I Know How to Abound

For a short period of time in my life, I went through a phase of wishing I had more than I had. It came to the point that I even said to God, "I know how to be abased; will I ever learn what it's like to abound?"

WHAM! BAM!

He didn't let that pass even for a second.

No sooner had I expressed myself than the thought came FORCIBLY to me: "What gives you the right to compare yourself to the much fewer people in the world who have more than you do and whine about what you don't have when billions have so much less?"

The end.

From that point on it was easy for me to remind myself that in comparison to the rest of the world I "lived like a king". Anyone who looks at me knows I don't lack for food. When I go to bed at night in my very comfortable bed, in a home I love, which is air-conditioned in summer and heated in winter, I lie there in awe that I have things so good.

In the same chapter of Philippians where Paul is speaking of abasing and abounding, he also says: My God shall supply all your need.

I took a stand on the word. If I wasn't getting it, then I didn't "need" it as much as I thought I did. (Having food and raiment, let us therewith be content.) I have more than that. I have shelter AND transportation. And, of course, much much more.

Thinking along those same lines, I always stood against the thought that whatever temptation I was facing or trial I going through was more than I could bear because the Bible says that we would not be tempted with more than we can bear. However, I must admit there were many times in tears I told God, "I'm not ready to call you a liar." I could NOT see how I was going to make it but I just kept holding on to that promise.

I am so glad I did.

I also went through a "Why me?" phase.

God took care of that too with another strong thought He brought to me very forcibly:

"Why not you?"

and added these thoughts right behind the question.

I am going to prove my gospel will work in every possible scenario of life. You won't have to go through everything to prove it, but this is what you must go through and in this situation you will be able to show the world that the gospel still works and that a person who loves Me more than anything else can hold on and be faithful.

After that I began to look around and saw what others had to endure. We all have different trials and we all get the chance to prove that the gospel works and that we can come through with victory over sin, self, and that which would cause us to not continue in unity with the body of Christ.

Everyone who "makes it" will be tested.

God is going to have a tried people. And when they are tried, they will come forth as gold....or they will go their own way.

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