Hedgemaker Baptist – Abounding Works
The words abounding, abundant, and abundantly are not only used to describe the communicable attributes of God, but they are used to list some human attributes or traits. These are abundant things that the faithful Christian ought to manifest and manifest abundantly. Because God is not stingy with his love, or his mercy, or his grace, we ought not to be stingy with our service to the Lord. Notice the challenge from the Apostle Paul, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (1Cor15:58).
Abounding in the work of the Lord means that the faithful, yielded Christian will go above and beyond the call of duty.
The Apostle Paul used his own ministry to describe how he abounded in works or labors of love. He said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (1Cor.15:10). “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward” (2Cor.1:12). “Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft” (2Cor.11:23). We should follow Paul’s example and labor more abundantly – go above and beyond in our service for the Lord.
The Apostle Peter also admonished his readers to abound in godliness. In his second epistle, he listed seven qualities of a dynamic mature Christian life (2Pet.1:5-7), then he said, “For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2Pet:1:8). The qualities of godliness of which Peter spake should be evident in the life of every believer. Hence, the believer that is fully following the Lord will not only be full of the qualities of godliness, but he will be fruitful, and not barren. (LEH)