How to Live the Kingdom Life of Abundance

Do you remember as a kid when you hit the midpoint of July and you began to think “Summer is over!” The stores had school supplies out, and the dreaded school registration form letter came in the mail. You began having nightmares about book reports, pop quizzes, and getting your locker open..

It’s funny how when we hit the halfway point we began to think it’s all over. When we have 2 weeks of vacation, part of week number 2 is spent bemoaning the end of our vacation. When we have four weeks to accomplish a task, week three rolls around and we begin to panic we’ll never finish. Every weekend we see Saturday as full of opportunity and Sunday as prepping for the new week. The flip side, the upside, to hitting the halfway point is there is still the second half to enjoy.

First Half

We have been studying First Timothy 6:17-19. I’ve written two blogs about the concepts in verse seventeen and we are past the halfway point, however there is still more for us to learn and enjoy. Just like we don’t experience the full impact of summer in the first six weeks, we don’t learn the entire lesson Paul is teaching if we just talk about the “don’ts” in verse seventeen.

On July 11, 2022 my blog “How to Know How Truly Rich You Are” was centered on don’t get caught up in the world’s definition of rich. God has blessed each of us and we are rich by a different standard. The following week, on July 18, my blog “A Godly Perspective to Enjoy Each Moment of Life” centered on releasing the arrogance that comes from believing we are able to handle all life throws at us with just our own abilities. We are to trust God, who He is and what He provides.

But that’s just the first half and we have more wisdom to gain from this scripture passage.

Entering the Second Half

“Instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and willing to share.”

1 Timothy 6:18 CSB

The flip side of don’t be caught up in riches and don’t be arrogant is be extravagant in good works and generosity. Let me remind all of us that this is not more things to add to our to-do list. On the contrary, Paul is encouraging us to BE something not DO something.

Be Focused on God

Paul teaches us in First Timothy 6:17 to place our trust in God, because He is the source of our abundance. When we learn to trust God implicitly, we become more aware of His extravagance in our lives. Paul seems to be giving a cut and dried instruction to do good works, but he’s really challenging those with abundance to focus on the provider more than on what He provides. True freedom and the ability to live extravagantly isn’t found in having abundance, but by focusing on God.

Be Generous with Your Abundance

I love how First Timothy 6:18 reads in The Passion Translation, “Remind the wealthy to be rich in remarkable works of extravagant generosity, willing to share with others.” We are to live out our God given abundance by being people who are generous with the abundance God gives us. Simply put, we willingly share how God directs and with what God gives us because we trust Him to always provide what we need. There’s no reason to hoard or control how much we measure out to others.

What Does Generosity Look Like?

We understand what being generous with one’s abundance looks like when our abundance is financial. What if the abundance God provides is something else?

• If God provides an abundance of forgiveness, you are generous to forgive and accept others
• If God provides an abundance of gentleness, you are generous to be patient with others while prodding them toward growth
• If God provides an abundance of time, you are generous in helping others
• If God provides an abundance of cooking skills, you are generous to provide meals for families in need or crisis
• If God provides an abundance of scriptural insight, you are generous to teach a bible study, or disciple someone one on one
• If God provides an abundance of empathy, you are generous to listen and console
• If God provides an abundance of positivity, you are generous to encourage and uplift
• If God provides an abundance of gardening skills, you are generous with your produce or teaching others how to grow what they desire

Flip the Switch

Are you fully aware of your abundance? Do you see what God has given as good gifts to be used for His glory? Are your experiences, opportunities, and relationships viewed as rich provisions from God for you to enjoy?

We begin with trusting God, truly believing He will “…richly provide us with all things to enjoy.” (1 Timothy 6:17) Then, out of gratitude and faith, we generously give our abundance away. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to make sense, nor does it feel natural. Nevertheless, it’s the extravagant way people of abundance live; it’s the Kingdom way to live.

Crayon Photo Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash