Do You Know the Abundant Ways of Jesus?

August 10, 2023

By Brooke Holt

"And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were five thousand men, besides women and children." Matthew 14:20-21

Yesterday I asked these two questions: do you have a pessimistic/glass half-empty perspective as the disciples did, or do you embrace optimism/the glass hall full perspective like Jesus? Today, I have another question -- do you have a worldly mindset of scarcity, or do you have a kingdom mindset of abundance?

I appreciate that all these questions seem similar; however, we have such a need for Christians to release the scarcity mindset and to embrace the abundant mindset. How can you do that? Study the life and work of Jesus! This man took five loaves of bread and two fish and fed five thousand men plus women and children. What a miracle! And remember, no corner stores or fast food joints existed back then. Food was much scarcer than today. Understanding this, the disciples wanted to send the people away to get food; they focused on the lack of food and the great needs of the people: “We only have five loaves and two fish” (Matthew 14:17).

Jesus certainly challenged their scarcity way of thinking when he fed 5,000 plus people. If feeding them from five loaves and 2 fish was not enough abundance, Jesus had more. After the meal, the disciples gathered twelve baskets full of leftover fish and bread. Isn’t it amazing that Jesus taught the people, healed the people, and then fed the people – not just adequately – but abundantly? Jesus was enough. He always will be – yesterday, today, and forever.

Jesus has abundance for you today – abundance of peace, wisdom, grace, joy, healing, provision. What do you need? Bring those needs to Jesus and ask him to create an abundant expectation within you. The world says to guard your heart and don’t expect too much. Jesus has a different word for you today – bring your heart before him, entrust yourself to him, and ask him to work his miracles for you and through you.

Just as any spiritual growth takes daily practice, embracing this abundant mindset of Jesus will do the same. Ask him to let you see what he sees; ask him to forgive you for your scarcity mindset; ask him to create an abundant expectation; then ask him how to practice this new mindset.

When you practice believing in the abundant work of the Lord, he can and will work miracles, big and small. Flex those spiritual muscles today!

Reflection:

Start asking and practicing this Kingdom way of thinking today. You may want to begin by asking Jesus what abundance looks like for you. We would love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Recommended Resource:

Let's face it, the Christian life is hard. Relationships take work. Christians forget. Sometimes it is tempting to go back to the days when God was not the center of our lives - to backslide. We are all faced with tremendous pressures to drift away from intimacy with Jesus and the community of the Church. However, the Lord invites us to pay attention, to move forward, to draw near, and to live lives of worship. Draw Near: Hebrews on Christian Worship is a small group Bible study on the Book of Hebrews intended to lead participants into a deeper intimacy with the living God in the context of New Testament worship. Draw nearer to God in authentic worship today!