The Abundance of God’s Glory

God always desires to pour out more of his glory on his people. He longs to do for us “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV). This is why he wants a people who have a ravenous appetite for more of him. He wants to fill them with his awesome presence, beyond anything they’ve experienced in their lifetime.

Jesus said, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). To obtain this abundant life, though, we must abound more and more in pleasing the Lord. Paul wrote, “We urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God” (1 Thessalonians 4:1) as well as “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58).

The Greek word for abound means “to exceed, excel, super-abound, to have enough and to spare, over and above, excessive, exceeding abundantly above, beyond measure.” Paul was saying, “God’s glory in your life is going to exceed the little moments you’ve gotten up till now, but your prayers have to be more than just saying a blessing over your meals.”

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 2:6-7). Paul was saying, “To have this abundant life of God’s glory and presence, you must serve him above measure, with a love and commitment exceeding that of lazy, slumbering servants.”

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself” (Ephesians 1:7-9). God wants to mete out to you glory and revelation beyond any previous measure. The Lord is saying, “I’m going to open to you a deeper understanding of my Word. I want to give you revelations of its mysteries.”