The ABCs of God's Love Letter: Increase

Welcome to
​The ABCs of God's Love Letter
25 Weeks. 25 Writers!

​We will use the alphabet as an acrostic and study topics like: Abide, Beloved, Calling, Delight, Endure, Faithful, Garment, Hunger, Increase, Justice, Kindness, Light, Manna, Name, Ordain, Path, Quench, Ransom, Salt, Testify, Upright, Vanity, Wait, Yield, and Zeal.

Every week, we’ll discover a different topic. Each topic is accompanied by five Scripture verses—one for each weekday. The Bible study has a page for each verse. Those spaces will invite you to write the verses out and journal what you’ve learned.

Every time I read God’s Word I learn something new. I also find that Scripture writing really helps me meditate, and as I meditate, God always shows me just what I need for that day—it’s AMAZING!

I pray you’ll join us and learn new and exciting things too from His Word.

buy now on amazon

This Week We're Looking at Increase

If you could pick one thing to have MORE of in your life, what would it be?

An increase in: 

• Money?
• Time?
• Rest?
• Health?
• Better relationships?
• Material possessions?
• Knowledge?
• Power?

As a young mom, I can remember all I ever wanted was more sleep. Now as a mom to four kiddos, ranging from preschool to middle school, the thing I feel desperate for is more time. And I’m sure most of us would say more money would be nice. 

There are many things we may want more of and likely this will change depending on our current season of life. God is faithful to give us an increase in different areas and in different seasons, but the Bible has two very clear reminders for us when it comes to seeing an increase:
​

1. Who that increase comes from. 
2. The only increase that always satisfies is more of God Himself.

Who That Increase Comes From
Increase comes from God alone. Regardless of what area of life God allows us to see an increase, we must fight to remember that it is from Him alone. We tend to place our hope and trust in everything and everyone but God, yet Scripture reminds us that all increase comes from Him. ​

Here are a few examples: In Psalm 62:10, David is clear that we shouldn’t put our trust in money. An increase in money may be a wonderful thing, whether to pay a bill, meet another financial want or need, or even to use for ministry. However, we should always be careful not to set our hearts on an increase in wealth. Our hearts should be set on God alone.

Scripture is also clear that it’s good when a follower of Christ is placed in a leadership position where their potential influence may increase. Proverbs 29:2 points to this reality. However, we cannot set our hearts on a position of influence alone. We must remember to trust solely in God and not in our own strength, power, circumstances, or position (or even those of our Christian leaders).

Ironically, a third area where we tend to believe we’re self-sufficient is in ministry itself. We can easily fall into the trap of thinking we can take credit for the spiritual growth of others. God may allow us to plant seeds of truth, or even come along later to water those seeds, but it is God who can bring those seeds to life. He is the only true source of this increase, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 3:6.

The Only Increase That Always Satisfies is More of God Himself
Proverbs 1:5 tells us that we should desire an increase in wisdom and knowledge of God above all else. Solomon urges us that wisdom is worth our hard pursuit. James 1:5 goes on to confirm that God gives generously to anyone who asks for wisdom.

Psalm 138:3 tells us that God answers our cries for help with an increase in strength of soul and renewal of spirit. 

God is so faithful to answer our prayers and He truly is the giver of all good things.

While there may be specific things we want more of in our current season of life (for me the wish list is long at times), may we remember that more of God is the ultimate increase worth pursuing. And it is the one pursuit that will always satisfy. ​

This week I will be asking myself these questions: 

1. How can I increase my time with Him each day?
2. How can I increasingly set my heart and mind more on God than anything else? 

If you’re looking for a fresh way to increase your time spent with God, I'd love to tell you about a few of my favorite free online Bible study resources.

---

​Katie Mills is a wife, mom of four (bio and adopted) kiddos, and pastor’s wife in Georgia. She is also a Christian blogger at The Joyfully Imperfect, where she writes about faith, family, and lifestyle topics. Katie and her husband have a newly published marriage book available, Why Toothpaste Matters, as well as an e-devotional for tweens, Wisdom for Tweens. 

​FOLLOW HER HERE
​WEB | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | PINTEREST

​Why Toothpaste Matters: Ten Truths and Six Weeks to a Better Marriage

​Most of us have bought into the lie that marriage is easy. To have your happily ever after, all you have to do is meet the right person. If he or she is “the one” then you should never have any serious issues in your marriage, right? Right? Happily ever after is certainly ideal, but it’s just not reality.

Why Toothpaste Matters addresses ten truths about marriage; truths we often fail to recognize. Additionally, this book contains a section with discussion questions around the most common areas of conflict between couples. While toothpaste may not fix every problem in your marriage, the conversations generated will be invaluable for helping you and your spouse understand the expectations you have of one another. 

Through humor and stories of their own struggles, Kevin and Katie Mills offer practical insights into overcoming challenges in marriage. 

This book is an ideal read for engaged couples preparing for a life together as well as married couples looking for better ways to communicate with one another. The goal of Why Toothpaste Matters is to help your marriage not simply survive, but thrive. ​

Also, Katie and her husband Kevin have spoken at marriage events and their church used this study as a small group marriage study. They'd be thrilled to speak at your church and/or small group, either in person or in a virtual setting. Feel free to contact Katie here, or via her website, and let her know if you're interested in having them speak.

"We truly do believe that our marriages are the most tangible picture of the Gospel to the world so we definitely have a heart for seeing marriages strengthened—especially in a year like 2020 where there are so many marriages struggling." —Katie Mills

---

​The ABCs of God's Love Letter Scripture Memory Cards

The ABCs of God's Love Letter Bible Study is accompanied by a collection of 25 5 X 5 Scripture Memory Cards. We'll utilize this great tool to help us memorize a Scripture verse once a week that goes with the topic we're studying that week. Hiding God's Word in our heart is so important!

These square press prints are printed on thick, high-quality, matte art paper and include a small white border. They are available here in our Etsy shop. But WAIT, there's more! Just for you —> ​Use code SAVE50 at checkout for 50% OFF your entire order. FREE SHIPPING on orders $35 or more, otherwise, shipping is just $2.00, as always! ​

CHECK OUT THESE SCRIPTURE MEMORY CARDS

---

Thanks for joining the InstaEncouragements weekly Christian link-up! We would really appreciate it if you would grab this IE link-up button, place it on your blog, and link back to this post. Thanks! Have an awesome week! 

If you're new to link-ups, checkout our IE LINK-UP page for a brief explanation and a list of other link-ups to participate in.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

---

​What does Increase mean to you?