Abundance

"The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

Abundance. It is something we take for granted in the good ole' USA--a land where we have water at our fingertips, several changes of clothing, so many foods available that we choose what we want for each meal, homes that typically have more than two rooms, and the list just goes on and on. In fact, we are so glutted with our abundance that we often rent separate buildings to store the things that do not fit into our houses!  Yet, according to a study by the World Health Organization, America is also near the top of the list for mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. It would appear, then, that having abundant "stuff"-- or even abundant opportunity -- is not the key to happiness. . . 

So what is this abundant life that Christ talks about? Did He come so that we would have all our needs, all our wants, all our desires met? Does it include prosperity, good health, and an overall sense of happiness and well-being?

The short answer is "no."

The abundant life Christ talks about is a life focused and centered on Him and Him alone. Our desires may end up being met, but only because as we draw closer to Him, our desires are only for more of Him or become aligned with His desires for us. Will our lives change? Yes, emphatically! If we have decided to follow Christ and find we are the same person in a year as we were when we begun, than I can guarantee that we have somehow taken our eyes off Him and wandered off on our own path after all. Prosperity may come, or it may not. Health can improve or be stripped away.  In any and all cases, Christ still promises an abundant life--abundant in peace, in hope--abundant in the particular brand of love for which He came to set an example. It is an example, not of pleasure and self-serving, but of sacrifice and self denial.

Contrary to our instinct to grasp and hold,  this abundant life comes from letting go. Letting go of everything this world has to offer and putting our trust solely in God. Letting go of our wants--every single one, and yes, I mean even that one!--and trusting Him not only to meet our needs but to know what they are with no help from us. It means not obeying Him conditionally or because it feels good, but obeying no matter what we think about it nor how we feel. It is incredibly simple and yet we find oh, so many ways to complicate it in our attempts to shape into a more appealing form. We believe our Father wants what is best for us, but only the best we think we need. Whether we will openly admit it or not, many of us see God as an indulgent Father who will grant our every whim and see to it that we are surrounded by things both comfortable and pleasant. But because He is good, He does not spoil His children so. He knows better, and so He allows hardships and trials, not to punish us, but to bring us into a greater reliance on Him. He allows them so He can breathe His abundant, vigorous life into our weak and sickly souls.

The truth is, Christ does not call us to please ourselves at all, but rather to lay down our lives completely, not hanging on to the tiniest thread nor holding anything back. He calls us to die, and though it seems an oxymoron, die we must if we are to take hold of a real life--the life overflowing in joy, peace, hope, and love that exists entirely outside the stream of our circumstances on this planet.

Life abundantly is not life without pain or suffering, but life that thrives, swelling to fullness with peace and joy, quite in spite of pain. It is a life worth any sacrifice to gain--even should it mean letting die our fondest wishes, dreams, or hobbies. I assure you that we will find the greatest of these are proved shabby when held in comparison with the riches of grace He offers.  This year, my friends, let us resolve to drop our trinkets and open wide our hands to the treasures our Lord is offering!

"I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. . . "  Ephesians 1:16-18

Scripture quotations are from the ESV^® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.