Overflowing

God is not on rations, and He doesn’t ration us. He doesn’t eke out a miserly existence, doling out love scraps to His starving children. He’s the boundless God of everywhere, all-the-time power, wisdom and kindness. He wanted so much to show us His lavishness that He sent His only Son to pour that limitless love into our lives. 

And you don’t ever need to fear that God’s life in you will run dry – that there won’t be quite enough of His peace and joy to see you through another year, and then some. The Greek word perissos, translated abundantly in this verse, means over and above, more than is necessary, superadded, superior, extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon. That’s the kind of existence your Heavenly Father has designed for you. Your glass certainly isn’t half empty. It’s not even half full. It’s overflowing. 

Today’s apple: First prize for positive

Positive people are more likely to exercise and eat well, which improves health and longevity. No one can be happy all the time, but everyone can make small trajectory changes for a happier life course. Optimism is part genetic, part learned. So even if you were born into a glass-half-empty family, you can persist in tweaking your negative thoughts until you’re in the habit of seeing the opportunity instead of the ominous.