“Jesus is your abundance.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – January 9, 2022
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10
As we turn the corner into the new year, maybe you’re like many other people—and myself. You’re thinking about how to have a more abundant life in the next 365 days than you did in the previous year.
I recently heard a preacher say, “God has an abundant life for you. You just have to go after it. Get ready to go to work to get it.” While I appreciate hard work and having dreams, this preacher missed it. This isn’t what Jesus means at all when He promises His kids abundant life.
In John 10:10, Jesus says that He came to give us abundant life. In today’s world, the word “life” can mean a lot of things. We can use the word “life” when referring to our bodies, relationships, finances, possessions, or simply breathing in and out all day.
But when Jesus used this word, he didn’t mean any of these things. In the original Greek language, the word “life” is the word “zoe” and it means:
“Life,” referring to the principle of life in the spirit and the soul. [Zoe is] all the highest and best that Christ is, which He gives to the Saints. The highest blessedness of the creature.”
This abundant life is internal—in the spirit, in the soul, God-given, the highest blessing we can receive. This abundant life is Christ himself!
So, when Christ says that He came to give us abundant life, He is really calling us away from our worldly definitions of abundant life. In fact, in John 12:25, He said, “He who loves His life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.”
It’s simply marvelous that the true abundant life Jesus came to give us is personally knowing Him! It’s the Created being intimately connected to the Creator. He’s calling us away from seeking ultimate fulfillment in our relationships, the condition of our bodies, our finances, or any manner of living. He is calling us to come more closely to Himself. He’s calling us into Love.
My personal conviction is that we often don’t experience the abundant life Christ has promised because we have exchanged knowing Him in a vibrant relationship for chasing after the wind of trying to find ultimate fulfillment in our relationships, work, or obtaining more material possessions. Every good gift comes from above and is from Him, but we were never created to get ultimate satisfaction apart from Him.
This truth can be difficult to embrace because it requires letting go of all that we thought would fulfill. But if we insist on clinging to that which won’t ultimately fulfill, we’ll only feel empty. If you can relate to what I am sharing with you today, perhaps you can hear Jesus saying:
There will be times when you may be tempted to stray from me. You’ll be tempted to look for abundance apart from me. But I alone am Life. I am the satisfaction you seek. The more you lean on anything other than me to give you true joy, the emptier you will feel. But when you love me and let me love you in an authentic, ever-present relationship, you’ll be able to enjoy the things I give you without feeling the disappointment that comes from giving them a place in your life that they were never meant to have. I am your Abundance.
“Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, ‘I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way you should go’” (Isaiah 48:17).
Prayer
Lord, please help me this year to come into a full relationship with you. Help me to experience the fullness of knowing you and receiving your love. I am so grateful for you, Jesus. Amen.
Application
Are there any relationships, endeavors, possessions, or goals that you are looking to for ultimate fulfillment? Ask Jesus to help you look to Him to be your abundant life.
Related Reading
Matthew 6:33; Psalm 16:11; John 14:6; Isaiah 48:17
Worship Resource
Mahalia Jackson: I Come to the Garden Alone
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