirit of God who is joy, peace and hope. No one can take this priceless gift from you. Only you can choose to throw it away – by rebellion, by laziness, by ignorance.

You can also generate more of this gift by giving it away to others. This is the key to the kingdom: sharing, caring enough to share all that is pure and good and true; not hoarding the treasure you find, but giving it away in joyful abandon, knowing that the more freely you give, the more abundantly you will receive.

Do you understand that as a pruned tree actually produces more fruit, so your removing all the gifts that are given to you from your own storehouse into the service of others causes an increase in the production of the gifts into your own storehouse?

If you understand this principle, and apply it in every area of your life, then you are not only perceiving the goal – total communion with and commitment to your Father – but you are rightly following the example of Jesus, who promised abundant life to those who would follow Him.

You see, the whole New Testament is but this story in many forms: although to the world it appears the way to a large harvest is to keep all you have, to the Kingdom the knowledge is given that in taking away, the opportunity is then provided for a multiplying of the branches and fruit.

All are given the opportunity to try this method, but only those who have courage to actually allow the trimming are produces of the abundant harvest.

Set your will on trust in the Lord and not trust in yourself only.

I would cultivate an orchard fair,
With blossoms blooming everywhere
Not sparsely scattered from nature wild,
But multiplied by the Spirit’s care:
Welcome, welcome, lonely tree,
The One who Ministers love to thee.

Abundant Farming

The faithful sow with the Word, till with Truth, water with the Spirit and feed with love.

Meditation Thought: “But now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of your faith and love and reported that you always remember us kindly and long to see us, as we long to see you— for this reason, brothers, in all our distress and affliction we have been comforted about you through your faith. For now we live, if you are standing fast in the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 3:6-8)

Trees are planted for the purpose of bearing fruit. It is natural for them to do so – nevertheless, the knowledge that their bearing fruit is not automatic (drought, pests, floods can interfere), makes the successful harvesting of a good crop a cause for rejoicing.

The pattern exists throughout all of nature: the planting, the growing – safely, or in peril – and either a successful harvest or disappointment at the appointed time.

The farmer, however, has options – he can choose to put himself out, giving of time and energy, to promote a better crop.

And so it is with the Kingdom. The faithful sow – and then till, water, feed: yes, sow with the Word, till with Truth, water with the Spirit and feed with love, into the soil which is each person’s spirit.

And so the soil determines the fruit. But the original condition of the soil is changed in character by the tilling, the watering, the feeding. Thus the farmer must never give up in the cultivating if he wishes to have the best possible harvest of fruit.

The harvest of any fruit in rocky soil is cause for joy, as the harvest of a bountiful crop in rich soil is the cause for joy. All farmers are confronted with various conditions of soil and of weather at different times: the joy lies in having enough trust and hope to do the best job possible given the particular circumstances, knowing that without our efforts the crop will be far less or non-existent.

A Compelling Mystery

No longer must we plod along, confused, not knowing where to turn  – discouraged by set-backs, lacking hope of better things to come.

Meditation Thought: “… a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 2:16)

We are not justified by mechanical acts – but by the inspiration of the awareness of our spirit to the revelations of the Spirit, and an appreciation of what these revelations mean to us: totally new life. No longer must we plod along, confused, not knowing where to turn  – discouraged by set-backs, lacking hope of better things to come.

For Jesus came from the Father to teach us the meaning of our existence – and the extent of it: not just our physical self and environment, but the glories and joys of the spiritual self and spiritual environment.

No more that the surgeon’s observation of the physical parts of the brain can discern the thoughts and memories contained therein, can our pursuit of the physical aspect of life reveal the meaning of life – the purpose toward which it leads.

To be touched – however lightly – by the significance of Jesus’ sojourn on earth – is the beginning of the possibility of life in a totally new dimension. If we have the energy and the courage to respond to this touch, we are started on a compelling mystery, a constant challenge, and a revelation of knowledge and feelings and actions previously uncomprehended.

Our hope is in Him, our strength is in Him, our knowledge is in Him, our love is in Him: The Father gave Him to us, and He came, sacrificing willingly all His power, glory, will, that we might be saved from sin and reconciled with the Father. He came to show us the way back to the Father and of the Father: we cannot deny our inheritance: we are born of the Father.

 

Float Trip

Living with Jesus is like floating on water – we let Him support us. We can only succeed in floating by being completely relaxed, letting the water do the supporting – and our arms need to be outstretched – we cannot just hug ourselves.

A Hospitable House

It’s a bit scary to think that we are housing the Creator of the universe! If we ponder that for a while we will certainly need to keep our house clean and pure and hospitable!

Meditation Thought: “But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house…” (Hebrews 3:6a)

If we are “God’s house” then God resides in us! It’s a bit scary to think that we are housing the Creator of the universe! If we ponder that for a while we will certainly need to keep our house clean and pure and hospitable!

How can we make a house that welcomes God and pleases Him? Surely we must seek His Word and His counsel through prayer.

Flying Lessons

Do you know that I created you to love you, to interact with you, to have adventures with you?

“Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, the will walk and not be faint.” (Isaiah 40:30-31)

“I am here. Do you believe Me? Do you realize that you could not exist if I had not created you? Do you know that I created you to love you, to interact with you, to have adventures with you? You do? Then base your thoughts and your actions on these promises. This is the key to the kingdom.”

 

Construction on the Base of Mercy

Do not look back to the old; that is now buried.

Meditation Thought: “For I, the Lord your God, will hold your right hand saying to you, ‘fear not, I will help you.'” (Isaiah 41:13)

“We will take all the trash which has accumulated in your life and I will bury it with my mercy so deeply that it will not surface to ruin the shining new life to be built on top of my base of mercy. Do not look back to the old; that is now buried. Take the new materials of construction which I hand you: they are far more beautiful than the materials you were using before.

You will need to work hard to learn to use new tools and new materials – but what a beautiful, glorious edifice is built when you come to me for tools and materials. It is so lovely, so appealing, that none can resist wanting one as lovely – and when you are asked how to build such an edifice, you can lead them to Me that I can give tools and materials to them also. And so, a community of lovely edifices is built – one enhancing the other, all to My glory and My pleasure – all to the peace and pleasure of the builders.

Dream, work, and enjoy – think of these separate activities as cogs in the whole, content at the movement of the moment yet award that there will be other moments, other pleasures – but all pleasing to Me and to you.”

What was Impossible Becomes Possible

You must see yourself as part of a great Body, able to accomplish miracles which would not happen if you think of yourself as an isolated cell.

A sense of response to meditation on several verses and a devotional:

“My strength shall pour into your limbs, into your heart, as a transfusion. What was difficult before shall become easy, what was impossible shall become possible. The ‘greater works’ shall be done through you and through the other members of my Body as my strength surges through that Body.

You must see yourself as part of a great Body, able to accomplish miracles which would not happen if you think of yourself as an isolated cell. Seek that interconnection with the other parts of the Body and coordinate with the rest to cause the whole to function as it was created to function. The Head wants the Body to function, it does not want it paralyzed! Respond to the impulses from the Head so that the Body will be active – not only active, but vibrantly active.”

Choose the harvest by choosing the Seed

Once we know the Truth – our relationship with our Creator, our dependency on Him, and the glories of being totally His child, then we know what seed to sow to reap the best of harvests: peace, joy, love and communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Meditation Thought: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

As the parables are the echoes of the principles, so are the material laws echoes of the spiritual laws. The elements of everyday living are really a school we are attending – once we recognize that we are attending a school in which to learn, we change our actions accordingly. We have purpose, we seek knowledge, we become alive and aware in a new way.

As our Teacher inspires us as we learn in one area, we begin to see an interrelation of which we were ignorant, we find knowledge of fields which were completely unknown to us before. But every field has one thing in common: the results are based on the action, or in other words, the harvest depends upon the seed sown. Once we know the Truth – our relationship with our Creator, our dependency on Him, and the glories of being totally His child, then we know what seed to sow to reap the best of harvests: peace, joy, love and communion with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

 

Presence = Fullness of Joy

When I am concentrating on being where You are, then no matter what scene You are in, and I am in with you, I am content – fulfilled.

Meditation Thought: “Thou dost show me the path of life;
    in thy presence there is fullness of joy,
    in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore.” (Psalm 16:11)

“In thy presence there is fullness of joy” – in thy presence  – when I am concentrating on being where You are, then no matter what scene You are in, and I am in with you, I am content – fulfilled. For it is not the place, the action, that is important to my life – it is the Presence – the Presences that:
assures me of total confidence,
shields me from harm,
brings me joy,
raises my hope,
delights me,
excites me,
relieves boredom,
surrounds me with love so powerful that all else pales beside it,
being as nothing as I bask in the closeness of My Lord’s Presence and all that Presence brings to me. It satisfies every need, every desire – even those I was unaware that I had until after they have been fulfilled.