Pathway to Abundance
by Margaret D. Mitchell
"And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God's word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest." -Luke 8:15 (NLT)
The Parables
In the Parable of the Sower (Lk. 8:4-15), Jesus reveals that our path to His abundance is holy living, a bridge to His manifest splendor. And I don’t believe it’s any coincidence that the Parable of the Lamp immediately follows in Luke 8:16-18.
Light of Truth – An Honest, Whole Heart
Any root sin, any secrets of darkness in the basements of our hearts will hinder God’s blessings in us, through us and for us. We need to take the courage that Christ died to give us and invite His light into those areas to release a powerful transformation of cleansing and healing, of restoration and renewal, of divine order so that His good inner fruit can flourish and produce much good outer fruit. God desires our whole heart, and there can be no shortcuts or reservations. Come wholeheartedly into the light of Christ and see the glory of God! He will never forsake you!
Inheritance and Harvest
Where holy living produces a harvest, righteousness is our inheritance. Holy living is what we do in submission to Christ as we abide in Him. Righteousness is who we are in Christ. Intimacy begins when we fall in love with Jesus and make Him our primary priority. When we truly love Him with our whole heart, He pours out blessings to us that we cannot contain. And there is nothing we will not do for Him void of fear.
Waffling Love Walk
If you find that you have been waffling in your walk with Jesus, could there be oppressiveness or rocks or thorns in your heart (Lk. 8:5-7)—areas of dryness that The Jesus longs to cast out so He can fill you up to overflowing with His nourishing new wine and empowering love? 1 John 4:18 tells us that “perfect love casts out fear.” So what are you holding onto that you need to hand over to God and entrust Him at His Word that He is for you and that He has a plan to prosper you? What have you locked away in fear—perhaps even as far back as childhood, perhaps in an attempt to protect yourself or others?
Our Wretchedness versus His Worthiness
There is no sin so wretched that the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse. There is no trauma so intense that He cannot lift. There is no shame so scornful that Jesus cannot wipe away. Romans 8:1 assures us, “there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” So won’t you entrust Him with your secrets? He longs to give you new wine for the dusty, cobwebbed bottles you’ve reserved in isolation for yourself in the deep, dark cellars of your heart.
Our worthiness is in Christ alone—our inheritance-identity. And holy believers in Christ are His uncommon people chosen for uncommon assignments and blessings! Chosen means we have chosen to yield to God’s righteousness.
Huge Abundance
The path to God's “huge harvest” abundance on earth is our consistent yieldingness to His steadfast presence, even in times of perseverance—when our wine gets especially pressed. Notice in Luke 8:15 (above) the phrase “patiently produce.” Here, God works to help us bring forth a “huge harvest” over time as we keep our minds on Him and endure amid the deep challenges He allows in our lives. In this way, a huge harvest is produced inwardly before it occurs outwardly.
Holy living is our bridge to God’s glory in the journey—His manifest splendor that empowers us. And faith is our bridge to God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promises to us. We must simply believe Him at His Word, trust Him, obey Him and wait for His promised fruition. He will not forget.
3 John 1:2 assures us that we prosper as our souls prosper. We will rest deeply in His Word when we lay to rest the deep secrets of our soul with Christ. Wholeheartedness is a layered treasury and a constant choice of yieldingness to God’s will. Anything less and we will never reap the “huge harvest” God desires us to have. Luke 8:8 promises us a hundred-fold return to those with a heart of “fertile soil.”
Prayer
Dear Lord, You tell me in Ezekiel 11:19-20 that You will give me singleness of heart and put a new spirit within me, that You will take away my stony, stubborn heart and give me a tender, responsive heart, so I will obey Your decrees and regulations. Then I will truly be Yours, and You will be my God. I confess as sin and repent of double-mindedness and for locking parts of my heart away from You in fear, for not entrusting them to You. Please forgive me for distrust and for unbelief. I now invite You, Jesus, into the dark cellars of my mind and heart to shine Your light upon them, to cleanse them and to restore them. I hand over all my secret cellars to You Lord. Come Jesus and fill them with Your new wine for Your glory. Cultivate my heart, remove all the stones, and giving me a heart of flesh for Your glory. I renounce all agreement with the enemy. I choose to shine for You Lord. Please transform me into the uncommon person You desire me to be, and please give me uncommon assignments that honor You Lord. Amen.
Margaret D. Mitchell is the Founder of God's Love at Work, a marketplace outreach purposed to share God's greatest power source - the love of Christ. This devotional was adapted from Margaret's forthcoming book, Enduring Grace. All rights reserved.
