A Book of Minimums

When God sets a mark for achievement, that’s not where we stop, but where we begin.

Text for Today – Ephesians 3:20 – Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

Alright; take a deep breath and be prepared to read further than my opening statement.  The Bible, the Word of God, our love letter from God is, in fact, a Book of MINIMUMS.  Whoa now!  Don’t panic!  Just read a bit further, and I’m sure you will agree. 

In Genesis 6:3, God states the length of a man’s years shall be 120 years.  That’s not a maximum, but rather the MINIMUM God desires for His people.  When that was written, Noah was about to start building the ark, and he was already 600 years old when he finally boarded the ark. 

In Luke 6:38 and in Mark 10:29-30, the Lord cites certain standards concerning His Own laws of reciprocity.  Look at them closely.  “Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over” is the MINIMUM the believer should expect from giving when doing so according to Luke 6:38.  Then read Mark 10, and the Lord’s concluding statement of the kind of giving He required of the rich young ruler.  The one hundred-fold return on giving listed in verses 29 & 30 is not the maximum the Lord can do, but the MINIMUM the believer should expect to receive according to the Word of God; the Word of God, by the way, which cannot fail, but which God hastens to perform.

Are you beginning to see the picture?  I believe you are.  To say that God’s Word, the Bible is a Book of MINIMUMS is not to demean or lessen the power of God’s Word in any way.  On the contrary, it should magnify its power, potential, dynamic, and glory in the life of every believer who embraces this truth.

Examine your own life.  How often have you settled for less than the best when Jesus has paid the total price for the best in your life?  If you see the Bible as a book of maximums that places a ceiling on what is possible with God, you limit our limitless, all powerful, all knowing, everywhere present God.  So today, change your thinking.  See the Bible as a Book of MINIMUMS, and set your expectancy even beyond what you read in its pages.  God is able to do exceeding, abundantly above all you ask or think, according to His Book of MINIMUMS.

Manna for Today – Genesis 6:3; Luke 6:38; Psalm 91; Mark 10:29-30; Malachi 3:8-12; Jeremiah1:12; Deuteronomy 28:1-14