“The thief comes only in order to steal
and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have
it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).”
John 10:10 (Amplified)
Okay… confession. For the longest time, the idea of an abundant
life had always been a little abstract.
In theory it sounds pretty good: to have AND enjoy life…to the full…
till it overflows. But, unfortunately,
for way too long, the only things that had been full and overflowing at my
house were diapers, the dishwasher, the laundry basket, and every now and again,
a toilet bowl. I had cultivated inaccurate assumptions about living an abundant
life. I wrongfully assumed that putting
my hope and trust in Jesus would “magically” make all things better…more
accurately, I thought it would immediately change my heart, if not my
circumstances.
With regard to John 10:10, the Tyndale
New Testament Commentaries notes: Jesus does not offer an extension of physical life nor an increase
of material possessions, but the possibility, nay the certainty, of a life
lived at a higher level in obedience to God's will and reflecting His glory. (So,
for the record, abundance has nothing to do with a prolonging of life or
obtaining wealth.) Instead, it speaks to
the fact that acknowledging Jesus’s lordship, surrendering to it through baptism, is only the first step. The abundant
life, promised to us here in John 10:10, is found when we live in obedience and
reflect His glory. This isn’t a
“one-and-done” scenario. It’s a
day-by-day, sometimes minute-by-minute, journey where the ordinary days far out
number the extraordinary ones. When we
simply must do our best in serving God… no matter where we are: at work, at
home, with friends.
In his book, The Jesus Life, Stephen Smith
states, “Dailiness is where we most long for our transformation- whether it
involves losing your temper with your child, speaking curtly to someone at
work, losing patience in the checkout line at the store, arguing with your
spouse and then muttering words you hope he or she doesn’t hear, or neglecting
your prayers or Bible reading for long seasons.” This is the “challenge” of redefining the
abundant life for so many of us. The
abundance Jesus speaks of isn’t found when we escape our seemingly mundane
realities… it’s found IN the mundane realities, the commonplace, the humdrum,
the monotonous. This is where the
transformation takes place; where Jesus takes a hold of our hearts and molds
them; aligns them with His… when we learn to appreciate where we are...no
longer longing to be somewhere else, because we truly understand that He is
enough... that He is the abundance.
Smith goes on to say the following: “The abundant
life is not based on a plethora of options that seem exciting, life-giving and
dramatic. If this were so, then
Americans above all people groups in the world would be living the abundant
life, simply because we have the most choices.
But as I have said, if you were to ask American Christians to use five
adjectives to describe the Christian life, would you hear abundant often?” And that, my friends, is a very good
question…
Challenge
Today,
practice the “dailiness” of following Jesus.
Spend some time thinking about obstacles, or strongholds, you’ve had in
the past (or that you’re currently struggling with). Whether it’s in your interactions with your
children, or a co-worker that you’re not too friendly with, show them the love
of Jesus. Offer them a cup a coffee with a smile (the co-workers, not the
kids!), or simply take time out of your day to be intentional in your
interactions. Sit down and invest your
time in someone… this is the basis of discipleship.
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