In 1989, when Margaret and I were dealing with a church situation where the Lord had sent us three years earlier, we found comfort in the 66th Psalm.  Specifically a few verses in the center jumped out at us as we read it on our back porch one evening….

“For you, O God, tested us; You refined us like silver; You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs. You let men ride over our heads; We went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance” (Ps. 66:10-12).

As we were praying a few minutes later, Margaret surprised me with these words: “And Lord, in that scripture you said you were bringing us to a place of abundance.  So, we’re going to claim that right now. Whatever it is and wherever it is. Whether it’s here in this church or somewhere else, we believe you are going to lead us to a place of abundance.”

I had not seen that as a promise. But once my spiritually-sensitive bride spotted it, it made a world of sense.

Thereafter, when we prayed, we frequently thanked the Lord for HIs promise to lead us to a place of abundance.

Not long after, things went south.

I was without a job and we were putting the house on the market.  Then, almost exactly one year later, we moved 750 miles south to pastor a church across the street from the New Orleans airport.

“Is this the place of abundance the Lord promised?” I wondered more than once.

It didn’t seem so. New Orleans is an old and rather dirty city, in contrast to Charlotte, North Carolina, which was new and sparklingly clean.  The church we came to was beset by problems, having enduring a split–explosion would be more like it!–18 months earlier.  I inherited half the congregation and all the debt, several million dollars of it.  For the next 8 years, over half our income was devoted to making the mortgage payment.

It felt like anything but “abundant.”

But I was willing to let the Lord show me.

And show me He did.

One day, I was reading Romans 5:20. “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

That’s when it hit me.

Abundant sin? New Orleans has that and makes no apology for it, unfortunately.  And where sin abounds, we find abundant grace.

We have our place of abundance.

Not what I was anticipating, but there it is.

The word “abundant” is a form of the word “bounding,” and brings images of wave after wave pounding the shoreline, depositing the  ocean’s contents on the beaches.

As this culture dives into its Mardi Gras, its Gay Celebration Festivals, its Voodoo things, and all that goes with these things, the grace of God comes in waves upon all who seek His heart and are willing to do His will.

A diamond shines brightest against a black background. Ask any jeweler.

Jesus said, “I have come that (my sheep) may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).  “Have it more abundantly,” the old version says.

Ladies and gentlemen, in Christ we have an abundant life.  Wave after wave of His grace and mercy keep pouring upon us, bringing the unceasing assurance of His love and salvation.

So you have sinned too much for Him to forgive you? You are so wrong.  You’re not even close.

I’ll tell you what will happen if you will trust Him.  After you receive His forgiveness and begin to comprehend what it cost God for Christ’s salvation to come to you and do its work for you, you will be overwhelmed by His mercy and captivated by His love.

At that moment you will begin to understand the abundant life. But not until.

There are many among our churches living niggardly and stingy lives, hardly yielding to Him and barely trusting Him for anything.  Whatever it is they are living, it’s anything but an abundant life. They fear everything, trust only in themselves, and are ignorant of God’s word. The devil hardly knows they exist since they pose no threat to anything he’s up to.

They would do well to stop and consider whether Jesus went to the trouble of dying on  the cross and shedding His blood in order to give them such a life. Or have they settled for something far less than His best?

The abundant life consists of many elements—cups that “runneth over” (Psalm 23:5), windows of Heaven that pour out overflowing blessings (Malachi 3:10), along with  challenges and opportunities ideal for us but with adversaries too many and too much (I Corinthians 16:9), as well as constant warfare against “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Before you ask the Lord to give you the abundant life, you might want to think again.  Know what you’re asking for.  You may get far more than you ever intended.