The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance, to the full, till it OVERFLOWS. –John 10:16 AMP
An overflowing life is our inheritance as Christians and a promise is as good as the character of the person who made the promise. If we believe God for who He is, then we have access to that life.
The previous post gives an introduction to some areas of the overflowing life that God has called us into; overflowing with abundance, overflowing with love.
Here we will look at other areas:
Overflow with thankfulness :
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:7
Thankfulness overflows when the peace of God rules in our heart, when we know that we have a great Father who cares for us. It is easy to be thankful when things are going well, but the real test of thankfulness is the ability to be thankful even in dark moments. The more you profess gratitude, the more you will find something to be thankful for.
Thankfulness should not occur as a result of abundance because as humans we are always going to want more. We can learn to be thankful even for the little things we possess, and for where we are at the moment, knowing that God is not done with us yet.
Sometimes we get so used to God’s blessings or we see them as ordinary that we forget to be thankful for them. Last week, my heart was so focused on how to obtain the things I didn’t have and it robbed me of the ability to appreciate God for the things I currently possess. I had to talk and pray myself out of that pity state, so thankfulness as easy as it sounds can sometimes be difficult to practice.
As parents, we get disappointed when our children do not show gratitude; the same applies with God, that’s why He called us to give thanks in all things for this is His will. 1Thess.5:18.
Overflow with confident hope
I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
It is often said that a man can live without food but a man can’t live without hope. When you start using the word “never”, it means hope is missing in your life: I’m never going to get married. I’m never going to get that dream job. Things will never get better. . . . . It means you are only living in the present with no thoughts of a better tomorrow.
As Christians we are to overflow with a CONFIDENT hope. A hope that is sure that God will do what He says He will do. A hope that is rest assured that God will come through even when you don’t know how.
Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping – believing that he would become the father of many nations for God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have”. Romans 4:18.
I’m always amazed and challenged at Abraham’s kind of faith. He never doubted even when everything around him said otherwise. He believed that God was able to fulfill His promises.
Right now, what are you expecting God to do? Maybe you are not expecting anything because you are tired of hoping. But God works according to your expectation- your confident hope – your faith. I invite you today to overflow with confident hope in God’s promises.
God has not called us to keep dreaming, procrastinating, without taking steps. NO! He has called us to take steps of faith, to confidently believe in His promises, to expect Him to show up, to continue speaking and praying, and to keep overflowing.
So friends , determine to overflow with wisdom, overflow with joy, overflow with praise, overflow with abundance, overflow with love, overflow with confident hope, overflow with thankfulness.
