Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding

Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding.

Christian Books – What does it mean to be abase? According to the dictionary it means to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem. http://www.merriam-webster.com.  

What does it mean to be abounding? According to the dictionary it means existing in or providing a great or plentiful quantity or supply. http://www.merriam-webster.com.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all in life at one time or another will have highs and lows. Truthfully, we should be expecting it because it will befall all of us. – Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding.

 

The only perfect man to walk this earth was Jesus and he had his share of highs and lows. Some examples of the high points in Jesus life was when he changed the water to wine and when he raised Lazarus from the dead. These were the abounding times in his life. The low points or abase times was when he was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness for forty days and when he had to suffer crucifixion and death on the cross. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding.

In all the abase times in Jesus life he never sinned. The bible says, “for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. – Hebrews 4:15. Also the bible states for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”– 2 Corinthians 5:21.

When everything is going smoothly in our lives and we don’t have a care in the world those are the times we should be aware and on guard and keep doing the godly things. The bible says, “be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. When things are great we become complacent and stop doing the right and proper things we should be doing. We stop praying unceasingly and don’t go to church regularly because we say to ourselves we are too busy. This is where we begin to sin because we are moving away from the intimate relationship we are to have with Jesus. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding.

When we reach the low times in our lives and are abase this is when we know Jesus the most. We pray to God daily sometimes even on an hourly basis. We dust off our bible and begin to read every day unceasingly. We prepare our clothes for church days before because we are desperate to have the pastor pray all our troubles away.

What happens when we do all of these things and nothing has changed? These are the times that we need to remember that nothing lasts forever including trouble. This is when we must remember the words of Paul, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” – Philippians 4:12

We all pray and say. “I want to be just like Jesus” however, when God starts to test us and put us on the potter’s wheel to refine us we all start screaming and crying “no stop, take me off.” God hears us but continues his work until he has removed what was impure and refined us. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.”– Isaiah 48:10.

Everyone would love to have short testing, molding, and refining times but that is not how God works. The bible states, “to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”– Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

The verse that I really want you all to see is this one “a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.” I am not a farmer, I am a city girl but even I know the principals of planting and harvest. You must plant the seeds and then wait for a harvest. In between there is watering and pruning. This takes me back to what I said earlier when we are in our low times and are abase this is when we become complacent. The watering is the reading of the word and praying unceasingly. The pruning is what God is doing to us. He is cutting back things in us that are unfruitful and shaping us for a more fruitful growth. These are the times when we feel pain, when we cry, when we don’t see where the light at the end of the tunnel is. We have all been there and if you are a person that is a type A personality like myself you want the uncomfortableness to go away quickly. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding.

God works in his own timing not ours and if you want to become more like Jesus then you need to start adopting what the apostle Paul said, “I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” – Philippians 4:12. The sooner we do the faster we will pass the test, be refined and molded as God wants us and he will give us beauty for ashes. Christian Books – Donna Louis – Abase and Abounding. Check out my websitehttp://www.miraclebook.net