“¹⁷For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:17 (ESV)

Adam sinned freely. Yes Eve ate of the tree first, it was Adam that did so on his own even through he knew it to be wrong based on his conversations with God. That one sin led to the open sins of the world. Without that one act of disobedience sin was realized in the world. That one sin led way to my existence and my sins.

Adam opened the world for sin, and Jesus Christ opened the world for salvation. Jesus’ death on the cross, done freely, covered the sins of the time and all of the sins of the future. All I had to do was to accept the gift of salvation and live my life striving to be more like Christ every day. The one act of love led way to the forgiveness of my sins.

Abundant death was the work of the time as a result of the sin committed freely by Adam. Abundant life is the work of now as a result of the death on the cross committed freely by Christ.

I am grateful for my Lord, Jesus Christ and the gift He gave freely for me, even when I was 2000 years away.

Are you living in death at the had of the sin committed by Adam? Or, are you taking part in the life given thanks to the death committed by Christ? Will you accept the abundance given by the one man, Jesus Christ?

“⁴⁵The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of he evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45 (ESV)

I know a number of people that on the surface are nice and cordial to the people they meet. They smile and laugh and interact, but once the back is turned they become another person that is full cross words and a complete lack of respect. I find it difficult to work with those people for when I do I am not sure what is truth and what is simply manipulative.

When I read the verse above along with the passage, I see that this is certainly something that is not new. The fullness of the heart of people is made known. For “out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks”. I see that what is in the heart, is in the heart and eventually it will spill out where it is not wanted to be. Eventually the evil ones will display their evil. Eventually the cross words will be spoken. And just as, eventually the good in someone will be seen, and eventually the love will be heard from their lips.

The expectation is for me to love everyone with the love of God. I will admit, it is hard. I find it exhausting to demonstrate love with everyone, especially with those that have displayed their true selves to be less than loving to all.

But, God’s love rings true. When I am true to the love in my heart, it will be displayed in my actions. Even when others will not want to see it, I will still demonstrate the love of God for them. Even with those that are not loving themselves, I will show them the love of God in my actions and words. I will show the abundance of love in my heart.

How do you act with those around you? Are you acting out of love in the face of someone and then evil when the back is turned? Which is abundant in your heart that will come out?

This morning as I continue to study abundance, I was led to Mark chapter 12 and to the passage of “The Widow’s Offering”.

“⁴¹And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴²And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. ⁴³And he called his disciples to him and said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. ⁴⁴For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.’” – Mark 12:41-44 (ESV)

Oh how often have I seen those that make a “splash” with their giving. I have witnessed the making of a spectacle and then making sure everyone knew they had given. I have been to charity events where there is “bidding” for auction items and the winning bid is for the cause, only to witness those with the largest pocketbooks gleefully yelling proclaiming to everyone just how they “won” the item.

I do not want it to sound as though I am speaking of everyone, because charity and causes and the Lord work with all that is given. What I am stating is that the abundance is not as meaningful as the giving from the heart and sacrificing one thing for another. The poor widow gave of her means to fulfill needs and Jesus was more moved by the “penny” she gave than the large sums from the abundance of others.

When you are giving, where is that coming from? Are you giving from your abundance? Are you giving from your means to fulfill needs?

I am sure that most if not all of us have heard the phrase, “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer”. I know that I have and often wonder why that is such a true statement. This morning as I study abundance, I am brought to Matthew 13 where Jesus explains why He speaks to the people in parables.

“¹¹And he answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹²For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ¹³This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.’” – Matthew 13:11-13 (ESV)

I now see that those that have, will be given more as they will continue to seek more. They will do more to get more and therefore enrich themselves. Those that do not have, likely do not even realize they do not have and therefore do not know what they do not know. Once their eyes and ears are opened, they will have the knowledge to seek more and in turn will get more. Jesus explains to the disciples that He speaks in what the people know to help them understand and will in turn seek to know more.

I have a desire to know more and therefore I spend each weekday morning in study of God’s Word. I don’t just read the Word, I look deeper into it to truly understand and learn so that I will be able to seek more and be granted more wisdom into my role and the tasks God has given me to accomplish that role.

My abundance comes from my continued work and learning each day so that I can be a part of the “rich get richer” group.

What are your thought related to the “rich get richer and poor get poorer” statement? Are you seeking to understand by opening your eyes and ears to see and hear the Lord? Are you willing to put in the continued work and learning?

“³¹For the Lord will not cast off forever, ³²but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; ³³for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.” – Lamentations 3:31-33 (ESV)

When I read the above verses I get a bit confused and find it difficult to believe that God would “cause grief”. It took a bit of additional reading for me to more fully understand. You see, God allows grief and therefore it is misunderstood to mean that He causes it.

God loves me unconditionally and would not harm me. He allows for the adversity in my life, and calls on me to push through and continue to have my eyes and actions on Him. When I am disobedient, I am subject to discipline from my heavenly Father. That discipline comes from His love and is full of “compassion”.

It is up to me to repent of the sins I know and those I am not aware of in order to realize the “abundance of His steadfast love”. God “does not afflict from his heart. God’s first instinct is not to punish. He does so only when his patience with sinners does not lead to their repentance.” (ESV Commentary)

Do you feel as though God is punishing you? Have you repented of the sins you know and don’t know? Do you believe that you will realize the abundance of God’s steadfast love through your repentance?

“⁵The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness, ⁶and he will be the stability of your times, abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is Zion’s treasure.” – Isaiah 33:5-6 (ESV)

When I read this verse and review just what is of abundance, I noticed that there is no mention of physical treasure at all. In fact, the treasure spoken of is of value for sure, but not things that hold a lot of monetary value to others. Salvation, wisdom, knowledge, fear, justice, and righteousness are not things that go into the ledger as stores of riches in the eyes of society. But in the eyes of the Christian, they hold value that is above compare.

As I pray to the Lord each day, I thank Him for the blessings He has given, repent of the sins I have committed, and ask for guidance and direction. Notice that I am not asking for monetary riches, as I know that those will come as blessings that I would be thankful for.

God provides what I need when I need and for that I am eternally grateful. Am I frustrated and disappointed that I do not have the new car, or the latest gadget, sure. I have to take a look at the bigger picture and keep my eyes on that which I am granted as I work in this world for my savior.

I have, in abundance, those items that are not placed in the ledger as store of riches in the eyes of society. But in the ledger kept as a record of the work I have done for my Lord, I am rich beyond compare.

What ledger are you looking to fill? Are you working for your Lord and Savior, or for yourself? Are you building the abundance of treasure in the ledger of the Lord?

“⁴⁰They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance. ⁴¹He openeded the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed through the desert like a river.” – Psalm 105:40-41 (ESV)

The Israelites fled Egypt and had only some provisions. God provided them a way to escape Pharaoh across the Red Sea. God then provided for their hunger and thirst daily with more than they could use in that day.

I am provided for in abundance as well. I have plenty of food and shelter. I have water to quench my thirst. I have all that I “need”, and it is up to me to recognize that abundance is provided by God. He will not let me suffer from a lack of “needed” provision. He gives to His people those provisions that contribute to the accomplishment of the tasks He has in store for me. When I “need” food to get me through to the next day, it is there. When I “need” transportation to get me to the right destination, it is there. When I “need” friends to talk to about situations, they are there.

I am sure that there are times when I feel like my “need” is more than what it actually is, and it is in those times that I have to take a step back and look to the real “need” that is presented. I have to remember that God’s provision is for my “needs” in abundance. My view must be corrected from the want and desire to what is “needed” and there is where I will recognize that those “needs” have been provided for, with well more than I originally gave credit for.

When you look at what is in your life, are you seeing the “needs” as opposed to the wants? What does the fulfillment of those “needs” look like for you? Will you take time to recognize that God provides for those “needs” in abundance?

I got a serious wake up call this morning as I study God’s Word. I am in Romans and continue to study the word “Acknowledge” and was brought to Romans 1:18-32. The title in my ESV Bible is God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness. Here Paul is writing about God’s distaste for the unrighteous and his righteous actions toward them. The people willingly choose not to acknowledge God even though they are fully aware of Him and His attributes.

“²⁸And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” – Romans 1:28 (ESV)

The people willingly and knowingly acted against what they know about God. And thanks to that willingness, God allows us to continually act in a way that is contrary to and against what He has tasked us with doing.

“³²Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” – Romans 1:32 (ESV)

“People do not generally sin in innocent ignorance, for the know God’s decree (at least in and instinctive way) that their evil deserves condemnation. Indeed, the evil goes further when people give approval and applaud others for their sin, probably because having others join in their sin makes them feel better about the evil course they have chosen.” (ESV Commentary for verse 32)

I do believe in the right to free speech and our defending that which is wrong. Doing wrong will only invite and create more wrong. We see that everyday in our society. There is a wrong done and others feel as though they have been invited to do wrong also. This is a human trait and one that I have to remember to fight everyday.

It is up to me to ask for guidance and wisdom from God in all situations. Evil begets evil and invites others to into that evil. I have to remember that when I bring love, love will follow.

When you find yourself in a difficult spot, are you acknowledging God or giving way to the evil? Do you find yourself making excuses for your actions? Are you willing to slow down and ask God for guidance?

As Christians, we are persecuted everyday for our following of Christ. It is exhausting and difficult to continue accepting the “beat down” for doing what is right in the eyes of the Lord.

“³²So for everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,” – Matthew 10:32 (ESV)

This verse is so inspiring and uplifting for me in those times of exhaustion. It is simply my role to acknowledge Christ is the reason for my actions of love and the persecution is going to come at all times as there will always be those that do not understand or follow Christ as I do. Jesus makes it clear that when I follow Him and acknowledge Him, I will certainly be rewarded with acknowledgment in heaven with God the Father.

Now, if I choose not to acknowledge Christ:

“³³but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” – Matthew 10:33 (ESV)

When I choose to turn my back on Christ, He chooses to not acknowledge me with God the Father. That denial before God effectively seals the deal of spending eternity in persecution in hell.

I have a choice every day. The choice I make determines the level of persecution that I will endure. When I choose to acknowledge Jesus, I effectively choose the short term exhaustion based on the persecution of the day. When I choose to deny Jesus, I am choosing a short term win in exchange for an eternity of persecution. That short term win is not worth the long term persecution in my book. Besides, God will only allow me to take on as much as I can take and when I have reached the end, He will allow me to rest just as He did once His work was done.

“³So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” – Genesis 2:3 (ESV)

Are you able to acknowledge Jesus daily in spite of the persecution you will receive in the moment? Will you acknowledge Him to avoid Satan? What actions can you take to be sure that you are acknowledging Christ Jesus?

What is the approach when a mistake is made? I know that I have experienced deflection and denial and excuses for the mistake and ultimately the mistake is blamed on someone else.

“¹²Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, ‘Return, faithless Israel, declares the Lord. I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, declares the Lord: I will not be angry forever. ¹³Only acknowledge your guilt, that you rebelled against the Lord your God and scattered your favors among foreigners under every green tree, and that you have not obeyed my voice, declares the Lord. ¹⁴Return, O faithless children, declares the Lord; for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion.’” – Jeremiah 3:12-14 (ESV)

Here the Lord is speaking to Jeremiah and giving him direction on how to interact with the people. God makes it clear that the mistakes have been made and are clearly in the past. The Lord declares that He will move on from the mistakes of the past and provide for those that acknowledge the mistake.

I have seen too many times those that hold on to the lie to save face. Ultimately they are found out and the consequences are much worse than if the acknowledgment had occurred so that it could be dealt with and move on from. Denying, lying, making excuses, these are the actions displayed by those that are guilty and are not willing to take responsibility for their actions.

I remember many times in my career where I have been confronted about some actions I took or failed to take. I can tell that the one confronting me is looking for me to put up walls and deflect, deny, lie, or make excuses as to what happened. The deflation in their face and countenance when I acknowledge my mistake is amazing to behold. The fight in their demeanor is completely removed when I do not fight back and take ownership of the action or inaction. There is such a disbelief that at one point it was stated by the person, “you are not going to deny it, or try to wiggle out of it?”. (With that one, not another word was said about the incident and similar instances have never materialized.)

I am still responsible for the consequences of my actions, however those consequences are deemed adequate for the instance and are not revisited going forward. God wants the people to know that when they acknowledge their guilt He will put it in the past and move forward. The consequences of the actions are there, however they are overshadowed by the love displayed in the rewards for repentance.

What is your approach to mistakes or instances that come up in your life? Are you willing to take ownership in the action or inaction? Will you acknowledge the mistakes and guilt and own the instance and accept God’s declaration that He will move on?