Have you ever arrived at class or work and had someone comment that you made it “by the skin of your teeth?” It was something I heard commonly growing up, but not a phrase I hear much anymore. The phrase originated in the Bible (I was surprised too) as Job was describing how he barely survived death (Job 19:20). He was so wasted away, and had nothing left, yet in time, God would raise him to a better place.

How often in our Christian walk does it feel we are surviving one day at a time by the skin of our teeth? I know sometimes, it’s not even a full day, but only hours or mere minutes that we feel we can survive. While those feelings are completely natural, they don’t really speak the truth. Feelings can’t always be trusted. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.” Again in 2 Peter 1:3 it says, “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.” This means that we have all we need and abundantly more to live the life we are called to live.

As we are attempting to live an abundant, godly life, we’re provided a list of instructions to help us follow the right path, a process if you will. “In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:5-8). Find out where you are on the list (most likely it changes constantly) and work on the next step. It’s a never-ending process to build on until we see Jesus and are perfected eternally.

We don’t have to barely survive, we are meant to be abundantly bountiful. This doesn’t mean you’ll get everything you want or that you will want everything you get. However, you can know that God gives what you need, when you need it, as long as you continue to look to Him.