The Abundant Life

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."- John 10:10

A Roman soldier came to Julius Caesar to request permission to commit suicide. He was a dispirited human,a man with no hope left and no reason to carry on. Caesar looked at him. “Man,” he said, “were you ever really alive?”

That man is reflection of some of us Christians today. We've accepted Jesus and gained new eternal life through his victorious death, but still- examine yourself.

Are you even alive? REALLY alive?

I've been taking a look at John 10:10 for the past few months, I'm intrigued by it. In this verse, Jesus is talking with his disciples when he tells them “The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy but I have come so you may have life and have it more abundantly.”

Life abundantly. The word “abundant” in Greek is perisson, meaning exceedingly full, beyond measure, a quantity so abundant that is considerably much more than what one would expect or anticipate. In short, Jesus promises us a life far better than anything we could could ever create for ourselves. “No mind has concieved what God has prepared for those who love Him” (1Corinthians 2:9) Anything our own minds could create, the best life we could imagine still doesnt compare to the life he has offered us. He didn't come so that we could have normal, mediocre, everyday life, he came so that we may have it to the full! “I have come so that you may have life exceedingly full. I have come so that you may have life beyond measure. I have come so that you may have life so abundant that it is considerably much more than what you could anticipate or expect.”

The problem today however, is that we don't take a hold of this life. Because we've settled with being “okay”, we refuse to go after this life. We're too nestled in between our lives of comfort and complacency that we're scared. We're scared that the things He could call us to do will pull us out of that. We're unhappy with our spiritual lives, yet we refuse to change the way we live. If we keep living our lives the same way, we are going to keep getting the same results. We then turn to God and ask “Why don't you change me?” He looks back on us and says “When are you going to let me?”

We're scared of the adventure He holds out before us, forgetting that we do not venture off alone. If you see what Jesus tells his disciples, you see that he does not offer them an extension of physical life or an increase in materialistic things, but instead he offers the possibility of a life at a higher level, something beyond themselves. A life in obedience to Gods will, will lead and build this abundant life, creating a life nothing short of the full glory of God.

AND IT'S OURS! THIS LIFE IS CREATED AND SET OUT BEFORE US, FOR US!

Achieving the abundant life is not a a matter of once and for all, no, it's a continual process of learning, practicing, & maturing as well as failing, recovering, adjusting, enduring, & overcoming.  

We are CONSTANTLY undergoing this pruning. It is all a matter of being transformed from our likeness, into the likeness of Christ.

Paul calls it walking in the Spirit, Jesus calls it abiding in the vine.

With this joyful hope, we receive a warning: the enemy has come to kill steal and destroy. Let me tell you something: 

the moment we awaken to this abundant life and REALLY go after the full potential we are capable of through Jesus, the enemy is done for. If he can keep you blind to that truth completely, good. If He can keep you from reaching that potential-even better. Which is why he will do ANYTHING to hold you back from it. He fears you. This is why he attacks us and we see sin come to seduce us, hardships and suffering stumble in to destroy us...for good. So do not be surprised when he comes in for the attack, on the contrary, stand your ground. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. So my question is, WHY WOULD WE ASSUME THAT HE WANTS TO DO ANYTING OTHER THAN THAT? Why do we minimize his intentions? You've been equiped with the proper equipment to ward him off, to defeat him. You have a battle to fight and a victory to claim.

It is when we tap into this fount of abundant life when we ourselves are changed that our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces are transformed and the hearts of our friends and family that we've so desperately fought for, begin to melt. When we are in obedience with his will, we are in his will. This is the difference of being not just a student of the word but rather a DOER of the Word. This is when love, joy, peace, patience and all the other fruits of the Spirit are produced.

That is when the stuff that we read about in the Bible is no different than what is seen in our lives.