Sheep and goats - abundance

I am in a time now where I am struggling financially. That may explain why the concept of abundance has been so much on my mind.

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." - John 10:10

This key phrase is part of another sheep metaphor. Jesus is talking about his role as the good shepherd, who will die for his sheep. The sheep respond to him differently because the others will abandon the sheep, or kill or steal them.

There is enough of this imagery that I find it interesting when church goers become fond of "sheeple" as an insult. I know what they mean, but they are usually overgeneralizing and assuming superiority, which is not very Christ-like. Sheep are not blindly following if they are following the one who loves them and serves them, who sacrifices for them. Stated following without thought may turn out to be not following at all, on closer inspection. That is why some people will think that the only problem with their following was that they never encountered Jesus personally.

Following consciously means taking on more of the shepherd's role. As Jesus sent the twelve forth to the lost sheep of Israel, he told them...

"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." - Matthew 10:8

This is the pathway to abundance: freely giving and receiving.

Since March I have been primarily been focusing on passages from the New Testament, specifically the gospels. It is definitely time for The Book of Mormon now, in Mosiah 4:

"16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

19 For behold, are we not all beggars?..."

In his injunctions to give, Jesus doesn't say anything about screening. Today there is a lot of paperwork that goes into getting help, lest we risk someone getting help that doesn't need it or deserve it. This is stressful for people who are already in a time of crisis, and it can also feel really humiliating. That is not abundance.


It is hard not to notice how often those who have benefited from various aid programs are the first to want to cut them off. Paul Ryan and Ben Carson (SSI and food stamps, respectively but not exclusively) stand out in particular.

That sounds like it is getting political. If some parties are more likely to be against the most basic Christian teachings, and if they still preach adherence to Christian principles, and if other parties that on one level seem to be more generous still find themselves holding back in some areas, those are all areas worthy of thought and discussion. That is not what we are doing right now.

(Whether individual giving can be enough is also a reasonable discussion, and we probably will spend some time on that in other posts, but I feel a need now to talk about making decisions on giving, so that will be next week.)

What seems most important now, though, is that on an individual level Christians are required to respond to the needs of those around them.

It might be reasonable that when someone is asking for money you buy them food instead. Might.

It is definitely reasonable that sometimes you may not have aid to give. Still in Mosiah 4:

24 And again, I say unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that ye say in your hearts that: I give not because I have not, but if I had I would give.

25 And now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned; and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.

That is actually very comforting for me. Yes, there is still room for the poor to be condemned for their bad attitudes - I could look at it that way. But also, even when I have nothing material to give, I can still have a giving mind, instead of a judgmental mind. There is still something I can do right. There is value in the "yes" in my heart.


On that note, let's take one more verse from Mosiah 4:

20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

There are things that only God can give, and those are given generously.

There are no excuses for our withholding.


Give freely. Receive freely.

It cannot be clearer than that.