I. Abundance, Scarcity, and Ruin
We prepare for scarcity,
Fail to anticipate abundance.
If scarcity and abundance are opposite ends of a spectrum,
Potentially ruinous from different directions,
Then, how may we prepare for abundance?
II. Adapting to Scarcity
In a deep, dark valley,
Scarcely surviving,
Abundance is unimaginable.
The valley becomes woven into our being,
Without alternative, we accept it,
Out of necessity, we adapt to it,
From it, we are reborn.
Stripped, reduced,
Adapted, evolved,
Salvable, and unrecognizable.
III. Salvation from Scarcity
A rescue from the valley,
An unexpected deliverance,
Arrives with overwhelming demands.
Unacclimated, unable to breathe,
Blinded, unable to see in the light,
Physically elevated, mentally unadjusted.
Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
1 Corinthians 2:9
IV. Unprepared for Abundance
Comfortable with nothingness,
We are unprepared for abundance,
Careless with treasure.
Do we consume as much as we can?
Like a glutton, fearing a return to the valley,
Perhaps, feeling ungrateful if we fail to consume what is given.
Do we reject our treasure?
In disbelief of the endless gifts given to us,
Unsure how to receive grace.
Do we accept it and redirect it?
Wisely discerning abundance,
What is meant to keep, and give away.
V. A Timely Promise
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and
From the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 12:48
How may we prepare,
For abundance?
What if, when in the valley,
Rather than seek a promise,
We make a promise?
A promise to be fulfilled,
In a time of abundance.
A promise to remember feeling nothingness,
A promise to gratefully accept enduring blessings,
A promise to generously give away your treasure,
A promise to serve when saved.