ABUNDAWONDERFUL!!!

I've been wanting to compile this message for several weeks now.. Even as it's been processing in my soul..(my mind, emotions, and will!), much has happened to confirm its message... Blessed reading!!!

    ABUNDAWONDERFUL is the title of a song our daughters sang  as children in a musical about how we are sheep under the care of our perfect shepherd! Even, over 25 years ago, my soul could truly testify to how HE truly does desire the truth of this creative adjective to apply to our lives! In fact, for my nearly 46 years in the LORD, my 'LIFE VERSE' has been, (and still is!), found in JOHN 10 where JESUS presents Himself as the GOOD SHEPHERD, contrasted with a bad one. In verse 10, He states how a thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but HE comes to give us life abundant!! Needless to say, 'my' part of the verse is the second half! I wasn't even aware of the first half for over 25 years or so!! The volume of my gratitude compels me to share further! Where to begin?..

  Since today is leading us into 'Holy Week,' I will do so by pointing out how our SHEPHERD was able to stay on THE OLD RUGGED CROSS, as it relates to this theme of ABUNDANCE. In my humanity, I 'can only imagine' the magnitude of 'the JOY set before HIM' which enabled Him to 'endure the cross, scorning its shame!'(Hebrews 12:2) WHAT A LIMITLESS VOLUME OF JOY He must have known as HE was making it possible for me to be one of the multitude who would/could be writing this today!   Moving on.. Just in the past 6 days, two accounts of financial ABUNDANCE have 'come my way!' One need was for $6,000, but HE sent $7,000! The other was a church falling into the red, which ended upover $1,000 in the black the next month after 2 gals began an early morning prayer time once a week! Most of you, as well as me of course, can testify to how HE meets our needs at all times when we humble ourselves, obediently giving back to Him, and pray! In MALACHI 3:10, we are instructed to let HIM show his character as it pertains to abundance!  "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."  In fact, this verse leads me to a good closing thought.. In JOHN 1:16, John the Baptist declared how 'out of the fullness of his grace, the Lord pours out blessing upon blessing,' followed by stating how GRACE and TRUTH  came through CHRIST JESUS!(vs.17)   Remember, the ABUNDAWONDERFUL life is far from limited by the material world!  How abundant is his GRACE, as received by you?     As I close, my challenge to all of us is to 'COUNT OUR BLESSINGS, NAMING THEM ONE BY ONE.. LETTING HIM SURPRISE (DELIGHT!) YOU BY WHAT OUR LORD HAS DONE!' (and desires to do continually, if we but pay grateful and obedient, attention!)  Because He Loves Us SO MUCH! Sheila