Law of Abundance

The law of abundance is apparently a popular topic on the Internet. Is it any wonder? Ideas about it run the gamut from writing blank checks to yourself for imagined future income, to  goal setting in order to manifest dreams of luxury homes, exotic vacations, cars….

My Cup Runneth Over
Polymer Clay
18x36"
Sara Joseph

Abundance, Polymer Clay Relief Sculpture, Sara

Invariably, abundant living is understood as merely having an excess of money and things. The only objective for making this law work for you seems to be the acquisition of material things.

However, just 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 because it partially satisfies while squelching your appetite for appreciating the whole.

Passionate proponents of this kind of "law of abundance" will tempt you serving it up as the answer for all of life's challenges. They are adamant that abundance is there for the taking simply by willing it into existence.

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.

There an abundance that Jesus promises - one that encourages creativity despite our less than ideal, temporal circumstances. It is 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 truly 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 in the repeated principle of sowing seeds and reaping a harvest.

This abundance is pictured as the seed that dies in the ground and is considered almost lost. Yet in its dying manifests the wonder of a bountiful harvest. It is described elsewhere as the seed that roots deep, even while the farmer who sowed it sleeps, growing silently without his aid, resulting eventually in a harvest far greater than the seed sown. It too was powered by the divine law, working unseen by human eyes.

The law of abundance was at work in the hundreds of fish that flopped about in Peter’s nets, breaking them as they were hauled in at the Lord's command. It was expressed, once again at the Lord's command, in the coin found in the mouth of a fish for 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 unusual, yet more than adequate!

I testify that in the life of a Christian artist this law of abundance still works at the Lord's command,  when we live lives that are surrendered to Him and His purposes. It will supply you with

  • Everything you need
  •  As much as you need (and most often in extravagant excess!)
  •  In the specific way that you need it. 

Still not convinced? Here are some other examples. 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 is assured of 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.

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. " Phl 4:19

When our faith is puny, look around at nature in all 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 reminding me of this very thing.  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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