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Monday, November 4, 2013

God'a Abundance


You already know that I am no great master of the Queen’s English, but I do know what sounds right even if I do not always say it correctly myself. I like speech to be clear, non-redundant, and spoken with as few words and syllables as possible. Here are some of my pet peeves of the spoken word: “Where’s it at? (What’s wrong with “Where is it”?) “That is a goal for Joy and I” (should be “Me”). “At the end of the day…” (Can’t they just say, “Finally”, or “ultimately”? “I’m telling you about me loving God.” (No, it’s “my”) And my all-time anti-favorite: “Am I happy? Yes” “Am I sad? No.” (Please don’t make a statement in the form of a question! “I am happy” will do just fine).
There are theological statements that get to me also. There is a definition of evangelism I actually heard while in seminary: “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to get a crumb of bread.” Folks, when I
initially come to Christ, I certainly do come as a beggar and a sinner. But once I have received his free gift of salvation I am a child of God! His work on the cross (death, burial, and resurrection) has made me a saint. I am told in the word of God, time and time again, that all I have to do is ask according to his will and I have it. I sometimes act like a beggar and maybe that’s why I only get a piece of bread when I could have the whole loaf. Why do we settle for a crumb when we can have a kingdom? God is saying to us, “everything I have is yours” (Luke 15:31) and “ask and you shall receive.”(Matthew 7:7).
I am suggesting that we start taking the Lord at his word. The New Testament is covenant, contract, promise, and a will. Grace is free. When by faith we give Christ all we have, he gives us all he has. One of the reasons we give him what we have is so we can have empty hands
to receive all of our inheritance. The good news is, I can repent. Change is possible even for this old coot. I am praying that the Lord will teach me many things, including how to receive his abundance.