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The Abundant Life is Within Our ReachJesus said, “…I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.”(John 10:10b NASB)
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.”(John 15:11 NASB)
At age sixteen, I heard a message at a youth rally that changed my life forever. The visiting preacher presented the concept expressed in John 10:10b that Jesus came that we might have an abundant life. I do not remember how he unpackaged that concept but I do remember realizing that it was not the life I was living.
It had nothing to do with the lack of things, recognition or companions. It had everything to do with my heart condition and what I valued.
Before we delve into those concepts, we must put first things first. The foundation of the abundant life is Christ. We must first acknowledge our need for His death on the cross to be the payment of our debt of sin so that we may have peace with God.
In that instance, I realized that all that I thought was important was vanity (empty and lifeless). I realized that I was truly miserable running my own life doing things my own way.
I heard a promise that night of a better life right here on the earth but it was going to cost me something. Though Jesus paid the price for my salvation making this abundant life possible, to experience it came with a price tag. That price was the total surrender of my life to Christ. I had to turn over the keys to the car of my life and allow Him to be in the driver’s seat. I had to give my total allegiance to Him.
I embraced John 10:10b as a promise from God. From that day on, I have never been the same. I immediately found peace, joy and freedom that I had never known before. I found true love and acceptance, a sense of identity and purpose. God gave me a new start and a changed life that changed the lives of those around me.
That was August 26, 1972. Many years have gone by and I have experienced many good times and challenging times but in the midst of it all, I have always experienced God’s love, joy and peace – the abundant life (Romans 14:17b).
In this article, I would like to share with you a distillation of what God taught me through the years that enabled me to experience a life of joy and peace even in the midst of trials and disappointments.
We will explore four main directions of the heart. They are: 1) Where we set our affections; 2) Where we find our identity; 3) How we determine our value; and 4) What we identify as our source.
The Foundation
Jesus said that He Himself is “the way, the truth and the life” and “no one comes to the Father except by” Him (John 14:6). A relationship with God that can only be gotten through Christ was His purpose and the necessary foundation for an abundant life.
After that, we must be willing to submit to Christ’s authority over our lives. Let go of the reins of our lives and let Him lead us as we choose to live in obedience to His word and His ways. Upon this foundation, we build the next four concepts (pillars) or directions of the heart.
The Pillars
The first is where we set our affections. Colossians 3:1b, 2, admonishes us to “keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above not on the things of the earth.” The context of this verse deals with our ability to have victory over fleshly passions and pitfalls, however, the concept applies to other aspects of life as well.
Jesus said a similar thing in Matthew 6:33 regarding how to overcome anxiety when He said, “seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:9 said that it is his ambition to be pleasing to Christ. The Psalmist admonishes us to delight ourselves in the Lord (Psalm 37:4). We must set our affections, desires on Christ and the things that delight His heart.
This is accomplished as we “rejoice in the Lord always” and “in everything give thanks” (Philippians 4:4a; 1 Thessalonians 5:18). Psalm 16:11 also states that in God’s presence “there is fullness of joy and at His right hand there are pleasures forever more.” He is the everlasting God who never changes. He is good and every good gift comes from Him (Psalm 136:1; James 1:17). He is love (1John 4:8) and ‘His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 136). His “mercies fail not, great is His faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:23).
No matter what is going on around us, we must direct our attention to God and begin to delight in His nature and attributes. This is true worship. It is a life of worship. It is desiring His presence and delighting in Him above all other things and as a result, finding peace and joy even in the midst of turmoil.
It is doing it as a lifestyle in the good times as well as the in the challenging ones and consequently, experiencing His peace and joy.
Secondly, we must find our identity in Christ. Acts 17:28 says, “In Him we live and move and have our being.” Also, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things are past away, all things have become new,” (2 Corinthian 5:17).
Philippians 3:20 goes on to say that “Our citizenship is in heaven” and 2 Corinthians 5:20 says that “We are ambassadors for Christ.”
There are many other verses that describe who we are now that we are in relationship with God. We are not the same. We have a new identity.
We must study and meditate (think on) those verses and others that have the phrase “in Christ” in them. We must allow them to change our thinking about ourselves by taking one verse at a time. We are NOT the persons we used to be. We are cleansed, made new, and no longer bound to old habits and attitudes. We have God’s Spirit in us now to help us respond to situations differently and make decisions that are pleasing to God (Galatians 5:16-25; Ephesians 5:18,19). This leads us to the third concept.
The third consideration that enables us to experience the abundant life is how we determine our value. It is common to determine our value and worth based upon standards set by our society/culture and our environment or by words that have been spoken to us by others. The truth is that our true value can only be found in the One who made us and gave His “only begotten son” for us (John 3:16).
There’s no higher esteem than that one would give His life for us. Matthew 6:26 conveys that God values us even above His creation. Romans 8:30 says that after drawing us to Himself and cleansing us (declaring us righteous), He glorified us.
The word “glorified” here means He bestowed honor/celebrated us (Strong’s Concordance). So there is no dollar amount that can be assigned to our value. No matter what our income or so called “net worth’ may be on this earth, our true value far exceeds that.
All the resources of heaven belong to us as well as eternal life.
In addition, God made us on purpose with purpose (Romans 8:28,29; Ephesians 1:4-6; Psalm 139:13-16). We have a reason for being - a purpose that will unfold as we continue to follow Him.
Having this perspective will alleviate sources of envy, jealousy, discouragement, insecurity, depression, etc. It will foster joy, satisfaction, determination, peace and excitement in life.
Lastly, we must recognize what our true source in life is. We must acknowledge that God is the source of everything that we need. 2 Peter1:3 states that God’s Divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
Yes we work on our jobs and so we should, but they are not our source of provision. Yes, we have people in our lives that love us but they are not our source of love and security. We may have nice things and conveniences but they are not the source of our joy. We may be able to travel and take vacations but that is not the source of our peace. We may live in nice neighborhoods or have great security systems but that is not the source of our safety. We may attend a great church and experience great worship and preaching but that is not the source of our righteousness. God is our source.
Every good and perfect gift comes from Him, “the Father of lights in Whom there is no shadow of turning.” (James 1:17) Anything we experience in life whether good or challenging are tools God uses to mold us into the likeness of Christ so that we may be to the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:14; James 1:2-4).
Conclusion
The abundant life is a life lived to the glory of God in dependence upon God by the power of the Holy Spirit who works in us (Ephesians 3:20). It is a state of being that is consistent and stable not a roller coaster one. It is an exciting and rewarding life and it is the inheritance of all who trust in Christ for salvation.
Are you experiencing the abundant life Jesus came to give us. If not, you can begin today. Let’s pray.
Prayer
“ Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your life for me that I might have peace with God, eternal life and an abundant life of joy, peace and fulfillment. I surrender my life to You now, Jesus. Please take control of the driver seat of my life as I desire to learn of Your ways. I will look to You and delight and trust in You in all things by the help of Your Holy Spirit who lives in me. In Your name I pray, Amen.”
Copyright © 2008-2015 Shermaine Jones
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