Real Hope: Abundant LifeSample

Living Abundantly

I used to think that God was only interested in spiritual things. I went to church, prayed, and read the Bible so I could be right with Him. I worked so I could have an income to pay rent, stay fed, and buy new bike stuff from time to time. God did His thing, my boss did his thing (he paid me), and everything was just fine.

This broke down very quickly when I started my own business.

For the first time, I found myself totally dependent on God to provide. Especially in the early days, there was no guarantee that I’d earn anything in any given month. My business mentor told me to expect ‘droughts and floods’, and this is still my experience. I do my best to make smart choices and lead my business well, but there are no certainties. There’s always a degree of trust.

Christians in the last century have had a funny relationship with the idea of ‘abundance’. In Australia, we’ve been wooed by the prosperity gospel, and seen how shallow it really is. We’re living in a time where many are under immense financial pressure.

If my experience has taught me anything, it’s that abundance means different things at different times. Sometimes it’s material – we pray ‘give us today our daily bread’. Other times it’s more spiritual – we experience the joy of forgiveness as we find the grace to forgive those who sin against us. In the Lord’s Prayer, we learn that God is the God of both. I pray that today God will bless you with the kind of abundance you need for this moment.

Written by CHRIS GRESHAM-BRITT