Our God is a God of abundance. He will bless us with what we need to do His work. He will turn what is not enough into plenty. He delivered the children of Israel enough quail for each person to collect eight bushel (Numbers 11:32) and brought them fresh water from a rock (Exodus 17:6). Jesus fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish and, after they had all eaten and were satisfied, they had twelve full baskets left over (Matthew 14:13-18). Although Peter had fished all night and caught nothing, upon Jesus’ command, Peter caught so many fish that his net began to break and threatened to sink his boat and another (Luke 5:4-11). God is not limited by the scarce resources of the earth.
Pastor Joel Osteen refers to our God as an “overflow God” with the capacity to deliver “supernatural provision.” These ideas should not be confused with the often repeated and erroneous doctrine that we will always be blessed for righteousness. Good people like Job and Joseph (who was sold into Egypt) experienced severe trials despite being righteous people. But our faith in an abundant God can help us weather the storms of life, believe that better things are coming, and ultimately open ourselves to blessings He intends to deliver to us. Joseph ultimately went from being a slave and a prisoner to being the ruler of the most powerful nation on earth (Genesis 41:37-44), and God gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).
Thinking abundantly and putting our trust in God can give us hope and motivate us to actions that will multiply our efforts. Increasing abundance provides us with options we would not have if we were living in scarcity and lack, believing that we will always struggle. We can begin to develop a more positive faith by understanding that God wants to bless us, and He often gives us trials to show us miracles when he delivers us from them.
These principles can also apply to our deep yearning for the love of an eternal companion. Faith in a loving Heavenly Father who cares about our happiness can provide the faith to keep trying, even when we experience disappointments and setbacks. One of my favorite examples is the Biblical story of Ruth of Moab. When her husband died and she was left in poverty, a childless widow, Ruth insisted on moving with her mother-in-law to Bethlehem to care for her in her old age and to share her faith in Israel’s God. Ruth and her mother-in-law made a meager living by gleaning in the fields for grain left behind by the reapers (Ruth 1). In Bethlehem, Ruth met a kind man named Boaz, who noticed her kindness to her mother-in-law and said, “The Lord recompense thy work and a full reward shall be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust” (Ruth 2:12).
Ruth was moved by the faith and attention of Boaz and replied, “Let me find favour in thy sight, my lord; for that thou hast comforted me, and for that thou hast spoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though I be not like unto one of thine handmaidens” (Ruth 2:14). Ruth’s trust in the God of Israel was apparent to Boaz, and it was rewarded as their mutual admiration led to their marriage, and Ruth became the owner of the farm where she once made a poor living (Ruth 4:5, 13). More important, Ruth and Boaz had a son named Obed, who was the great-grandfather of King David (Ruth 4:17) and an ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself (Luke 3:23-32).
Ruth’s trials and loneliness were her path to a new love, a new and better life, and abundant blessings. Like Ruth, I believe God is preparing a Boaz for you. As the great apostle wrote, “if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it . . . [a]nd we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:25, 28).
We have a lot more options when we choose to question thoughts that don’t serve us and clean up any cynical thinking that keeps us stuck in the mire of negativity. We wish each of our readers an abundance of financial resources, robust physical and mental health, and loving intimate relationships, as we focus on cultivating an abundance of supportive thoughts that serve us well.
NEW PODCAST & VIDEOS
LILY Pod: Creating Abundant Options
LILY Tube: How to Stay Sane When Your Ex is Crazy
LILY Short: Cleaning Up Cynical Thinking About the Opposite Sex
LILY Bonus Podcast: Supernatural Provision (Joel Osteen)
About the Author
Jeff Teichert, and his wife Cathy Butler Teichert, are the founders of “Love in Later Years,” which ministers to Latter-day Saint single adults seeking peace, healing, and more joyful relationships. They are co-authors of the Amazon bestseller Intentional Courtship: A Mid-Singles Guide to Peace, Progress and Pairing Up in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jeff and Cathy each spent nearly a decade in the mid-singles community and they use that experience to provide counsel and hope to mid-singles and later married couples through written articles, podcasts, and videos. Jeff and Cathy are both Advanced Certified Life Coaches and have university degrees in Family & Human Development. They are the parents of a blended family that includes four handsome sons, one lovely daughter-in-law, and a sweet baby granddaughter.
Purchase Jeff & Cathy’s book Intentional Courtship:
Discover 6-Steps to recover from divorce and design a life you love with Jeff & Cathy’s “Life Design After Divorce” 12-week COURSE. Register here: lilywebinars.com/order-page
Connect with Jeff & Cathy:
Website: http://www.loveinlateryears.com/
Podcast: https://anchor.fm/loveinlateryears
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/loveinlateryears
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LoveInLaterYears
Instagram: http://instagram.com/loveinlateryears/
Email:
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