Tuesday 27 January - How God sees things

DAILY BYTE

As we consider the overflowing abundance of God this week, it’s important for us to recognise that the paradigm out of which God operates is fundamentally different from the paradigm out of which the world most commonly operates.

(A ‘paradigm’ could be defined as the foundational convictions upon which the organizing principles of our lives are built. And if you’ve understood that, you’re doing better than me!)

What I’m getting at here is that God operates out of a paradigm of abundance, whereas the world, most commonly, operates out of a paradigm of scarcity.

Any introductory textbook on economics usually starts off with a definition of economics that speaks about SCARCITY in one way or another.

For example: “Economics is the study of how limited resources can best meet unlimited needs.”

Or, “Economics is the study of how scarcity can be maximized.”

The underlying assumption which is the usual departure point of all economic theories, is that there is not enough in this world of what everyone wants, so we have to ‘economise’ – to use what there is in the best possible way.

Now on one level this is, of course, true. There is a limit to the amount of fossil fuels in the earth, ozone in the atmosphere, fish in the seas and trees in the tropical rain forests. We cannot continue to consume and denude these resources as if they exist in a never-ending supply. We must be wise and responsible in our use of these things.

But a fundamental question remains, “Do we believe that in this world there is, in essence, enough for the needs of all?” The question applies not just to the material resources that we need for life, but to the other things that make for abundant living – things like peace, harmony, hospitality, safety, kindness, compassion, generosity and love.

The paradigm out of which God operates answers that question with an emphatic ‘Yes!’ According to God there is enough, in fact more than enough of what we truly need to experience life at its best.

God knows this because God designed the world in the first place. God knows that in the very beginning, when there was nothing but the emptiness of a formless void, it was through God’s word that the world was spoken into existence. And God continues to speak over our lives, with loving and recreating words of truth and life.

Therefore ours is not a world of scarcity, but of breathtaking abundance and infinite possibility. Because God’s word continues to sound over all of creation.

That’s why Jesus could say, “Nobody lives by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God!”

The scriptures, of course, provide a rich source for God’s word to be heard. As we commit to immersing ourselves in the scriptures, so the overflowing abundance of God can wash over us, and assure us of the glorious sufficiency that is found in God.

PRAY AS YOU GO

O God, may your word take root in me, and become an overflowing spring of life within me that will never run dry. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

Isaiah 55:10-11

As the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return to it without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater
so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire and the purpose for which I sent it.