Topic for this week: Abundance
Below are 10 Items to use throughout the week for your Spiritual Growth. Feel free to pick the items that connect you to God the best.
Bible Dialogue
Let’s Eat!
Who worries the most about the food in your household?
Read Matthew 14:15-21 (Also in Mark 14:13-21; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)
Why did Christ’s disciples advise him to send the people away?
- Meal time was coming and they had no food (or money) for them.
- Jesus had lost track of time (again).
- It was a desolate place—nobody would want to stick around there.
- The disciples were tired and wanted a break.
- Jesus had no more to say and no more healing miracles to do.
- The crowd was huge.
- God impressed the disciples to tell Jesus it was time to move on.
- The disciples wanted to go get food for themselves.
- Other
Why did Jesus tell his disciples to feed the crowd?
- Jesus was only joking.
- To make it obvious they needed a miraculous God.
- Jesus felt responsible to provide for the people’s basic needs.
- He felt a miracle was about to happen.
- This would test the faith of the disciples.
- So they would experience God’s miraculous power through them.
- Jesus would never expect that—it must be a bad translation.
- To demonstrate God’s abundance exceeds human need.
- Other
What does it take to feed a multitude?
- Jesus.
- Disciples.
- A multitude.
- A little boy with a little bit of food.
- A miracle.
- Faith.
- Prayer.
- Organization so there isn’t a stampede.
- Other.
What was in ABUNDANCE that day?
- Teachings.
- Healings.
- Food.
- Faith.
- People.
- Amazement.
- Leftover food.
- Other.
Why did Jesus pray a blessing before distributing the food?
- You always have to pray a blessing before you eat a meal.
- To point to God the Father as the source of this miracle.
- It provided another way to teach people how to pray.
- To demonstrate the link: God the Father to Jesus to the disciples.
- This could encourage others to pray for miracles.
- Remind people this was a holy moment.
- Jesus had signed up as a prayer warrior and it was his time to pray.
- Jesus talked with his Father constantly; he just said this part out loud.
- Other.
What details in this story remind you of other parts in the Bible?
- Manna in the wilderness was bread for these people’s ancestors.
- Moses said someone like him would return (Deut. 18:18).
- The five loaves of bread symbolized the five books in the Torah.
- At the last supper, Jesus gave thanks, broke bread, gave it to the 12.
- The 12 baskets refer to the 12 tribes and then the 12 disciples.
- Elijah provided miracle food for the widow (1 Kings 17:8-16).
- Gehazi thought it impossible for Elisha to feed 100 (2 Kings 4:42-44).
- Jesus claimed to be the bread of life (John 6:22-59).
- Other.
What has God asked you to do that would take a miracle to happen?
What has God abundantly given you to pass along to others?
Prayer Experiences
- Pray about “Highs” and “Lows.” Those are extremes, and “Abundance” is often an extreme.
- Reflect on a period of time, such as one day or one week or even one month. At Thanksgiving we often reflect on an entire year. As you reflect over the time period you’ve chosen, what comes to mind in terms of the “Highs” you experienced? There might be more than one. You can even chart it on a sheet of paper.
- Do the same thing with the “Lows.” Over the same time period, what were the low times? Put them on the chart in the position that indicates how low each one was. If you are sharing this in a group and you want to be a little more reserved about what you share, just draw symbols rather than writing words or speaking them. Some things are good to share with others and some things are better said just to God.
- Then compare your highs and your lows. Let these be your conversation with God. Let this be your prayer. If you’re in a group, take turns sharing “Highs” and “Lows” with each other and with God.
Discussion Questions
Select from these questions, or let them prompt your own questions. You can reflect on these by yourself, or discuss them with another person or group of people.
- What comes to mind for you when you hear the word “Abundance”?
- Where do you have abundance?
- Money
- Family
- Godliness
- Friends
- Junk
- Time
- Intelligence
- Experiences
- Ideas
- Energy
- Prayer
- Intimacy
- What do you say to others who don’t experience abundance?
- What does “Abundance” have to do with “the cross of Christ”—our spiritual emphasis for this series of spiritual growth resources?
- How much do you have to have in order to feel like it’s abundance?
- If you haven’t experienced a lack of abundance, do you really know what abundance is?
- Compare two of the seven churches in Revelation—Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11) and Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22). Which one had more abundance? Which one is more like your church? Which one would you rather be part of?
- Is abundance a good thing or a bad thing? What makes the difference?
- How did King Solomon relate to his abundance (Ecclesiastes chapters 1-2)?
- What have you done with the abundance God has given you?
- When did Jesus experience abundance? When did Jesus provide abundance?
- Does “the cross” increase abundance or decrease it?
Application Ideas
Abundance naturally leads to three responses: gratitude, joy, and sharing. Here are three ideas for you to apply each one:
GRATITUDE
- Turn first to God and offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the abundance God has given.
- Thank others for what they have shared with you. The gift is from God, but God often chooses to give it through people. Thank the people who have shared God’s abundance with you.
- Let an “attitude of gratitude” show through how you live your life day by day.
- Sing or play songs of joy as an expression of the joy you sense from abundance.
- Enjoy, revel, celebrate, shout, be ecstatic about God’s abundance without any guilt or fear or snobbery. After all, it’s God’s gift to you, so accept and relish God’s gift(s).
- Add your joy of abundance with others who also are expressing their joy of abundance.
- Find someone with less abundance than you in whatever abundance you have and share some of yours with them.
- Testify to others about God’s abundance to you. Ask for their testimonies as well.
- Like the manna that lasted only a day until God provided more the next day, give from your abundance rather than hoarding it or hiding it. What you have been given is yours to enjoy and also to share with others, so enjoy and share, and do it NOW rather than later.
Sharing Options
- See the three sharing options above under the category “Applications: Gratitude, Joy, and Sharing.” The one labeled “Sharing” has three ideas already!
- Because most people think of things or stuff when it comes to abundance, ask people for areas in their lives in which they experience God’s abundance in ways that aren’t measured by things. For example, an abundance of love or an abundance of support or an abundance of personal interest. Other areas of abundance could be forgiveness, time, or laughter. Still other areas of abundance could be friendship, encouragement, or kindness. What other areas of abundance can you help people identify?
- Accept gifts graciously from someone else who is sharing their abundance with you. Don’t keep score or feel a need to reciprocate. Just join in celebrating their gift to you.
- Be lavish with your abundance. Savings is a good idea, but when you have abundance, treat it like manna—good for only today. Make it a celebration because you have been gifted by God.
- Do your own version of “Door Dash” by dropping off some of your abundance on the doorstep of others. Ring the doorbell and dash before they know who shared this abundance with them. Be creative with your abundance.
- Sign up to volunteer at the church’s food pantry on Wednesday from 9:00 AM until 12:00 noon at http://www.carmsda.org/community/.
- If you feel stuck at home because of the pandemic, use your abundance of time in one place to reach out and make contact with others who are also “stuck at home because of the pandemic.” Ask about how they have been affected by the pandemic and what their plans are for this COVID-affected Thanksgiving this year.
- Other: _________________________
Bible-In-My-Head, Heart, and Hand
- Here’s a short memory verse you might have heard previously. You can find it in the second half of John 10:10 (NKJV). Jesus spoke it when claiming to be the good shepherd of his sheep. He warned that there are thieves who come to steal, kill, and destroy. In contrast, Jesus said:
“I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” - If you’d like to choose another verse on the topic of “Abundance” that is more abundant than John 10:10, go to Ephesians 3:20. Paul wrote to the Ephesians about how to grow spiritually (see Ephesians 3:14-19). Based on all that God does for our spiritual growth, Paul completes this second with a prayer and doxology. Notice the adjectives and adverbs that accumulate:
- Now to Him who is able to do
- Exceeding
- Abundantly
- Above
- All
- That we ask
- Or think,
- According to the power
- That works in us.
- Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)
Sing-Along
Enjoy the variety of music that speaks of abundance.
Inspirational Music
Kids of All Ages by Pastor Melissa
When I was a little girl, you could say that I had an “abundance” of pets - I had so many pets, it was ridiculous - it was hard for me to even count them all! Two dogs and 3 cats, 2 water turtles, a box turtle and a tortoise, fish and birds and a rabbit, an iguana, a frog, seahorses and blue tangs and an eel, a hamster, a walrus (just kidding), 8 snakes living in a snake-condominium, plus mice and rats to keep the snakes alive (some were pets...but some were food!) I loved animals, and I just kept on collecting more and more and more.
Now that I’m grown up, I only have a few pets, but we still have several things in abundance in our house. An “abundance” is something you have a whole lot of. Something you have so much of, there’s plenty of extra to go around. We have an abundance of books at our house now - a whole room full of books, actually. We have an abundance of legos, an abundance of nerf guns, an abundance of magnets on the fridge, an abundance of shoes, and also an abundance of single socks that lost their match. What do you have an abundance of in your house? What do you WISH you had an abundance of?
One time, King David decided to write a song describing all the wonderful things about God. We can read his song today in Psalm 65. David’s song celebrates how God forgives us, how He answers prayers, how he formed the mountains and calms the oceans, and all kinds of other great things. One of those great things is - you guessed it: abundance. David says God’s abundance is overflowing! That means He gives us so many blessings, if we tried to put them all inside a large wheel barrow or a shopping cart, they would be full to the top and spilling out over the sides. Wow! That’s a lot of blessings.
How has God given your family an abundance of blessings? If you started counting all your blessings - how long could you count for? Would you have more blessings than the pets I had? Would you have more than all the books in my library, or all the legos in my house? I bet you might come close, because God has been blessing us our whole lives, and He keeps on blessings us more and more every single day. I’m so happy we serve a God blessed us and who loves us in abundance!
Family Discussion Questions:
Now that I’m grown up, I only have a few pets, but we still have several things in abundance in our house. An “abundance” is something you have a whole lot of. Something you have so much of, there’s plenty of extra to go around. We have an abundance of books at our house now - a whole room full of books, actually. We have an abundance of legos, an abundance of nerf guns, an abundance of magnets on the fridge, an abundance of shoes, and also an abundance of single socks that lost their match. What do you have an abundance of in your house? What do you WISH you had an abundance of?
One time, King David decided to write a song describing all the wonderful things about God. We can read his song today in Psalm 65. David’s song celebrates how God forgives us, how He answers prayers, how he formed the mountains and calms the oceans, and all kinds of other great things. One of those great things is - you guessed it: abundance. David says God’s abundance is overflowing! That means He gives us so many blessings, if we tried to put them all inside a large wheel barrow or a shopping cart, they would be full to the top and spilling out over the sides. Wow! That’s a lot of blessings.
How has God given your family an abundance of blessings? If you started counting all your blessings - how long could you count for? Would you have more blessings than the pets I had? Would you have more than all the books in my library, or all the legos in my house? I bet you might come close, because God has been blessing us our whole lives, and He keeps on blessings us more and more every single day. I’m so happy we serve a God blessed us and who loves us in abundance!
Family Discussion Questions:
- Thanksgiving is a time to remember our abundance. What are some of our family’s greatest blessings?
- Does our family focus more on our challenges, or more on our blessings? How come?
- What is a good way to say a great big “Thank you” to Jesus for our abundance of blessings - should we make a song like David, make a blessings list, share a story with friends, use our blessings to bless someone else, or is there another way we could say thanks?
- Look back at Psalm 65 and read the whole chapter together. What is our family’s favorite thing about God in David’s song?