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Presented by Lauren Stibgen
Abundance means having a very large quantity or supply of something, more than enough, or overflowing fullness. Let’s make this tangible. How many times have you turned this definition into something you wanted more of? Or maybe you perceived if you had more of a thing your life would be better?
Have you ever caught yourself thinking if I only had X amount more money, I could do Y with it? Or I wish I had a new car! A bigger house. Or maybe you really want to go on that great vacation or buy a new handbag. Social media has really fueled this culture of comparison making things seem like needs as opposed to wants.
We live in a world that largely spends more than it makes. According to debt.org, 90% of American households hold debt that totals the staggering amount of $18.2 trillion dollars. And, statistically, the more education someone has directly correlates with the amount of debt they hold. The average debt for someone with a high school diploma is $50,401 verses someone with an undergraduate degree at $115,456. Most of the debt is a mortgage, followed by auto loans, school debt, and credit cards.
Roughly 44-57% of working Americans earning greater than $60,000 annually hold credit card debt. With delinquencies in all categories rising, 39% of women say their debt is unmanageable.
But how did we get here? While economic implications are surely a factor in our borrow-now-pay-later society, we need to look at the heart implications of our increasing need for more.
Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 5:10).
We possess what we think we need and then simply want more. Are you jealous of something someone else has? Are you coveting a relationship? Maybe you feel like having something will earn you status or entry into another social group.
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s (Exodus 20:17).
Coveting is to desire something belonging to someone else—something you are craving that is not yours. This can be a possession or even a relationship. When did this start for you?
Far before I knew Jesus, I certainly knew what Air Jordan shoes were. Growing up in an affluent area, I was the kid who took the city bus and had clothes from a big box store. We certainly could not afford those shoes. Feelings of shame and embarrassment were common as I could not keep up with other kids because of how I was dressed. What did my parents do for Christmas? They borrowed. They bought me a few pieces they shouldn’t have.
I not only coveted what the other kids had but wanted the relationships too. My relationship with borrowing started before I could do it myself and then came college and credit cards. Borrowing to get ahead. Some of the borrowing like school loans propelled me forward, but some of the credit for things I coveted put me in debt.
Have you ever heard someone say everyone has a God-sized hole in their heart? That is because all the money, possessions, and friendships we want more of can never give us more abundance than the love of our Lord through his son Jesus Christ. Those clothes may have made me more popular and gained me a few friends, but they never filled this hole.
The only thing that can give us true abundance is Jesus. As we talk about this holy abundance, let’s consider the pitfalls of seeking worldly abundance. I want to stress I am not suggesting a life of poverty, but when is enough, enough?
Having an abundance of worldly things makes it difficult to experience the filling of that God-sized hole in your heart through Jesus. God’s Word is clear.
The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts (1 Samuel 2:7).
If you think wealth equals abundance, remember, wealth comes from God, and it’s so much more than money. The Bible is clear about wealth, and the sooner we orient ourselves to this view on abundance, the closer we can get to true abundant living with Jesus!
We already talked about coveting, but what about greed? Jesus warns,
Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions (Luke 12:15).
Greed is an intense, selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food. Jesus warns of this and tells us our life is not tied to these possessions. Greed for power we believe can lead to wealth can certainly show up at work. Are you seeking that next promotion? This alone is not a bad thing! But checking your heart and intentions about the “why” is critical. Are there feelings of coveting or an intensity to feel worldly gain? Remember that God-sized hole? This underlying feeling will not fill it.
God’s word teaches us to hold loosely to our abundance, which is quite the opposite of greed.
If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them (Deuteronomy 15:7).
Being tightfisted is another reference to greed. Are you holding on too tightly to anything? Clearly, God wants us to give to those in need.
Not only does God want us to give to the poor, he wants us to return to him in praise.
Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the first produce of your entire harvest (Proverbs 3:9).
What about all the borrowing I mentioned as we started our time together today? What does God have to say about this? Clearly, wealth and possessions come from the Lord, and he wants us to honor him and give to others.
The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none (Deuteronomy 28:12).
Lend, but don’t borrow. Considering 90% of all Americans have debt, we can assume Christ-followers are included in this statistic! Aside from traditional lending, loans, and credit cards, what about when you lend money to family? God does not want us to charge interest.
If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest (Exodus 22:25).
God’s Word has a lot to say about money! It isn’t all doom and gloom if we keep a right mind about it. What is a right mind about money you ask? Considering what we just talked about a simple summary is:
- Acknowledge that everything comes from the Lord. All wealth. All possessions.
- Hold these things loosely. Don’t be greedy or covet what others have.
- Honor the Lord with our first fruits.
- Lend but don’t borrow.
- Give to the poor.
These verses from 1 Timothy sum it up well,
Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
Our abundance is from the Lord—everything we have! What happens when we don’t keep a right mind about money?
Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf (Proverbs 11:28).
Better a little with righteousness than great income with injustice (Proverbs 16:8).
Trusting in our worldly wealth and not handling it with care has consequences! Trust in wealth and you will fall!
No one can serve two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money (Matthew 6:24).
Simply, the more you are focused on money, the more your mind will be far from God. Does this unhealthy view on money and wealth as abundance keep you far from a relationship with Jesus Christ? What worldly possessions are you thinking about right now? Think about things that God cares about that cost you little to nothing? Remember the greatest commandment is to love God and to love our neighbors as ourselves. How can you do this today?
Perhaps you can shift your mindset from striving for wealth to striving for time with loved ones and friends! Perhaps you can take time to serve with a local charity. Stop to pray for a friend. Take a walk in nature and meditate on God’s word. Sing a song of praise and thanksgiving to our Lord. Write a note or letter to someone who could use some encouragement.
Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don’t break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).
Are you treasuring the things God cares about and views as abundant, or are you fixated on what the world says abundance is? Do you worry more about how someone feels when they are with you or what they think of what you are wearing or what your house looks like? God cares that you are living abundantly from the inside out!
If you are ready today and find yourself a little too focused on worldly abundance or maybe you are among the 90% of people in America who hold debt, have hope and run to Jesus! Remember why we need him. All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God. God knows we are not perfect like Jesus, and he lavished us with his mercy that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. I don’t know about you, but this feels beyond abundant!
Breaking free from habits of seeking worldly abundance starts with repenting if you aren’t walking in a right-minded way about money as we read about in 1 Timothy 6.
Do you covet? Are you greedy? Do you withhold from giving to those in need? Perhaps you are in debt. Bring all of this to the feet of Jesus in prayer and talk to someone who can hold you accountable to changing your ways. There are many programs that can help you find a right relationship with money, keeping you in order of serving God first! Turn your eyes from social media and from looking at what everyone else has!
Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you (Hebrews 13:5).
God will never leave you or abandon you! He is the only one who can fill the space in your heart like nothing in this world can.
