The Law of Abundance
The law of abundance is apparently a popular topic on the Internet. Ideas about it run the gamut from writing blank checks to yourself for imagined future income, to manifesting dreams of luxury homes, cars….
Invariably, abundant living is translated as having an excess of money and things. The only objective for making the law of abundance work for you, seems to be the acquisition of material things. (Click on the image for a closer look. This is one of my larger polymer clay relief sculptures that is 18 x 36".)
But having things in abundance, is like waxing eloquent about the fringe on a beautifully woven tapestry. Although rich in pattern, complex in texture and luscious in color, the fringe does not describe the whole. In fact, it is far more sinister. It is a shabby counterfeit because it satisfies, while squelching our appetite for the complete truth.
Passionate proponents of the law of abundance will tempt you, serving it up as the answer for all of life's challenges.
I used to dream that the perfect studio filled with every conceivable tool, unlimited art supplies and wonderful views of the great outdoors would surely be best for creativity. But some of the greatest art was created by artists shivering in cold, drafty studios, slaving away at their work with numb, chapped hands.
Should you be challenged to find space for a studio, here is a product that I think offers a clever solution. The Scrap Box is every artist's dream. It's a workspace and a storage solution that looks like a beautiful, high-end piece of furniture. There are drawers, nooks and spaces for all of your stuff! (Be sure to mention "100ship" which serves as a coupon code and receive $100 off the total shipping price!)
However, is there an abundance that Jesus promises - one that encourages creativity despite our less than ideal, temporal circumstances?
Is there an unstoppable abundance that wells up from within us - an abundance that is simply waiting for expression?
Jesus said that the thief came to steal, kill and destroy, but He came that we might have life more abundantly. If without Him we are subject to loss and destruction, then only with Him can we experience this law of abundance.
If you chase abundance without Jesus, Satan will quickly proffer a cheap substitute. His substitute may bring fabulous wealth, fame and quick success. It will be glitzy enough to keep you completely preoccupied so that you never experience the life that Jesus intended for you.
Jesus’ abundance doesn’t look anything like the counterfeit, in fact it is the very opposite. A new vision is required. The good news is that you, as an artist, should have no trouble seeing it.
The law of abundance in His kingdom has ordained sufficiency. Even better, He promises continual increase with each passing minute. Powerfully illustrated throughout the Bible, it is impossible to miss.
- This abundance is pictured as the seed that dies in the ground and is considered almost lost. Yet stubbornly it produces in its dying, a bountiful harvest.
- It is described elsewhere as the seed that roots deep while the farmer sleeps. It prepares silently for the inevitable harvest, powered by the divine law and unseen by human eyes.
- The law of abundance is at work in the fish that flopped about in Peter’s nets, breaking them as they were hauled in.
- It is expressed in the coin that paid the precise tax, turned in to the tax collector over two thousand years ago. Not requiring withdrawal from a carefully maintained bank account, but retrieved from the mouth of a fish, this abundance was more than adequate.
The law of abundance, in the life of a Christian artist is having
• Everything that you need,
• When you need it,
• As much as you need (and most often in extravagant excess!)
• In the specific way that you need it.
This abundance was best exemplified in the manna that was adequate for the day. It rotted, if hoarded in disobedience, but lasted miraculously on the Sabbath, because of the people's pressing need of rest.
As Christian artists, we can count on the same law of abundance to work for us. The creation of art requires ideas, energy and insight - wealth to spend with every touch of the brush to canvas.
Art dwells within you, rich and full. It will flow out ceaselessly as you consider the wealth of Christ in you - your hope of glory.
Create art with a generous spirit that rests assured in the provision for each day, and for abundance during seasons of rest. With calm assurance and certainty, know that the supply will never fail. If we perceive it and appropriate it with eyes of faith, it is ours for the taking.
When our faith is puny, look around and consider all of nature in its sumptuous, lavish, extravagant abundance. Our Father authored all of it.
There is nothing about Him that is stingy or puny. The pear trees outside my window unfailingly explode into thousands of lime green leaves every spring. Each leaf is a work of exquisite perfection.
Trust Jesus’ promise that His presence in your life brings life abundantly, in ways that are truly incomparable. Don’t let Satan sell you a counterfeit promise of a “law of abundance”.
You know The Law Giver and He is abundant and His abundance dwells in you.
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