More Abundantly

The Greek word perissós (περισσός) means “more than enough” or “exceeding expectations.” This is the word Jesus used when He said:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

Paul uses the term many times in his epistles. The King James translators usually render it as “more abundant” or “more abundantly.”

The Latin root of “abundant,” abundare, means “to overflow.” It conjures an image of a wave or swell of water spilling over the edges of its container, indicating that there is “enough and to spare” (Luke 15:17, Doctrine and Covenants 104:17).

When Alma challenged his people to be baptized at the waters of Mormon, he assured them that the Lord would “pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon [them]” (Mosiah 18:10).

After they were baptized, he explained that when they received “more abundantly,” they should share with others (see Mosiah 18:27). Perhaps one reason we are sometimes blessed with more than we need is because the blessings are intended not only for us but for the people around us.

In November 1831, when the Lord gave a small group of church leaders stewardship over the printed revelations received by Joseph Smith, He promised that they would be blessed temporally for their service. Then He added:

Yea, even more abundantly, which abundance is multiplied unto them through the manifestations of the Spirit.

Doctrine and Covenants 70:13

A few weeks later, the Lord instructed two of those leaders—Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon—to “prepare the way for the commandments and revelations which are to come” by preaching the gospel in their community (see Doctrine and Covenants 71:4). Those who received their testimony would be blessed:

For unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly, even power.

Doctrine and Covenants 71:6

Today, I will receive God’s power by receiving His word. I will remember that the power He promises to His disciples is abundant—that it overflows and blesses not only us but also the people we love.