Ministering from the overflow

1 Thessalonians 3:9-13

All Christian should know that this side of heaven we will never reach a point in our walk with God where we have arrived. There’s always more of God to know and experience and there is always more room for spiritual growth. And when it comes to serving the kingdom of God, we can’t fake it till we make it. Instead the scriptures teach that believers are to abound in the grace and love of God. For example, Paul wrote, “and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 1:14

The greatest impact we can make for Christ will be from the overflow of our dynamic love relationship with Him.  I didn’t say, an overflow of knowledge, but serving from the outflow of our intimacy. When we don’t minister from the overflow there will be little fruit and we will burnout.  What I mean by ministering out of the overflow is that there must be a steady inflow of the grace and love of God by which we are transformed and enabled to serve others to the glory of Christ.  For this reason Paul prayed for others and no doubt for himself, “...may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you,” (1 Thessalonians 3:12). And again in Philippians we read, “And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,” (Philp. 1:9)

Now, the reason we can abound in Love is because God is abounding in love toward us. The Psalmist for example wrote, “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5)

We were saved, while we were yet sinners, because of His abounding love. And towards us who are children God that sometimes stray from the Lord, He is good, He is patient, He is forgiving and He is waiting to pour out His abounding love to us when we turn back to Him and call upon His name. In Joel we read: “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; 13and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster.” (Joel 2:12).

What does it mean for the believer that God is abounding in love towards us?

•God will never tire of loving us
•His love is like a deep ocean that we can explore and experience, but never exhaust the discovering of new realities of the beauties of His love
•His love will never give up on us
•His love will never abandon us
•Nothing can separate us from His love
•His love will relentlessly pursue us even when we stray.

Once again, we can abound in love because God is abounding in love towards us. But its vital that we also understand that we will not abound in love if we are grieving the Spirit that pours God's love into our hearts (Romans 5:5). But because God is so good, even if we have strayed from Him, He calls us to, “Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love..." Joel 2:12

May we seek God continually to make us increase and abound in love so that we would bring glory to His name and supply what is lacking in the faith of others (1 Thess. 3:12).