Let’s say you have a kid, and tomorrow morning, bright and early, he comes into the kitchen. He takes out his favorite cereal bowl. It’s a big one with painted cartoon characters on the side.
He gets out a box of cereal and begins shaking some into his favorite bowl. He’s smiling and cheerfully humming as he shakes out the flakes. You’re cleaning up a little and, just when you stop what you’re doing to get the milk for your son, you feel a tug at your pants. “Hey, Ma! Can I pour the milk in the bowl today? Can I, Ma? Huh? Can I? Huh, huh? Can I?”
You smile and say, “Yeah, son. Go ahead, get the milk out of the fridge and put some in your bowl.” The kid smiles and happily trots towards the fridge. He takes the jug of milk out and, clutching it to his chest, he slowly tilts it down and begins to pour the milk into his bowl.
He’s wobbling just a little from the weight of the jug, but he’s got a pretty good hold. And soon enough, you see him start to pour a steady stream of milk into his bowl. He giggles a little as the milk starts to coat the cereal. You turn around to finish what you were doing.
Meanwhile, the white stuff is still pouring. And it’s coming a little close to the rim. The flakes are starting to float. The raisins are starting to gasp for air. There go the nuts. They’re doing the back-stroke just trying to stay afloat! But the kid doesn’t think anything of it. He hoists the milk jug on his shoulder and continues grinning as the stream of milk turns into a thick, creamy waterfall.
That’s just about the time you spin around and see the first wave of milk splash over the rim of the bowl. You freak out. “Stop, stop, stop! You’re pouring too much! It’s going to…!” But you’re too late. The law of gravity beats you to the punch and there it goes, over the edge of the bowl, onto the kitchen table and onto the floor.
Then he does something you can’t believe. Instead of letting up on the flow, he lets out a squeal of delight as he turns the wobbling jug upside down! Now it’s gushing, slapping into the bowl and running over onto the table!
Milk is everywhere! Splashing on the table, splattering back up on your kid. It’s coating the legs of the table and running across the floor. Big pools of white are everywhere! And the kid is still squealing and giggling as he tilts the jug back a little and lets up on the flow.
You are furious. Anger is boiling within you. Hot with fury, you clench your teeth, widen your eyes and hiss, “What’s the matter with you, boy? Do you know how much money that milk costs?!!!”
You see, to you that’s waste. But to God? It’s prosperity.
To the world what that boy did was rebellious. On top of that, he was just plain wasteful. But to God, he wasn’t either of those things. He was experiencing what it meant to have a cup that runneth over!
God Is More Than Enough
David knew it. Over and over he sang verses that openly praised God for His vast goodness. But he didn’t just sing about it. He experienced it. I love it when I read David’s words. My cup runneth over (Ps. 23:5)! Yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread (Ps. 37:25)!
Through the ages, religion has acted like the prudent parent who always says, “Stop, stop, stop! That’s wasteful! You don’t need that much!” They’re in the guilt business. They’re in the restraining business. They’re in the business of telling you what you can’t have.
But God isn’t. He’s in the business of telling you what you can have. And He isn’t afraid to make a few people angry by filling your fridge with milk. He’s got enough in there to fulfill all your needs and much, much more.
Don’t you think it’s time you got yourself a jug and started pouring? Why keep all of His goodness, mercy, health, prosperity and peace sitting on the shelf?
Get your favorite bowl out, child of God. It’s time to experience all of God’s goodness. It’s time to experience The God of Too Much.
Jesus Knew His Dad Was Just Too Much!
I love to read how Jesus set up Philip in John 6. Jesus had been preaching up a storm and everybody was so enthralled by him, the crowd followed him over the Sea of Galilee.
Jesus was up on the mountain sitting around with His disciples when they came over. A multitude of them started walking towards Jesus on the mountain.
Knowing that they’d traveled to hear Him, Jesus looked at Philip and said, “Where can we buy some bread around here, so the people can eat?” But the Scripture says that Jesus deliberately asked Philip, just to test him, because He already knew what He would do.
So Philip, in so many words, says, “Man, Lord, we can’t feed all these people! Do you see how many of them are out here on the grass? We just finished a meeting, Jesus. But even if we took the money from the offering it wouldn’t be enough to feed all of these people! Shoot, if we could, they’d only get a bite!”
Jesus just looked at him. Andrew, who was Simon Peter’s brother, must have felt sorry for Philip, so he searched around to see if somebody hanging around had a little food. Then he said, “Look, I found this kid who’s got a two-piece fish dinner. But there’s no way it’ll be enough for all these people!”
He was probably thinking, “What am I going to do, disobey the Son of God? He’s asking for something to eat. At least I’ve got something. At least a few will get a bite to eat today.”
But Jesus says, “Make them sit down on the grass.”
So the disciples get everybody in order…all five thousand of them. Jesus took the two-piece fish dinner, blessed it and then gave to His disciples so that they could feed the people. Philip and the rest of them began tearing up the fish and bread.
Of course, you know the story.
That’s when the miracle happened. As they would give one person some fish and bread, what little they had left would multiply! And before you knew it, everybody ate and was satisfied. Nobody was hungry—and when it was all said and done—there were twelve baskets of leftovers!
It’s not like they needed the leftovers. Everybody had eaten enough, and there wasn’t a fridge to keep the fish fresh anyway. Makes you think, Hmmmm, maybe God miscalculated when He started multiplying the fish and loaves.
No! No! No! God didn’t make a mistake! He over-provided because it’s just His nature to do that! He’s the God of too much. He’s not just enough. He’s more than enough! So, how does it go again?
Now unto him that is able! Now unto him that is able to do! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think! Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us!
Yeah, I know it’s a mouthful. But don’t knock it, because it’s a mouthful of prosperity! When you break the Scripture up, each added word becomes a promise of what God can and will do! It really helps to get hold of what Paul was trying to tell us about God’s nature.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”