I am wealthy.

You are wealthy too—If you know God.

I have “handfuls” of wealth, overflowing.

You have “handfuls” of wealth, too.

I am blessed beyond measure.

You are blessed beyond measures—If you too know God.

If we know God as our Father, we are wealthy—beyond blessed.

Wealthy.  Overflowing.  Blessed.  To know God as our Father.

Today, I would like to write about the reason we are to believe the truth, see the truth—we are blessed beyond measure.  Today, on this day, we need to be reminded of the many ways God Himself blesses each of us.

The great theologian Charles H. Spurgeon wrote these words that I would like to begin with today.  “God does not give as we do, a mere trifle to the beggar, but He bestows His wealth by hands-ful.”

Stop for a minute with me on this day and count, yes count, the way God has given to us His wealth by the hands-ful.

I am loved; you are loved.

I am saved; hopefully, you too are saved by God.

I am surrounded by family; maybe you too have a church family and an earthly family that surrounds you too.

I have a wonderful husband who loves me; maybe you too are blessed in this way.

I have the gift of a daughter, given to me, in God’s timing, to love, to cherish, to enjoy.

I have also been given another to love, given in God’s timing, to love, to walk through life with, and to enjoy.

Wealth (by God’s standard) has so much to do with numbers.

Wealth (by God’s standard) has so much to not do with my bank account.

God’s wealth is found within His relationships—those He has given us to know, to share life with, to love, and to know throughout eternity.

Today is a good day to make a list of God’s blessings.  Maybe every day is a good day for this list.  In considering the way God has blessed my life, I began to read Hebrews 13, a chapter that revels the way Christ Jesus Does Not Change.  Thank You, God, for Your Unchanging Salvation, for Your Unchanging Faithfulness.

It’s a beautiful passage.  Then I read James 1, a chapter that speaks of the testing of our faith. See with me God’s Word.

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;  for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say,

“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?”

(HEBREWS 13: 5-6)

I am part of a reading group at the university, and the title of our book study is The Courage to Teach.

Within this group, I have met—

Austin, the physics instructor.

Mike, the instructor of the Old Testament.

Sarah, the staff member who works with students who are falling behind.

Stephen, the facilitator and instructor of Sociology.

John, the instructor of the New Testament.   &

Sarah, the dean of English and the teacher of literature.

The dynamics of this group are so varied, so wonderful.

John is sixty-six years old.

Mike has taught at the university for five years.

Sarah (the staff member) is beginning a new degree, one that will take her even more into the classroom.

Austin brings his knowledge of science to our study, blending God with the care for our students.

Stephen leads us through his questions, building community among us.

Sarah speaks, and we know her love of what’s right leads her thinking.

And there I sit, a newcomer to this campus yet one who has been in the classroom for thirty years.

Last Thursday, John spoke words that have stuck with me—“I have a translation of the Bible that is not separated by chapters and verses, published before the chapters and verses were added.”  Immediately, I knew how I wanted to borrow that copy of God’s Word.  Today’s passage even brings this back to my mind because the end chapter of Hebrews blends right into the first chapter of James, as if there should never be a division, but a continuation.

“Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have;  for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say,

“THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID.

WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME? . . . ” (HEBREWS 13: 5-6)

“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights , with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”  (James 1: 17)

God’s wealth—His gifts from above.

Maybe today is a good day to make a list of God’s blessings.

Maybe you will have little time for anything else.

Maybe every day is a good day for this list.

God’s wealth is handed to us by the Handfuls—Thank You, God.

God’s wealth is given to us to enjoy, to receive, and to accept by faith.

God’s wealth is both concrete and true.

God’s wealth—what would we ever do without God’s wealth!

“handfuls” of wealth, overflowing.  Thank You, Father God.