HAVE

verb: to keep, control, or experience as one’s own; to possess, to enjoy

Now that we know what we have–Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God–let’s not let it slip through our fingers.  Hebrews 4:14

My checkbook is a little bit messy right now. I am usually very responsible to write in every single expense and make sure to keep close tabs on my finances. I try not to spend more than I have.

Recently, it was getting harder to balance. The dollar amount written in my register looked quite meager compared with the total on my bank statement. My bank seemed to think that I had more money than I did, and it definitely felt like things were not matching up. When I finally checked my math over several pages of transactions, I was delighted to find a significant mistake that cleared it up: there had been more in my account than I realized this whole time.

For two months, I had been operating from a place of not enough. There is stress in this place, a tense feeling of lack and need and fear.

But it’s often not about money. We do this with time, with attention, with energy, and even with our self-worth. We live with a scarcity mindset. We live like we don’t have enough.

We live much of the time like we don’t have enough of God.

Instead of leaning in to his direction, we get upset when life turns out differently than we were expecting.

Instead of relying on our faith, we often doubt that he can work for good in our relationships, our health, our finances, and our future.

Instead of resting in the assurance of his sovereignty and love, we worry incessantly–even when we have just prayed and put a situation into his hands.

Instead of trusting his forgiveness, we run from him instead of to him when we are in trouble.

God gave us everything when he gave us Jesus.

He deposited his Holy Spirit in our hearts, the same amazing spirit of power and love that he filled his Son with.

He gave us unlimited access to his presence, his grace and healing and strength.

He wrote to us his everlasting words rich with life-giving truth and faithful promises.

He lavished on us gifts of wisdom and peace and hope that increase when we are in the storms and trials of life.

And he poured into us uncontainable joy and freedom with more to look forward to than we can ever imagine.

Let’s check our math. We have so much more than we realize. Let’s quit operating from a place of deficit and lack when we actually have all we could possibly need available to us. God has given us his son–our great High Priest, Jesus–who brings us blameless before his throne. Everything we need is found in him.

Invite Him In

Jesus knows the places where we don’t feel like we have enough, and he can fill them. We are sons and daughters of the King of Kings, and he doesn’t make mistakes. Whatever we seem to be lacking can be found in his loving presence. He will make sure we are well taken care of. Let’s live like we are rich…because we are.