There is More: When the World Says You Can’t, God Says You Can. Brian Houston
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or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time—houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (Mark 10:29–31)
Notice He refers to both “now in this time” and “in the age to come” and makes a clear distinction between the two. But along with promised blessing (“now in this time”), His words are a sober reminder that persecutions are also a part of this life. Not everyone understands the blessings of God and His promises for those who live in faithful obedience.
So, what is abundance? Is it financial blessing? It could be. It’s true that God can bless your business and bring abundant resources your way. His Word is clear that He blesses those who are committed to blessing others. But that’s not the only thing or even the first thing that comes to mind when I think about God’s overflow. To me, abundance encapsulates so much more.
The dictionary defines abundance as “plentifulness of the good things of life.”1 Think about that. Plenty of love, plenty of kindness, plenty of joy, plenty of peace, plenty of success, plenty of relationships, plenty of laughter, plenty of dessert … Okay, maybe that last one is just me. But “the good things of life” leaves room for a lot of interpretation!
It brings me back to the promise that motivated me to put pen to paper and write There Is More in the first place: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us …” (Ephesians 3:20).
Exceeding: surpassing and going beyond
Abundant: full and overflowing
Above: lifting you higher than you could ever ask or think
All made possible by His power working in you.
Did you know that abundance and success were among the first covenant commandments that God spoke to humans? He said to “be fruitful, multiply, replenish, and have dominion” (see Genesis 1:28). God was speaking not only about offspring but of an entire life and environment of perpetual and generational blessing and increase. This blessing and increase had a purpose then that still continues today. As I’ve mentioned already in this chapter, we are blessed in order to be a blessing to others and to display God’s goodness in our lives. If we are to be a blessing to others, our thinking must come into agreement with what the Bible teaches about living blessed.
The key to aligning your attitude with blessing is what you put first in your life: seek first His kingdom, and all these things will be added to you (see Matthew 6:33). I love that promise! But what exactly does it mean to seek first the kingdom?
Ruled by Rules
Obedience is not the most popular word these days. There are some who are telling everyone, “Be an individual—submit to no one!” Entire movements have been founded on the principles of disobedience, bucking the system, steering away from the norm. Yet John 14:15 spells it out clearly when God says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commands” (HCSB).
Notice it doesn’t say, “If you love Me, you will read your Bible for one hour every day, pray without ceasing, be nice to everyone, give a 10 percent tithe and 5 percent to missions, and volunteer in church.” So many people allow religious practices and man-made interpretations of the Scriptures to rule their spirit. Well-meaning Christians steer people down the wrong path of regulation and ritual instead of one of living in the grace of relationship with Christ.
If you’ve ever been to Hillsong Church, you know that we place great value on biblical principles such as servanthood, tithing, giving, sharing the faith, and worship. But we’re not bound by them! It’s not an environment where you’ll be kicked out if you didn’t say your prayers or forgot to bring your Bible. When you walk in a true, living, dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ, obedience becomes not a sacrifice but an overflow of your love for God. Your ability to hear God’s voice (and not only hear Him but listen and trust His best intentions and promises for your life) becomes the greatest driving force of your desire to obey. Seeking first the kingdom becomes a natural response rather than a forced reaction.
The Cost of More
One of the foremost examples of obedience in the Bible comes early in God’s Word. The Genesis story of Abraham and Sarah bearing a promised son in their old age is one of those shout-from-the-rooftop, our-God-answers-prayer testimonies. For years, this barren woman carried the shame of her condition, while her husband waited on the fulfillment of a prophecy that he would father multitudes. Multitudes? From a ninety-year-old barren woman? Yet our God once again did the impossible. They named him Isaac, and I imagine he was the joy of their lives. He was the culmination of hope and trust, a promise and a dream that their descendants—through this small child—would be as numerous as all the stars in the sky.
So that is why I find the story of Abraham and his miracle son on a mountain in Moriah perhaps the most confronting story in the Old Testament. As a dad, my natural inclination is always to protect my children and do anything I can to keep them from harm. When they were young, it was “Please hold my hand” when crossing the road or always being careful to double-check the latch on the pool fence. As they got older, it became “Drive carefully” and “Don’t be late,” said kindly but firmly as they walked out the door. It would be true to say that our children tend to keep our prayer lives active, and although I have always been devoted to keeping my word and not canceling preaching appointments, if someone in my family were genuinely in pain or trouble, everything in me would want to rush to his or her side. My commitment and loyalty will always be to family.
That’s why, as a dad, I can’t even contemplate how it must have felt when God asked of Abraham the unthinkable:
It came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
And he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted his eyes and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together. But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!”
And he said, “Here I am, my son.”
Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.” (Genesis 22:1–8)
I’ve read this passage numerous times in my Christian journey. We know what comes next, but do we ever stop to think about those moments between the sacrifice and the provision? Obedience. Abraham certainly wasn’t doing it because he wanted to. I imagine he was walking up that mountain trembling, wiping tears from his eyes and sweat from his brow, praying that this wasn’t the moment when God would snuff out His promise.
Think of the conversation when Isaac looked at his father, confusion and innocence on his face. “But Daddy, where is the sheep to kill?”
Abraham’s response—“God Himself will provide the lamb”—was faith filled, but his actions were defining. He didn’t just stop at lip service. The Scriptures tell