What does it mean to abound?” The Webster dictionary says it this way: “To have or possess in great quantity; to be copiously supplied; followed by with or in; as to abound with provisions; to abound in good things.”
This certainly applies to our walk with Christ. He gives us plenty, sometimes so much that we cannot contain it; and I am not talking about the getting of physical things. Yes, he supplies all we have need of when we have need of it. We do not usually get beforehand. He even supplies many of our wants, giving to his children in large and small ways.

In 1 Corinthians 15:58 we read, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” What does it mean to abound in the work of the Lord? It means to continue in it, be more in practice of it; whether in a particular ministry God has called you to or other good works which he tells us we are to do. When we continue on in whatever area of service/work and we give it all we have for him then we will find ourselves being fruitful and blessed in what we are doing. We are not told to do good works as a mean of keeping ourselves saved, Christ does that! No, we are told to build the body of Christ up in whatever way he has called us to do it, and because of our overwhelming love of God it compels us to minister, to teach, to help, to love and so on, and all of these should increase as we mature in the Lord and walk with him.

We are told in Philippians 1:9 “And this I pray, that your love may abound more and more in real knowledge and all discernment.”
When we are born again we are filled with the Spirit of God and because we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are filled with his love, because God is love, it is a fruit of the Spirit. And as we grow in Christ we should begin to walk in love, exercising it at all times. We are to allow that love to blossom and bloom in us and pour out to all who are near to us. Grace had been implemented in them at the time of their saving and it should be reflected not only in the principle of our hearts but in our words and our actions.

We have the bubbly well of living water flowing through us and because of this, every aspect of our lives should have evidence of this living water that flows from Calvary’s cross all the way to our hearts, spilling out in all ways, increasing more and more as we walk in Christ. We can never be extreme in the love that flows from God’s heart to ours, mans love can be extreme and sometimes compel even bad behavior, but the love lavished on us, the love that fills our hearts and is from God cannot ever be too much. As the Spirit fills us he will also guide us in every aspect of our lives and our love, showing us and helping us to do all things in ways that please the God.

In Romans 15:13 it says: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Hope if from the Lord, the giver of grace, the giver of hope. Jesus is our hope, we look forward with anticipation to seeing him face to face. We hope and rest in the promises He made to us. As we journey through this life with all its ups and downs, hurts and heartaches, we march on in the hope of better and we look back in time and are strengthened by all that the Lord has brought us through in the past. The times when we were pretty sure we would not, could not make it through, but God worked it out and we find our hope increased because of it.

Hope is where we Christian’s reside. Confident that the God who called us will keep us even all the way through deaths doors and into the remainder of our eternal life with Christ Jesus. Hope sits with us as we wait in hospital rooms with sick loved ones. Hope stands with us next to the grave of a loved one. Hope calls to us as we get downtrodden over the earth’s difficulties and hurts; every time we hear a news story of another senseless act of violence Hope whispers to us, encourages us to keep marching on in the name of Jesus and reminds us to look at all that God has already done, all those times he showed up right on time. We can take a long look back at the prophet and people of times past and read one account after another of all that God did for those then and what he still does for us today.

Yes, it is possible to abound in hope, it can increase as we start counting our blessings. There is an old hymn that says: “Count your blessings name the one by one, count your blessings see what God has done.” Oh, friend, he is the same God today as he was way back then. He still operates in the same salvation, the same compassion, the same love and hope, the same justice, grace, and mercy. He never changes! Just knowing that God is and will always be, that he loves you and has called you his own is a good place for hope to bloom and abound, don’t you think?

I want to abound more in those things God has called me to do, no matter how small the task or how hard the day. I want my heart and mind so focused on the Lord that I see the world through him and not him through this world. Everything we do should be “unto the Lord.” With that as our hearts prayer, our work and our hope cannot help but abound!

Blessings to you as you continue on in the work he has called you to, as you grow in grace and walk in the hope that we have in Jesus. As you put one spiritual foot in front of the other, the Holy Spirit is there leading, teaching, growing and helping, you can be confident that anything you do for the Lord is never ever wasted in your own life or in the Kingdom of God.