Serving from the Overflow
Anytime you bump into Always Going, you can’t help but hear about “serving joyfully out of the overflow.” But have you ever thought about the original “overflow”? I’d like to share a few thoughts that radically changed my understanding.
Imagine, if you can, that you’ve been given a glimpse into heaven, long before the world was created. What might you see? Jesus himself tells us what was happening back then, as He prayed for His disciples the night before He died.
In John 17:24 he said, “Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, and to see My glory, the glory You have given Me because You loved me before the creation of the world.”
Before we ever existed, there was a whole lot of love going on!
In his wonderful book, Delighting in the Trinity, Michael Reeves says it this way:
“Before he ever created, before he ever ruled the world, before anything else, this God was a Father loving his Son.” p. 21
“Here is a God who is not essentially lonely [as a single-person god like Allah might be], but who has been loving for all eternity as the Father has loved the Son in the Spirit.” p. 41
“It is all deeply personal: the Spirit stirs up the delight of the Father in the Son and the delight of the Son in the Father, inflaming their love and so binding them together in “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (II Cor. 13:14). p. 29
“Creation is about the extension of that love outward so that it might be enjoyed by others. The fountain of love brimmed over.” p. 43
Talk about an overflow! No wonder we’re told that God IS love! (I John 4:8)
Understanding this changed everything about how I view myself and my spiritual journey. I was not created to just “work for” God but to be invited into the circle of love that has always existed between the Father, Son, and Spirit!
When I accepted that invitation by trusting in Christ and what He has done for me through His life, death, and resurrection, I became part of the family – a daughter of the King of the universe!
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!
– 1 John 3:1
Although God doesn’t need me or what I can do for Him, He finds delight in our relationship, and He welcomes my participation with Him in His work.
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.
– Matthew 11:28-30
As I willingly slip into the “easy yoke” with Jesus (Matthew 11:28), HE is the one who bears the weight while I walk alongside and pull with Him. And when I open my mouth and share a bit of His truth with others, I can rest in knowing that the responsibility for what happens next rests with Him.
So as we abide more each day in the incredible love and fellowship of the Trinity, here’s my prayer for you:
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)
Judy Steier serves with her husband Alan in missionary care, helping global workers stay resilient and connected to the Good Shepherd – grateful to also be Andrew’s parents!
