During one of the hardest seasons of my life I learned the most about abundant living. My husband had been laid off from a good job, I was working tirelessly to make ends meet and life was very stressful. I wanted desperately for my circumstances to change.
While battling hardships and trials, I sought the Lord for the answers to my problems, and He diligently answered me. He led me to a Scripture in the Old Testament that jumped off the pages when I read it.
Deuteronomy 30:6 says, “The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart, and with all your soul, and live.”
In these verses, I found the answer to what my heart longed to know. The word ‘circumcise’ is derived from a Latin word meaning, to cut. In the midst of excruciating trials, it felt like my heart was being circumcised. God was cutting away the things inside me that were hindering me from fully loving Him and fully living life. The process was, at times, excessively painful. But ultimately it led me to the abundance my soul was longing for.
Everyone wants to live abundantly. The Bible says that Jesus came to give us life, and to give it more abundantly (John 10:10). Yet how many people truly tap into the abundant life that Christ offers? Could it be the way we view our lives, or what we equate happiness with? For a season, I was seeking abundance in the wrong places, which led to more disappointment.
In God’s infinite grace, He took me through a season of testing because He wanted to lead me to the true source of abundance.
Are you in the midst of being pulled and stretched? Do you feel as though life is caving in around you?
To be rebuilt, a house needs to be torn down first. It can be an excruciating process. Do not lose heart. God is building a beautiful house out of your life. He uses every loss and every struggle for our good. Nothing He allows in our lives is in vain. He uses it all.
The things in my past, that were the hardest to endure, are what led me to the abundant life in Christ—a life of genuine joy and peace—that is not determined by things or circumstances.
Through the hardships, God gave me a new heart—a heart that rejoices because of His love.
It really is pure joy for a child of God to face trials because we know that no matter what is happening, Jesus is walking along beside us, carrying us, allowing us to bask in His great love at all times and in all circumstances.
Jesus is everything—when we know this, then we know that any other good thing we have in life is only the icing on the cake.
Lord, I thank You for the abundance of joy and peace that You give to us. Help us to look to You as our only source. Let us be content in all circumstances and know You are all we really need to live abundantly. I pray in Your name, Christ. Amen.
“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” 1 Peter 2:5 (NASB)
This post has been revised and was originally written in 2008.
Very beautifully written. 🙂
Thank you, Roxene! I am grateful for the gift of your friendship. 🙂
This spoke to me right where I am… in the midst of losing our house, several thousand dollars in debt… and adapting to a new place. I could definitely say the old house has been torn down… Some days it feels like everything is torn asunder, strewn everywhere, kinda like a tornado has ripped through… Yet I know in the depths of my being that this is what must happen for the new house to be built. I think of these words as I type.. “On Christ the solid rock I stand all other ground is sinking sand…” It has brought me to this place where dependence on God alone is the path of life. I loved your words.
Tears came to my eyes as I read your comment, Julie. I’m so sorry that you’re in the midst of losing your house. My heart goes out to you and I pray that you will see God’s hand in the middle of the mess. I am grateful for you and I look forward to seeing all the good that will come out of this trial you’re in. Know that you are loved and you’re in my prayers.