With everything that is going on in our world, it’s very tempting to be pessimistic and negative. We can start behaving as if there is no hope, and that simply isn’t true. Our hope is in Jesus Christ. He is the answer for all our problems, the solution to all life’s dilemmas. Romans 6:23(ESV) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In Christ, this is all that we will ever need, but we don’t tell people this in our everyday conversations with them. We find ourselves tuning into their complaints about life and the condition of the world. In these instances, we have a choice. We can remind or inform people about the hope that is in Christ, or we can add our two-cents worth of pessimism as well. If we’re honest, most of us have chosen to side with pessimism and follow along with our own list of complaints. One of the reasons we may be doing this is because deep down, we’re not convinced of our own completeness in the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to flip the script on doubt and fear, and spread the hope and love that God offers us through our powerful Redeemer.
God’s Word tells us that we should be responding to life, and everything in it, on the basis of who our Heavenly Father has made us in Christ. This means we should be responding to life with our gratitude and faith for the blessings of God. We shouldn’t have the same mind and conversations as those who do not believe in the power of Christ. Our Master Jesus commands us in Matthew 5:16(KJV), “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” God has planted numerous opportunities through our everyday reality to be a blessing to others. We take advantage of these opportunities by letting our lights shine, by choosing to spread the hope of Christ. We can encourage and uplift others through God’s Word, and this means that we need to be encouraged in the Word ourselves. People instinctively know if we’re trying to encourage them with words we don’t even believe. The remedy for this is to renew your mind regarding your standing in Christ so that you can bless others out of God’s overflow.
2Corinthians 9:8(NLT) says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” This is our generous God. Ephesians 3:20 tells us that He goes exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think. Through Jesus Christ, God has filled us to the brim and running over with spiritual goodness. John 1:16 says that out of the fullness of Christ, we have all received grace. Ephesians 3:19 says that when we have given our lives to Christ and come to know his love, which passes knowledge, we are filled with the fullness of God. As we greet and fellowship with others, we must remember that God has filled us utterly and completely. Our aim should be to let His goodness in us overflow into the lives of others.
We are complete in Christ Colossians 2:10(NLT) declares, “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” In Christ we are completely, completely, complete. In him, we lack nothing, and we can live powerfully through the Holy Spirit, but when we’re in pessimism and negativity, we’re outside of Christ. We’re not following his example, and this will cause us to live beneath our privilege as God’s children of light.
God tells us in Ephesians 4:13-14 that as we are equipped by the spiritual leaders and teachers that He has called to help and give us the instruction of His Word. His goal is for all His kids to come together in the unity of our faith. We are to be bonded by our knowledge of Christ so that we will mature in him. We should be striving every day to measure up to the full stature of Christ, to love, share, care, and minister as he did when he walked upon this earth. We’re not supposed to join the chorus of those that oppose or deny God’s goodness. At the very least, we can remain quiet and committed to speak only God’s truth.
Ephesians 4:15(NLT) tells us that rather than speaking words of pessimism and doubt, we should “speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Christ holds us responsible for how and what we speak. Many of us have looked at our daily conversations with others as just another casual occurrence. They are not. They are opportunities to be a blessing, and we must see them this way.
Ephesians 4:16(NLT) says that God “makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.”This is the greatest privilege of our lives. We are complete in Christ and God has filled us to overflowing in His goodness. This is what we must be willing to freely share. God said in Isaiah 55:11 that when we do this by uplifting and encouraging people through the hope that is in Christ, our effort never goes out void, because God’s Word always accomplishes everything that He wants it to. Let’s remember this as we move from day to day. You have been called to perform a special work for God’s Kingdom, so let’s make the most of our influence with others. We must remind them of God’s goodness as well as their identity in Christ. By doing this, we are blessed as we help others to grow and to be full of God’s love.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Full, Complete, and Overflowing”, written by Vince Mack. Blessing Beads and More© 2022. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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