Much More

 
In the Off-Broadway musical The Fantasticks, the young ingenue, Louisa, pines for a life of love and adventure and begs God at the end of her soliloquy, “Please, God, please, don’t let me be normal!” 
Then she breaks into song, of course, which ends with the lyric plea: “But I want much more than keeping house! Much more! Much more! Much more!”

 Raise your hand if you’ve ever asked God for more. (See my hand first). 

I’ve surely been guilty of saying, not necessarily singing, “I want much more than….what I have now. “

 It might be a desire for new furniture, new opportunities, more time with children and grandchildren, or a vacation. Nothing evil, of course, just a craving for something more, something that seems just out of reach. 

 It may be something deeper though.

 That longing was put there by the God who created us. 

And He wants to be the fulfillment of that longing. 
He has made Himself the answer to our deepest desires for more. 
 

There is a “much more” God for all of us. 

 Paul uses that phrase four times in Romans 5 alone. It’s one of my absolute favorite phrases in the Bible. 

 We may readily accept that we have been saved “by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves;” that we are justified and made righteous by Christ’s atoning death on the cross. 

 Hallelujah!

 But do we fully grasp what Paul writes in Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life?” (ESV) (italics mine)

 Now that we are reconciled, (received in favor to God),  much more (so abundantly, to a greater degree), are we saved, (made whole, restored, made well, delivered), by the life of Christ. (parentheses from Strong’s Concordance)
 The resurrected life of Christ makes us whole, complete, and enables us to live victoriously.  
He is ever interceding for us now in his Life as a priest forever. 
And He is living inside each believer by the power of the Holy Spirit. 
 This means we can have a “much more” life than merely one of “just getting by” until we get to heaven. which will be the ultimate “much more.”
 Think of it. 
Much more of Jesus, much more of His resurrected life now. 
More joy, more victory, more hope, more, more, more.
 
His resurrected life accomplishes that for us. 
And by faith we believe and appropriate it.
 
Why do we see so many of our brothers and sisters beaten down and living in defeat? 
Why are we still in bondage to the strongholds that held us while we were yet still sinners?
 

Perhaps we haven’t thrown ourselves upon the “much more” grace of God. 
His Grace accomplishes everything for us – our salvation and our sanctification, which I like to think of as growing in grace. 
 
Paul writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: (italics mine)
 

“For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:17 ESV)

                
Adam’s trespass, brought sin and death to all of humanity. We were born into it. We see it all around us. Death.

 
But God.
 

Through Jesus, we have been given the free gift of righteousness (right standing before God) AND as we continue to receive his abundant grace, his much more grace, we will reign in life through him.

We were made to reign in this life.
 
Over the power of sin, which we are now dead to.
We have to constantly receive the much more grace of God for our daily lives.
 
His grace is power to live as He calls us to.
Only by his grace can we do anything good for the Kingdom.
 
That grace also draws people to us. 
People who need to know His Grace,
Who need to know Him.

 Praise God for His Grace! 
 I want much more than…….

 I have it already in Christ. 

 

Kim Stanley 
 
 
 
 

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