Usually I distrust superlatives. Don’t you?

I’m tired of hearing sportscasters label athletes “great.” I’m suspicious of ads that promote “free” merchandise with the actual costs barely legible in fine print. Pushy sales pitches turn me off.

Experience teaches us that many claims are too good to be true. Even well-meaning preachers exaggerate. (“How many were in church last Sunday?” Actual attendance: 235. Preacher’s count: “We’re pushing 300.”)

Sometimes, though, a superlative is the only word that will do. It’s not exaggerating to describe a bride on her wedding day as “radiant.” A 95-yard touchdown pass can hardly be called “routine.” It doesn’t do justice to a Grand Canyon sunset if you simply say, “It got dark.” A husband who wants to please his wife says she’s “one in a million,” not “somewhere in the top 50 percent.”

So what should we do with a verse of Scripture like Second Corinthians 9:8, where the apostle Paul piles up phrase after phrase of superlative promises? The verse says, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Is Paul exaggerating? Does he really mean “all grace, all things, all times, all needs”? Is he counting his blessings with a “preacher’s count”?

Jesus declared, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10), but his definition of abundance differs from ours. He offered abundant life in a day when no one enjoyed material blessings we take for granted. His first-century listeners owned no microwaves or coffee makers. No furnaces, air conditioners, and hot water heaters. No contact lenses, heart surgery, dental fillings, and antibiotics made them healthier.

There wasn’t even a convenient way for Jesus to spread the gospel. He didn’t have a microphone, but for centuries his words have been heard. His miracles weren’t recorded by a video camera, but their impact has endured for 2,000 years. His followers had no cars, trains, planes, and motorboats to make travel easier. No TVs, radios, computers, or cell phones. But they managed to spread the gospel all over the Roman empire. The New Testament authors didn’t even have a ballpoint pen to make writing easier, but their message changed the world.

Jesus’ value system flips our definition of abundance on its head. Abundant life isn’t about what you own; it’s about who owns you. God gives “all grace” not to spoil us with over-indulgence but so we can “abound in every good work.”

You can have an abundance of money and still be spiritually bankrupt. You can be healthy and beautiful on the outside, but sick and ugly on the inside. You can live in a well-furnished house and still feel empty and unfulfilled. You can fly first-class to exotic destinations, yet your life is going nowhere.

Meanwhile, it’s possible to experience contentment and gratitude in simple things. You can find peace in a quiet evening alone, encouragement in an ordinary conversation, pleasure in a simple meal. There’s joy to be found in loving and being loved, forgiving and being forgiven, growing and helping others grow. For a follower of Christ, abundant life can be found around a family table, in a well-read Bible, in seeing someone else succeed.