While abundant living is given to us from the Lord, it applies to all facets of our life and is not to be considered negotiable or subject to compromise. Since life is lived in unity or, that is to say, that one part of our life affects the other, everything that happens to us is consequential. To suggest that we are in charge of all that we choose or desire, and not give God the complete authority to do with us as He pleases, is not to be considered justifiable; we have not truly considered the importance of God’s influence in our lives. It is impossible to segment our lives so that one part does not affect the other. That is why we should always live a holy and exemplary life, all of the time. It is foolish to think we can live for God on Sundays and live any way we choose the rest of the week. Thinking that God only deserves our lip service or that we can fool Him into believing our lives belong to Him is futile madness and is in no way showing Him loyalty and reverence. Why should we want God to always be God when we are not willing to live holy and dedicated lives all of the time? Our lives have become confused and disoriented, and we wonder why it has happened. When we are inconsistent, how can we expect life to be any other way? The only time we can be blessed by God is when He is in control, and if He is not allowed leadership 100 percent of the time, He is not about to reward us for being unreliable. True abundance comes when we are in complete harmony and to consider going any way other than the way God has required will only bring about discord and confusion. You do not gain total perfection by simply wanting to be perfect, and you cannot become totally committed without going through times of discipline and discipleship. God’s love will not bring us joy when we are being disobedient, and His chastisement will bring about those corrections that He sees as necessary.
We are to be dependable, and it is not inappropriate for us to expect others to act the same way. The constant shift in those things that should be rooted or grounded in principal is one of the things that make life so difficult. When we choose not to trust in things that should be considered trustworthy, we are made to doubt. Government’s today talk about the disadvantaged, those in need. They are seemingly willing to move mountains to gain the deliverance of the needy, but they never ask God for His help or assistance, and they never thank Him for the daily blessings that He provides. How are we made safe or confident when our government is not consistent in its character or practice? We have today what is known as the separation of church and state. Given the overzealous appetite for power by an overstepping bureaucracy, the framers of our Constitution were wise to do so. The Constitution was written seeking the wisdom of God; and, being intellectual and prudent, its framers knew that this land they were seeking to guide and defend, could not survive without His leadership and assistance. Where is that God today? Have we outgrown the need for His leadership? Why have our leaders forgotten the virtues we were founded upon? How do they expect to lead when they have no concept of what true leadership is really all about? How do they expect to handle the deep, dark problems that are only solved by God’s spiritual intervention? Lately I have been made aware of this interesting but controversial occurrence. Many of the leaders of this great country have often gone on record as denying a higher power and the need for His assistance while, on the other hand, they have often been heard saying, when promoting their questionable agenda, “We must do this to give them their God-given right,” or, “Everyone deserves an opportunity to exhibit their God-given ability.” They use the name of God when they wish to defend their agenda or when He becomes beneficial; but, when it comes to their asking His guidance on a daily basis, they forget He is still alive. As stated in our Constitution, we are to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Confusion, doubt, deception, what are we to believe when we are not given by our leaders the knowledge of a consistent, guaranteed policy of government? I must just assume that we have outgrown such a loyal and dedicated form of command; if not, we are being deluded by an overzealous tyrant.
Governments today are not the only entities that have strayed away from a dependence upon God. Many churches no longer adhere to biblical doctrines but have made social ideology the
backbone of their existence. It is an exemplary policy to care for or to meet the needs of those that make up the church body, but isn’t God to be included in that assembly? Isn’t God to be preeminent? Could it be that many of the problems we must address are caused by our lack of faith and dependence upon God? Could many of the difficulties that arise be attributed to our refusal to worship and honor Him? Isn’t God the one whom we depend upon for our daily needs as well as our eternal security? If not God, then who? Do you not think it wise and prudent that the membership of an organization that teaches moral or Christian principals should require a personal relationship with the one who originated those principals? How do you build a solid and lasting foundation in life without basing your beliefs and teachings on God’s Word, the Holy Bible? How can a social gospel dispel the problems and difficulties of an evil world? How do you justify not doing what God has commanded, to witness and save the lost? This world has drifted far away from the laws and commands of its Creator and choose no more to be found holy and faithful. Substituting the things of the world for the things of God will never be proven as intellectual or prudent. Isn’t the main commission of the church to lift up the name of the Holy begotten Son of God? Today, why isn’t this being done Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:19-20
How does a Christian body or organization consider it practical to mix with the evil practices of a divisive world? Isn’t it advisable to seek the wisdom of an almighty God and then actively follow His teachings? It is time we get back to a fundamental belief that God is the creator of all, and being the creator, He is in full ownership. We, as Americans, have forgotten God: we have fallen away from His principals and no more seek His guidance. This country was built upon His leadership and thrived because of His blessings. God must be the cornerstone of our existence, and if that Stone was to be removed, the wall would crumble.
Governments pretend to govern from a point of fairness but seek to gain enormous power and wealth by deceit. The absolute power of any manmade group or association that has been organized to govern will never result in any form of independence or freedom. The basic instinct of man is not to share but to hoard; to lust, not to love; to revel and not to show reverence; to war and forget peace. The only truly good in man is found when he is dependent upon his creator, upon God, who is all wisdom, knowledge, mercy, and love. You might wonder what all this has to do with abundant living, and I will explain it in this way. The only true thing that we in life can honestly depend upon is God, and without Him, we are left totally defenseless and unfulfilled. Abundant life is living with a complete dependency upon God, and to place your dependence anywhere else is foolishness and will lead to total failure and disappointment.
To disobey God is sin, and we are being disobedient when we do not place all our cares upon Him as well as our worship. To be in a place of service as well as blessings will take a continual effort and determination. The Christian life isn’t automatic; it doesn’t just happen because it is good and proper. Just going with the flow usually will take you downward, not upward. Wanting the companionship and benefits of a gracious God takes courage and determination, faith and persistence. As God will not be a debtor to any man, He will also not force you to accept anything that you do not determinedly strive to obtain. The Christian life
is not a promise to be without trial or difficulty, only a promise of hope and assurance. It is not about material possessions or wealth but about being a true heir with Christ. It is not about being popular and accepted but about having that one true friend that sticketh closer than a brother, Jesus Christ (Proverbs 18:24). Inconsistencies in life are a means of confusion and are in no way what God has intended. We expect God to always be there for us, at a moment’s call, when we want to be acknowledged or heard. Jesus, the Son of God, has, as the Bible states, been forever constant; He has not changed. He expects us as His blood bought children to remain just as consistent. As the Bible talks about His blessings or His good gifts, it also speaks of His consistency ( James 1:17 ). His consistency eliminates opinion and establishes only fact. The definition or explanation of who Jesus is is the same as it was from the very beginning. What we know about Him during the creation of man is what we will know about Him when we get to heaven; there can be no inconsistency or change. Assuredly, in heaven, our knowledge of all things will be enormously increased; but the truth about God and His Son, Jesus, will not have changed, only increased. In the Bible, Jesus is referred to as a rock, the Rock, solid and unchangeable. “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:4). If we are to be like our master, who is Jesus, then we should also be as solid as a rock. Jesus set up everything in His life as our example, something that He expects us to imitate. His actions were intended to speak as loud as His words. As a favorite song so aptly put it, “Place your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.” We are not to follow after the things of this earth, and to be forever drawn back into our past can offer no good end. Truly, the job that God has given us to do takes our full effort and devotion. God has promised to forgive our sins, but what good is accomplished when we must continually seek His forgiveness instead of praising Him for our victories? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great. Luke 6:47-49
God has not promised to bless instability. “For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:6-8). The segmentation of our lives shows our lack of faith and endurance. “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). A life that is lived with one motive and purpose, that of pleasing God, is a life that is full of God’s undeniable peace and joy. Determination to please the one whom you serve not only gives you a reason for your devotion, but it will also grant you true satisfaction and fulfillment. Love returned unto the Lover of all can cause nothing less than the desired knowledge of acceptance and completeness. God is love, but until you willingly return that love, you have gained no true possession. Staying within that love should be the ultimate desire of the believer, and a hunger to serve Him should be the indisputable standard. When we abide within His love, we are made complete, holy, and acceptable unto the one who has died to give us certain victory. Love without a purpose is a love undefined, and being undefined, it can serve no good end.
Life is not lived in sections; we live it in one complete duration. As we look at our lives, there is only one picture; there is only one record. Abundant living is living a life that is totally dependent upon God, allowing Him to direct and guide us in everything that we do. Abundance in life has to do with the completeness of God in that life, living totally in His will and under His complete control, filled and directed by His Holy Spirit that has taken control of our every desire, thought, and action. When we are not submissive unto His will, we are not living life to its fullest. When we depend upon ourselves, we become worried and fearful. No matter how self-confident we are, we are not sufficient enough to cover every occurrence. We can only deal with those things that we know about ourselves, and some situations are not in our control. God knows all things, those things that deal with our lives as well as those things that deal with every other individual or circumstance. To be able to control our own lives, we must also be able to control the lives of others. Life is the product of actions and interactions. We do not live unto ourselves but directly and indirectly affect one another. As has been previously stated, no man is an island, and for that to be even remotely possible, that man must have lived alone on that island. The fact that he would have had a mother and father to exist tends to agree with the fact that he has had influence upon others; therefore, his life would not have been totally left without influence. God has intended for us to inspire and motivate the lives and actions of others. His intention is, as we show His love unto others, we will become a part of that love. If He had not, would He have told us to go? The term witness implies that we are to testify and bear witness of Him. Have we forgotten to do what He has told us to do? If we are willing to open our eyes, we can see the negative influence this world has upon our civilization. Corruption abounds, and the evil influence of sin is destroying every fiber of our society. When are we going to do what is needed; what has been commanded? It is past time that we take a serious look at ourselves and determine to live lives that are totally dedicated to a good cause, that cause of serving Jesus.