The Law of Abundance is a popular topic on the internet. Ideas about it run the gamut from writing blank checks to yourself for imagined future income to setting goals to manifest dreams of luxury homes, exotic vacations, cars….
Invariably, abundant living is understood as having an excess of money and material things. The only objective for putting this law to work seems to be for the unbridled acquisition of stuff.
However, just having material goods 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 deceives by partially satisfying and squelching your appetite for appreciating the whole.
Passionate proponents urging the pursuit of this kind of abundance will tempt you, serving it up as the answer for all of life's challenges. They are adamant that it is easily available for the taking, simply by willing it into existence. They leave no room for God, His will, plans or purposes.
The Law of Abundance: A Kingdom View
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, and with a bare minimum of costly supplies.
Jesus promises an abundance that encourages creativity despite our less than ideal, temporal circumstances. His abundance is described as an unstoppable river that wells up from within us—an abundance of His Spirit 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 abundance.
If you chase abundance without Jesus, Satan will quickly proffer a cheap substitute, bringing wealth, fame and quick success. It will be glitzy enough to keep you completely preoccupied so that you never experience the life He intended for you.
Jesus’ abundance doesn’t look anything like the counterfeit. A new perspective is required that you, as an artist, should have no trouble visualizing.
Worthy Abundance is Divinely Sourced
His kingdom has ordained more than sufficiency, with promises of continual increase over time, spilling over into excess. Powerfully illustrated throughout the Bible, it's impossible to miss. It works on the same principle as sowing seeds and reaping great harvests of like kind.
Abundance is demonstrated in the seed that must die in the ground and is considered lost. Yet in its dying, it manifests the wonder of a bountiful harvest. Abundance may not look like much for a season until it fully manifests into breathtaking excess!
In the New Testament, Jesus described the seed that roots deep, even while the one who sowed it sleeps soundly—the sleep of the contented, secure laborer, confident in his future. His seed grows silently, without his aid but empowered by God, resulting eventually in a harvest far greater than the seed sown. It was powered by the divine Law of Abundance away from 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 to pay the tax collector, when the need arose. 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 for the need at hand!
In predictable simplicity, this law still works at the Lord's command on the ageless principles of sowing and reaping, as we live surrendered to His purposes.
Although as certain as the sun rising in over the horizon every day, it does require faith and the kind of perseverance that farmers demonstrate. They ward off predators, eliminate weeds, nourish the ground, and are watchful over their seed, until the time of harvest. That takes strenuous effort and vision when there is nothing to see for a season.
Yet their efforts, though worthy, are insufficient without the divine favor of God to multiply and increase to abundance. It will be the same for you. With God's partnership you will have
Everything you need
As much as you need (and most often in extravagant excess!)
In the specific way that you need it—your personal currency in keeping with your need!
This abundance was best exemplified in the manna given as food to the Israelites in the wilderness. It was more than adequate for each day. God commanded that gathering be according to need, no more. It rotted, if amassed in greed and hoarded in disobedience.
Yet before the Sabbath God commanded that twice as much be gathered to account for the day of rest. That same manna stayed fresh to feed them on the Sabbath. This was abundant supply, miraculous but contingent on their obedience and surrender to the commands of God.
The Law of Abundance for the Artist
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 your supply will never fail. If we perceive it and receive it with eyes of faith, it is ours for the taking. It's purpose is for service for His kingdom and not merely for our own agenda.
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. " Philippians 4:19
When our faith is weak, look around at nature in its sumptuous, lavish, extravagant abundance and be encouraged. 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 counterfeit abundance, which will prove to be nothing more than distraction.
You know The Law Giver. He is with you and overwhelmingly generous. Follow His ways and enjoy His perfect supply, in magnitude and kind, for every creative endeavor you will ever undertake.
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