GETTING MORE

“Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.”  (Matthew 13:12a NIV)

One of my professors used to say, “God doesn’t put all the cookies on the bottom shelf.” When studying the Bible, we can’t expect to find all the gems immediately. Sometimes we have to work at it. We have to grow before we can know.

This is an important aspect of the Christian life. As we “have” – that is, as we gain some new insight from God’s Word, make it our own, and use it in life – God gives us more.

For example, when I study a passage and then meditate on it to learn how it applies to my circumstances and my life, insights come rapidly at first, then more slowly, until I reach a point where I feel as though nothing more can be found.

Then it hits me. Suddenly I see something awesomely beautiful that I’ve never seen before. It might be an insight that others have had for years. But it’s new for me. There’s a great thrill in that discovery.

I believe that’s what Jesus was saying. Take what you have. Use it. Apply it. Live it. Then God will add to it and make you abound all the more.

Lord, open my eyes to new insights in Your Word.

– Mark R. Littleton in The Quiet Hour Daily Devotional, Dec. 1990

#4009