An Abundant Life…
September 17, 2024I had missed service the last two Sundays but this has not stopped me from continuing to learn and understand more about the Word. I was in the mountains the Sunday before last and had no church I could visit near my location. Last Sunday the church I planned to attend was not open due to the illness of the man who was to speak.
I have been reading through scriptures trying to find something that touches my heart and it got me to thinking about an abundant life. Do I have an abundant life, am I filled and content with what I have? This got me to thinking and I wanted to know what the Word said about this.
Let’s look at a few verses and see if I can answer this question.
Isaiah 58:11 And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
I read in this verse some easy to understand facts on what the Lord will do. First it says “the Lord will guide you continually” This is very reassuring and makes me more comfortable in life knowing that I am guided by the Lord. This verse goes on to say that the Lord will “Satisfy your desires in scorched places” This to me reads that when times are tough and it is hard to survive that the Lord will satisfy my needs and I will have what is needed. He goes on to say “and make your bones strong” I read this part of the verse to mean the Lord will strengthen us and when we are in need the will give us strength. “And you shall be like a watered garden,” This again confirms that we will be fulfilled like a garden is when it is cared for. We will move like a “like a spring of water, whose waters never fail” We will continue without fail, the Lord will provide us to continue without fail.
This was powerful when I read it and it made me want to see what more I could find.
Revelations 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
I don’t think I need to break this verse down to much, it reads well and is easy to understand the point. God is knocking on doors, calling to us, and those who answer and welcome Him will eat together with him. This to me says that and tells us that when we accept the Lord and welcome Him in we will not go hungry.
Psalm 37:9 For the evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land.
I like how this verse reads, it gives me confidence. This tells the two things. “For the evildoers shall be cut off” If we do evil and are not following the Lord we will be cut-off, we will not have what we need. This goes onto the second part “but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land” I see this saying if we follow the Lord and wait for Him we will have what we need, we will inherit what He has to offer.
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
I want to break down what John is saying here since I think this has a lot of impact on what I am searching for.
“I am the vine; you are the branches.” We are part of the Lord, we grow from Him. “Whoever abides in me and I in him” If we live for the Lord he will be with us. “he it is that bears much fruit” So, if we live for and with the Lord we will have much of what we need. “for apart from me you can do nothing” Without the Lord we will have nothing. This verse tells me that if we live for God he will grow with us so that we have what we need, but without Him we can not grow and will be fruitless.
I am certain I can go on and find more verses telling us more about how to have an abundant life. What I have discovered here today that if I want to have an abundant life I only have one simple thing to do, believe in the Lord and He will provide.
Let’s take a step back this wee and look at this message. Are we living for the Lord? Do we feel like we have what we need? We have the solution and we can sole our problems.
Closing Prayer
Lord I ask that you come to us this week and guide us towards an abundant life, Your word tells us if we believe in you only then will you provide. I ask you Lord to show us the path you want us on, show us how to welcome you in. I ask Lord that you continue to grow in our hearts as we go out into the world. Lord put someone in our path that needs you. IN Jesus name, AMEN.
