The Perfecting Church

There’s a popular saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Said differently, beauty is not found in the object, beauty rests in our perception. The same can be said about scarcity and abundance. What one person sees as more than enough, another sees as lack. It’s not about how much or how little we believe we have. It’s absolutely about what we see.

This world is filled with secondary success and governed by primary abundance. Secondary success is what we see, experience, manage and own in the physical realm. Primary Abundance is the triune God and His Kingdom, the source of all we see and experience in this physical world. It’s possible to have secondary success and never experience primary abundance. But God promises if we seek Him and His primary abundance, we will surely experience secondary success.

Texts. Emails. Tweets. Posts. DMs. In a day and age where our pace is driven by our tethered device, how does one find space? Space for rest, space to think, space to create, and even more so, space for the soul to be healthy.

Given the choice, most people will choose the riches of a good temporal life over the treasures of the abundant eternal life. Scarcity deceives the human soul so thoroughly, it makes it nearly impossible to get beyond defining what we see as the greatest thing to be possessed. As long as what we see is more valuable than what He says, no matter what we have we will live trapped in a world of scarcity.

In our journey of faith, we are often tempted to settle in our comfort zones, satisfied with the blessing we have received thus far and content to wait on rapture or resurrection for our exit. But what if there’s more—a higher call, a deeper surrender, a greater devotion that God requires, and that adds to us the significance we spend so much of this life seeking in other places? What if the path from scarcity to generosity is not lined with more stuff, but more surrender? What if the significance we seek lies in our wholehearted devotion?

Everything in the physical realm began in the unseen, spiritual realm. All we can see and handle was once a thought in God’s mind and a word in His mouth. Seeing and experiencing life abundantly is rooted in knowing God as the originator and source of all things. When we live ignorant of this all-encompassing truth, we see and experience life from a scarcity mindset, confined to being in this world and of this world. Functioning solely in the natural realm locks us in the scarcity of this fallen world. We must know and never forget — it’s all spiritual before it’s natural.

God’s rescue and reclaiming of humankind through Jesus Christ is the most exceptional act of love in the history of creation. There will never be another act of love more extravagant than God choosing to willingly give Himself for us. Jonah shows just how hopelessly we are lost in the madness of sin. It’s complicated because we’re loved by a God who is dedicated to our good and more aware of what that is, than we are.

The American Dream has been redefined by the next generation. They no longer want to live lead by a pursuit of provision and security first. They aren’t willing to simply pursue a secure place in the world. The next generation is fueled by a passion to make a difference and change the world.