Thank you faithful readers for reading my posts. It means the world to me.

Pastor Kevin is a deeply devoted man of God, and he opened my eyes again to the beauty of Ephesians 3.14-21. I’ve been reading it in the NIV, but I really like how the late Dr. Peterson paraphrases it.

My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit – not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength – that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all Christians the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

God can do anything you know – far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.

Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh yes!

Proactive living begins internally. Most of us learn that spread out over years. I think that’s why our devotion and love to the Father grows deeper. When I became a Christian I made the most important decision of my life, and after my dad baptized me I knew without a doubt I was going to live eternally with the Father, Son and Spirit wherever the new earth is going to be. As hindsight teaches me I know I’ve not been sinless, but committing your life to Christ is not about being sinless or understanding all the challenges Satan has created to cause us to sin. I’ve sinned more times than I want to think about in the last 37 years. I’ll sin many more times till I pass from this form of eternity. I feel certain sin will not be a part of our experience when Jesus returns to separate the sheep from the goats. I will be among the sheep, not because I’ve earned it, but because Jesus paid a debt I could never pay to spend eternity with him.

I’ve lived life many times from a scarcity mentality. At the risk of sounding like the Health and Wealth Gospel I am going to write that most of us live in the scarcity mindset because Satan has leveraged the power of fear for great gain in his kingdom. I refuse to give into scarcity thinking. God has not given us a spirit of timidity and fear. He’s given us a Spirit of power, love and self-control. That has nothing to do with money or a clean bill of health. I’m thankful when I have plenty of money, and my health is good, but my happiness is not tied to those two things. My happiness is directly linked to my relationship with a Father who loved me before I was born.

That’s what Kevin is trying to communicate to our church family. That’s what the Father has been trying to communicate to his children since he created Adam and Eve. It’s the greatest love story ever told, and Jesus is icing on the cake. There’s not a single thing that will change that unconditional love, and if you’re having trouble believing that you aren’t the only one. You’re in good company dear one because we all struggle with scarcity thinking in all areas of our lives. God wants us to believe in abundant life that he gives us. I have to repent on a daily basis because materialism is a temptation I give into too many times.

The number of paradoxes we balance on a daily basis sometimes boggles my mind because rich, middle class and poor can battle materialism. God wants our undivided attention, and sometimes our thinking about money and stuff can hinder that. Those things can also bring us closer to him when we realize everything belongs to our merciful Father.

I continue to learn from the Father and the movement of the Son and Spirit how I should think about and act upon their ways when it comes to wealth. It’s an inward and outward journey. I grew up differently than I’m living my adult life, so as I go through each day I strive to seek him first as I operate my business and pastor the flock.

Once again I thank God for my cup that runneth over, and when he does bless us financially I pray I will bless others with the abundance Kevin has been talking about.

May we never tire of seeking him through an abundance mentality. Calling is appropriate, so if our Father has called someone to a life of poverty let’s me gentle with those who have been called to that kind of lifestyle.

I love you each and everyone, and I’m thankful we have roofs over our heads, and keyboards under our fingers to share these thoughts with each other.

Grace and peace.