The Abundant Life

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Many of the things that Jesus said about Himself show us that He wanted to shake things up and change people’s minds about who God is and how we can relate to Him. Not only did the pagans spread confusion about God or their many gods, but the people of Israel had been lulled into a practice of religion that pictured the Lord as a legalistic, demanding monarch who could not be pleased.

Many of he Hebrew people felt like He had abandoned them and was not working on their behalf like He did in the stories of old. Jesus reminded them that God was their good shepherd and that He cared for them because they belong to Him.

As the creator of all, Jesus came to offer us an abundant life filled with all of the blessings He wants to give. God is a loving Father and wants us to gladly receive the grace, the favor, that He has to shower on us.

You may be thinking, “I don’t seem to be experiencing that now. Since I decided to follow Jesus, my life has become more difficult, more stressful.” Many think that way and wonder why there is such strife and evil in the world. They hear Jesus’ offer and think that God is cruel for not getting rid of all bad things.

Why do bad things happen to good people?

But Jesus was also blunt when He spoke of the spiritual powers at work in this world to bring tribulation, forces that will steal, kill, and destroy. You and I have an enemy, Satan, who will stop at nothing to tear us down and kill any desire we have to draw near to God.

When we are tempted to sin, the Devil uses our natural desires to lure us into destructive behavior that reeks havoc in our lives. Our selfishness destroys families, ruins generations through irresponsible behavior, enslaves us to our wants, and drives us further away from God.

We are the ones that cause such pain and the reason is because we love our sin. Are you willing to admit that?

We don’t want to humble ourselves and confess that we are self centered and need to repent. What we need to do is come to our senses, listen to the still, quiet voice of God’s Spirit who is calling us to turn and reach out to Him.

No, God’s voice does not sound condemning. He is not trying to crush us under His thumb. He reminds us that when Jesus died on the cross, He paid the price and our debt has been canceled.

He did not wait for us to be perfect before He offered eternal life. We can experience the abundant, full life as we learn to depend completely on Him and do things His way.

Start your day confessing to Him your need for His power and grace and when stresses hit, use it as an opportunity to draw near to Him.