For the past year, the Lord has been leading me on a journey of discovering what it means to live an abundant life. As a teenager and up until my early twenties, I carried a special dislike for any and all who were successful. I believed that if someone had plenty of money and possessions they must be living a life distanced from God. To me, the less you had the more righteous you were. I didn't realize it then, but in hindsight this belief system was nothing more than a form of selfishness and bitterness. I didn't realize that God's will was the abundant life for all believers. In John 10:10,  Jesus makes this statement, "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give you the abundant life."  Jesus is telling us that the reason for His coming was to bring a life of abundance for all who believe. We know that eternal life is included within abundance, but what about this earth? Is the abundance of God only available after death? I would like to submit that the answer is no. In Matthew 6:10, Jesus tells us to pray, "Your will be done on earth as in Heaven." If God's will on earth is the same as His will in heaven, then this tells me that abundance can be received in this life. Abundance is not confined to material possessions, however I believe it does include it. 2 Corinthians 8:9 tells us that Jesus became poor so that we might be rich. This word 'rich' in the original greek language speaks of outward possessions. Many lean toward the idea that God only wants spiritual, not earthly, riches for us. Upon closer examination, we can see that this is not true. Do not think for a second that I am promoting greed and selfishness. Abundance can often become an idol in the lives of believers. The minute this happens, we have stepped out of God's purpose for blessing and into the enemy's corruption. The blessings point to the Blesser. Just because some have taken advantage of a good God doesn't mean that all believers need to distance themselves from the abundant life Jesus paid for. When the world looks at believers what do they see? Do they see a people who are barely scraping by or do they see children of royalty thriving in a dying world? We represent our Father in this life. If we live lives of lack then our God will be portrayed as a God of lack. I believe that as followers of Jesus, we have been made into vessels of abundance. All believers have the Spirit of God living within them; the same spirit that rose Jesus from the dead (Romans 8:11). Stop for a moment and think about what this means. God Himself has decided to dwell in you! In the Old Testament, God dwelt in a man-made temple. In 1 Kings 6, God instructed King Solomon to build a temple, or house, that He could dwell in and be among His people. Understand that this was not a tiny little town house. This was a multi-million dollar project that took seven years to build (1 Kings 6:38)! It was handcrafted with gold, silver, and precious metals. God didn't want some "hole in the wall" joint to call His own. He wanted something that, when looked at, would express His abundant nature. God was unable to dwell in man at this point because they were sinful in nature. It wasn't until Jesus died and rose again that the sin issue was taken care of. Thank God we are on the right side of the cross! Because of the blood of Jesus, we are now considered righteous, holy, and spotless (Colossians 1:22). In the new covenant, God doesn't dwell in temples made by man, He dwells in man Himself (Acts 7:48). If the temple that God instructed Solomon to build was worth millions of dollars, what does that say about you? You are worth more than all of the gold in the universe! Worth is decided by how much someone is willing to pay for something. The Father was willing to pay the ultimate price by sending His son in human form to die on a cross so that we could be with Him forever. Because the God of abundance decided to make His home in believers, it tells us that we have become vessels of abundance. When I actually come to the realization that God Himself dwells in me, I will have the confidence to walk as one without lack regardless of my external conditions. Wherever I go, God goes with me. This understanding removes fear in times of natural lack because the abundant God is still present. We have been invited into a world without limits because we belong to a limitless God. Don't make the mistake of believing that the less you have the more righteous you become. Jesus died to bring the abundant life (John 10:10). You are not benefiting the world around you by avoiding the very life Jesus died for you to attain. You were created to thrive!