At Abide, we frequently discuss the abundant life and the extraordinary plans and desires God has for each one of His people. But what is the abundant life? And how do we start to experience it?
God’s Initial Design
As we read through Genesis 1 and 2, we see God’s creation process and His original intentions for humanity—the ways in which we were meant to operate and the relationships we were meant to have with Him and with one another. Through the descriptions found in the first two chapters of Genesis, we can pull out seven characteristics that represent God’s perfect plan for humanity. God intended that humanity live with and experience perfect…
- Authority
- Provision
- Work
- Relationships
- Health/Healing
- Identity
- Communion with God
This is the way God made us to be: living in perfect communion with Him and others, sure of our identity in Him, fulfilled in our work and relationships, exercising His authority over the earth, and experiencing perfect provision and health. Of course, you are most likely reading this thinking about all the ways in which your own life fails to hit even one of these marks. Do we experience perfect provision and health? Do we maintain thriving relationships with our spouses and close friends? Do we feel close and connected to God? Do we hear Him speaking into our lives? Do we love our jobs and experience perfect joy in doing them? Most likely you answered ‘no’ to at least one of those questions. In fact, you most likely answered ‘no’ to all of them! Furthermore, most Christians believe that it is not possible for us to experience these things on this earth. So, if God intended for us to experience all these things, why do the overwhelming majority of us not experience them?
Abiding in the Vine
The simple answer to this question is: sin. We walked away from God and so we can no longer experience His supernatural provision. However, the cross has reconciled us back to God and we are once again His people. So why do we continue to not experience these things, even once we become Christians?
The truth is that we do not experience His abundance because, while we believe in God, we are often failing to truly walk with Him. He calls us to abide in Him, listen to His voice, and follow His direction. As we follow Him, we join in His kingdom, and in His kingdom we experience His abundant life. Experiencing all these things requires us to be walking with Christ and growing in relationship with Him. To experience His life, we need to be with Him, communing with Him and receiving His direction all the time.
To learn more about what this looks like, check out our online course Abiding in the Vine.
The Covenant
If we walk with Him, God promises to deliver us the covenant. What is the covenant? That is an excellent question, and one we often fail to answer as a church. God’s covenant with His people is an essential aspect of our faith. It lays out what God desires for His people, as well as what we, as His people, need to do in order experience that covenant. To learn more about what the covenant is, what God promises through the covenant, and what our side of the covenant entails, check out our online course. In a nutshell, God promises abundant life through His covenant. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 lays out all that God promises to do for His people if they obey His commandments. Some aspects to highlight include:
- Protection & Safety
Deuteronomy 28:7
The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
God promises to protect His people and to lead them into victory.
- Goodness
Deuteronomy 28:12
The Lord will open to you his good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
God promises that His people will not lack any good thing. He will provide for His people physically and financially.
- Abundance
Deuteronomy 28:2-6, 8
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. 3 Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. 4 Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 5 Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. 8 The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.
God promises that His people will experience incredible abundance in all aspects of life. If we return to the list of characteristics that make up God’s original intention for humanity, we can see that He desires for us to experience His perfection, or completion, in all aspects of our lives. Through His covenant, God promises to restore us to His abundance.
So God promises us abundance… how is that different from the prosperity gospel? The key is in the first verse of Deuteronomy 28. “And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.” In other words, God does not give us everything we ask for. He gives us His will—His “best, none better” abundant life. This requires walking with Him and following Him into His plan, even when it seems crazy or difficult. It requires surrender of what we believe we want, recognizing that His plan is ultimately better.
God promises abundant life to each of us. This does not always look like we expect it should, but it is always over-the-top. He loves you and desires to bless you beyond belief, but He cannot do so if you continue to walk away from Him.
So how do we experience abundant life? Walk with Christ and pursue Him–that’s it!
If you have any questions about walking with God, experiencing the abundant life, or anything else, we are always here to support you. Fill out our contact form here to get in touch!
