A Devotion for 4 March 2020 Anno Domini, the Anglican Orthodox Communion Worldwide
Mt 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matthew 6:27-34 (KJV)
If we were to render an accounting of the blessings of God, we would necessarily be compelled to label them an ABUNDANCE. An Abundance in all that we see, possess, feel, and know. He is the God of abundance in every detail of value. I will post just a few ways in which our God is a God of Abundance.
GRACE: His grace is abundant in saving to the uttermost: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25 (KJV) He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and is the owner of all the earth and heavens. “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:19-21 (KJV) Grace to the Elect is a free gift but let us remember that it cost our Father much treasure in its purchase by His only Begotten Son. “7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 (KJV) Grace is infinitely abundant in Christ.
PARDON: His authority, power, and will to pardon is ABUNDANT. “6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6-7 (KJV) In the legal sense, a pardon is only issued to correct some iniquitable application of law, but the pardon Christ offers is for the washing of the soul and redemption from committed and contrived sins. His forgiveness is always far greater than our sins.
SATISFACTION: “7 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. 8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. 9 For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.” Psalm 36:7-9 (KJV) Are you abundantly satisfied in Christ? If you are not, you should do some soul-searching for something haseclipsed your Light from Him. As David has said, at the prospects of the resurrection: “15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.” Psalm 17:15 (KJV) Any man who has Christ and many riches has no more than that man who has Christ alone! Christ is our All-In-All!
PEACE: “7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7 (KJV) The peace that Christ gives is beyond our understanding we simply rest in the radiance thereof. True peace is not an absence of clamor and confusion around about us – it is a deep-seated peace of the heart where man nor beast can enter in to disrupt. A wealthy philanthropist once made a public offer for an art competition with a sizeable reward. The object: paint a work that would most perfectly depict true peace. Many entries were made and many were technically and artfully extraordinary, but the contest boiled down to only two entries – one was a painting of a beautiful green hillside with sheep peacefully grazing on the pastures. Butterflies graced the flowers. The second painting was of a raging waterfall behind the gushing rapids of which was a sprig that grew out from the slope behind. On the sprig was a bluebird nesting contentedly on her nest seemingly oblivious to the noise and thunder of the falls. Which painting do you believe won the prize? Does true peace depend on the outward environs, or is it the solitude of the gentle heart committed to Christ?
LIFE: “10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life,and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10 (KJV) Can life in Christ be any more abundant than eternal life? “15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:15 (KJV) Let me see, how can we add ten years of life to eternity? You are correct – impossible for eternity is all there is, but always more than anything space, time, or matter could add.
JOY: “26 That your rejoicing may be more abundant in Jesus Christ for me by my coming to you again.” Philippians 1:26 (KJV) There are times when the committed Christian will reflect on the infinite mercy and grace that has drawn him to the Throne of God – sometimes kicking and screaming. He then cannot help but be filled with a joy that exceeds every human expectation. There is an expression in Mark that may best describe the enormity of joy: “20 And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread. 21 And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.” Mark 3:20-21 (KJV) The implication here is that our Lord Jesus was “beside Himself” or out of His head because of the risks He took; but the joy of Christ always appears to be a disorder to those whose minds are disordered by fear, doubt, sin, and malice. Even our close friends may be bewildered at the change Christ will make in a convert.
POWER: “9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;” Colossians 1:9-11 (KJV) There is no power that exists outside of the Person of the Triune Godhead. All of Creation was spoken into existence by Him. Not only was Space and Matter created by Him, but the scope of Time as well. Time means nothing in comparison to eternity. It is for this reason that our Lord is the eternal I Am without limit of past, present, or future. We, too, can enjoy that characteristic if we be found in Him when the last Trump sounds. “18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18 (KJV) All POWER means there is no power outside that given to our Lord. He is Omnipotent – All-Powerful! He has the GRACE to forgive; the Authority to PARDON; the nature of granting complete SATISFACTION; the PEACE that is beyond any comprehension of the term in natural Creation; and in Christ we find LIFE eternal for He is LIFE – all who have Christ have that life eternal.
Not only does the believer have these abundances, but they also KNOW, by the grace of the Holy Ghost, that they possess these benefits in Christ our Lord. Do you know, reader?
