cannot of our own accord please God or have the abundant life we so desire without depending on Christ. In its fullest sense, the mystery of God is His plan of salvation through Jesus: His death and resurrection. And the “more” that our hearts long for is actually eternity with the One we were made to worship. We never would have been able to comprehend the way to eternal life without the coming of Jesus.
Paul says, “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:2–3, NIV84). In your quest to discover more, start with Jesus. Leave room for the wonder, mystery, and reverence that come along with a life in Christ. Stand in awe of a God whom we cannot understand fully, stand in wonder at the mysteries that are around every corner of His perfect will, and in your pursuit of the Ephesians 3 life, never search for more for yourself without first discovering more of Him.
I was far from a perfect kid. Growing up in the 1960s in Wellington, New Zealand, I struggled with a disproportionate need for acceptance and an overarching fear of rejection by my peers. On top of this, I faced the constant temptation that is part and parcel of adolescence and the teenage years: temptation to compromise, fit in, and seek approval.
Yet at the same time, I grew up with a strong desire to serve and honor God with my life and a belief that if I could keep myself pure in three specific areas, I would experience His abundant blessings. I believe that it was the Holy Spirit who gave me strong convictions relating to my habits, morality, and priorities. Even though youthful temptation took me to the very edges, I managed to get through my childhood and youth with those three areas of obedience intact.
Now, I know that God’s grace and favor are not based on human effort and that there is nothing you can do that will make Him love you more and nothing you can do that will make Him love you less. You can’t force God’s hand of blessing by striving and works; it’s not “Do good, get good.” In fact, the Bible tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But I’m also certain that He honors obedience and that it can be seen and outworked through simple faithfulness. In other words, obedience and faithfulness are inseparable partners, flowing beautifully together.
Just as we can be confident that love is a doorway to marriage, discipline is necessary for weight loss, and sowing will always usher in reaping, so it is my belief that you will not experience the abundant life God promises without good old-fashioned obedience—obedience to His Word and obedience to follow His precepts and trust in His promises. Obedience is a precursor to abundance. And the best part is, if you’ve struggled with obedience and faithfulness in the past, there is no time like the present to begin again.
First Things First
No doubt Jesus came to earth to be an answer to human depravity—to redeem us and wear the stripes of our sin and sickness through the affliction and wounds He suffered. He also came to bring you and me resurrection life. So it’s powerfully comforting that He summarizes it all with a simple contrasting statement in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Wow!
Let me explain.
Some quickly assign any thought of abundance to the afterlife and the eternal promise of fellowship with God in heaven. But take a moment to ponder the words of Jesus to His disciples after a rich young ruler had walked away in despair, unwilling to give up everything he had to take up his cross and follow Christ. This encounter left the disciples filled with questions about what hope for salvation there is for any of us, and it was in that moment that Peter took it upon himself to remind the Son of God that they had left everything to follow Him. Jesus’s response to their questions was to speak specifically about the blessing that comes with putting Him first:
Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:29–31)
Notice He refers to both “now in this time” and “in the age to come” and makes a clear distinction between the two. But along with promised blessing (“now in this time”), His words are a sober reminder that persecutions are also a part of this life. Not everyone understands the blessings of God and His promises for those who live in faithful obedience.
So, what is abundance? Is it financial blessing? It could be. It’s true that God can bless your business and bring abundant resources your way. His Word is clear that He blesses those who are committed to blessing others. But that’s not the only thing or even the first thing that comes to mind when I think about God’s overflow. To me, abundance encapsulates so much more.
The dictionary defines abundance as “plentifulness of the good things of life.”1 Think about that. Plenty of love, plenty of kindness, plenty of joy, plenty of peace, plenty of success, plenty of relationships, plenty of laughter, plenty of dessert … Okay, maybe that last one is just me. But “the good things of life” leaves room for a lot of interpretation!
It brings me back to the promise that motivated me to put pen to paper and write There Is More in the first place: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us …” (Ephesians 3:20).
Exceeding: surpassing and going beyond
Abundant: full and overflowing
Above: lifting you higher than you could ever ask or think
All made possible by His power working in you.
Did you know that abundance and success were among the first covenant commandments that God spoke to humans? He said to “be fruitful, multiply, replenish, and have dominion” (see Genesis 1:28). God was speaking not only about offspring but of an entire life and environment of perpetual and generational blessing and increase. This blessing and increase had a purpose then that still continues today. As I’ve mentioned already in this chapter, we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others and to display God’s goodness in our lives. If we are to be a blessing to others, our thinking must come into agreement with what the Bible teaches about living blessed.
The key to aligning your attitude with blessing is what you put first in your life: seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be added to you (see Matthew 6:33). I love that promise! But what exactly does it mean to seek first the kingdom?
Ruled by Rules
Obedience is not the most popular word these days. There are some who are telling everyone, “Be an individual—submit to no one!” Entire movements have been founded on the principles of disobedience, bucking the system, steering away from
