Promise for Today - Getting Over

My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life. 

Psalm 23:5-6 (NIV)

Is your life overflowing? If you’re like most people, it may be overflowing—but not with goodness. So many people have overbooked their calendars, overspent their money, overdrawn their credit, overloaded their emotions, overworked their bodies, overcrowded their days, and overvalued the approval of others. As a result, they wind up overstressed, overanxious, and overwhelmed—and they’re over it! They are far from experiencing the goodness of God.

Why do we do let ourselves get overextended? Often the fear of missing out motivates us to do more. But the truth is you’re not missing out on anything when you rest in the goodness and provision of God.

God wants to move you from being overwhelmed to overflowing. He wants to meet all your needs—and he can! First, you need to recognize two fundamentally different approaches to life that either keep you from God’s abundance or bring you into God’s abundance: a shortage mindset and a surplus mindset.

With a shortage mindset, you constantly think, “I don’t have enough time. I don’t have enough money. I don’t have enough energy or contacts or opportunities or knowledge or education.” It’s the sense that you’re always a day late and a dollar short. A shortage mindset focuses on your limited resources, and the result is an overwhelmed life.

A surplus mindset focuses on God’s limitless resources, and the result is an overflowing life.

Have you ever worried that the person breathing next to you is stealing your air? Of course not. You know that God created more than enough air for everybody to have all they need.

The Bible includes words like abundance, plentiful, abounding, and bountiful to describe what God has to offer you. God has more than enough to meet all your needs and everybody else’s needs at the same time.

The Message paraphrase tells us what Jesus said: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of” (John 10:10).

You don’t have to worry about running short of anything, because God is the source of your life. He wants to fill you with an endless supply of his goodness, joy, blessing, hope, and peace, so you’re able to say, “My cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life” (Psalm 23:5-6 NIV).

Talk It Over

What perspectives or emotions reflect a shortage mindset?

How does a surplus mindset produce peace in your life?

Why do we so often worry about how much others have instead of focusing on God’s abundant provision in our own lives?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          In the middle of all the noise, pressure, and concerns around us, we need Your peace. Our hearts long for calm and our minds long for quiet. Please fill our thoughts with Your presence. Replace stress with stillness and worry with trust. Help us remember that You are near in every moment. When we start to feel overwhelmed again, remind us to return to You in prayer. Help us release our burdens instead of trying to carry them alone. Your peace is greater than every problem we face. Let that peace guard our hearts and guide our decisions today. No matter what challenges appear, help us walk forward with confidence that You are beside us. Thank You for being our Refuge and our Strength. In Jesus' Name we pray.
Amen.

Lent - Day Thirteen - Abundant Blessings: Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

 Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2024 

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted.

John 6:10-11

Regardless of how many times we have heard the story of the feeding of the five thousand, there are always new lessons we can learn. Maybe the first is to be reminded that God is the giver of all good things, and that we can always trust that our Lord will provide.

We often forget how much we really have in life. (Which is odd when we consider that the average American ranks somewhere in the top 1-10% of accumulated wealth in the world.) We find ways to complain or feel discouraged, get caught up in only seeing the things we don’t have, or envying how much more others have. Having so much can easily lead to thankless hearts and little desire or need for God. Of course, for those who lack basic needs, life can be consumed with fear and worry for the next meal, clean water, safety, or health. This lack can create bitterness, a broken spirit, or lack of trust in God or his word.

Because of this, our Lord calls us to a better way. He teaches us to rely on him, trust him in every need, and learn to be content with what he daily provides. Christ would neither have us fret, nor be filled with greed (no matter how much or little we have), but rather trust in him to sustain us according to his pleasure. He would have us see that we are poor and possess nothing except what he gives, and desires that we would be generous toward the needs of others.

Prayer: 

Heavenly Father, 

                Thank You for all the gifts You provide and for all those whose work or presence bring Your blessings to me. Since You have been abundantly generous to me, help me to be generous to the needs of others. Amen.

Reading Further - John 6:1-15

1 After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. 3 Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. 5 Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?” 10 Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number. 11 Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!”
15 Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself.

One Look +

When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!”
But God told Samuel, “Looks aren’t everything. Don’t be impressed with his looks and stature. I’ve already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the heart.”
1st Samuel 16:6-7 The Message

Think about this. How many people do you know who spend so much time and energy (not to mention their finances!) on their outside appearance? Or they are consumed with their weight, their hair, their shape, their teeth, their... whatever? And just so you know - I'm not just talking about un-churched people here (ouch). And why? Because it's been going on longer than you or I can even begin to fathom! Our Scripture for today is just one example: Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Here he is! God’s anointed!” One look!

One look - based on size, stature or other physical features.

The reality is we have all known physically beautiful persons who were mean and ugly on the inside. Likewise, we have all known (and loved) the beautiful hearts of people who would never win a beauty contest, but who became more beautiful the better we got to know them.

Sin is ugly. The wage of sin is death. Christ is eternal life when we ask Him to come into our heart! What do you think God is looking for when He "looks into the heart"? Don't we hope and pray God takes more than one look?!?

I've been thinking and thinking about this passage of Scripture in relation to "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (found in Luke 6:45 - NKJV). And what I NEED is an abundance of Jesus in my heart. His saving grace, His mercy, His forgiveness, His Word. I can't get that with one look into Scripture or one look into the sanctuary.

Prayer:

Father,
           Change my heart, O God! Renew a right spirit within me! Give me clean hands and a pure heart so that the only "one look" that matters at all is the one where a lost and dying world sees You in me. In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen