Verse of the Week: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
Truth of the Week: If you were to ask people if they are experiencing “abundant life”, I would wager that most would not be able to answer with a resounding, “Yes!” The majority, if they are honest, would admit that they find themselves wondering, “Is this all there is to life?”
Why is this? If Jesus came to provide abundant life, why do so few seem to possess it? Perhaps one reason is this: We have re-interpreted abundant life to mean an abundant lifestyle, and have sought to obtain it in what the world offers rather than in who Jesus is. When we do this, we can be certain that we will end up lacking, for the world cannot deliver what it promises. We will end up unfulfilled, and with the nagging feeling lurking beneath the surface of our hearts that there must be more to life.
When Jesus tells us that He came that we might have life and have it abundantly, He is not promising us earthly prosperity or worldly wealth, He is offering us Himself. He is bidding us to come to Him, to drink deeply from Him, to feast on Him, to discover the riches that lie hidden in Him, and to be fully and truly satisfied by Him.
I wish I could say that my life continually reflected this reality and that I always sought to find my satisfaction in my Savior, but sadly, I am all too often lured back into living like the stuff of earth can somehow fill my soul. What I can say, though, is that I have at times tasted the joy and fulfillment that flow from God and that it is sweeter and more satisfying than anything that this world offers and always leaves me longing for more.
Jesus offers us Himself - an inexhaustible and infinite supply of that which will satisfy our souls. May we partake in abundance!
Quote of the Week: “Though our desire must still be so toward God that we wish for more of God, our delight must be so in God that we never wish for more than God. Believing Him to be a God all-sufficient, in Him we must be entirely satisfied. Let Him be mine, and I have enough.” (Practicing the Presence of God, Matthew Henry)
