Originally printed in Spring 2017 Edition of “Food For Thought” Newsletter by John 6 Ministries in Mount Pearl, NL, CA
Since the summer of 2016, I have written three articles for “Food For Thought” that have been inspired by John 10:10, which says, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Those three articles have been; “Living Life Abundantly”, “He is a Thief After All”, and “Come Let Us Adore him…Together!” Now, I am coming to you with yet another article inspired by John 10:10. Today’s article is intended to focus on Jesus saying that He came to give us life MORE abundantly.
I believe this Scripture reminds us that God intends that those who follow Jesus, and have chosen to trust Him, can have uncommon, extraordinary lives. As it says in Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV), “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Whatever the topic, my writing comes from the place where God is working in my own life, or has done so in the past. If it’s not personal to me, I have nothing valuable to say. I’m just an ordinary woman who can attest to God’s ability to do something extraordinary with my life. It’s not about what I can do, rather, it is about what HE can do, in and through me.
Generally, Satan’s first objective is to confuse our thoughts…about God, ourselves, the world (and the state of it), and even him. He lies to us all the time. Scripture tells us that he is the ‘father of lies.’ He especially likes to make us doubt his existence, because if we don’t believe he exists, or intends to do us harm, we won’t feel the need to be on guard against him.
The good news is that Jesus is the complete opposite of Satan. He has already won victory over the Enemy, Satan, and because of Jesus, we can live as victors and overcomers.
Those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and receive Him into their lives, are not meant to live the same as those who haven’t been reconciled with Him. Because of Him, we can live amazing lives, which are filled with God’s grace – His unmerited favor. That doesn’t mean we’ll never have any trouble in our lives. We know this because in John 16:33, Jesus said, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
So, what does having life MORE abundantly really mean? What does ‘immeasurably MORE than all we can ask or imagine’ really look like?
By receiving Jesus Christ into our lives, we can be in restored relationship with our heavenly Father. That restoration is the beginning of overall restoration in our lives. We’ve all likely had things happen to us that have left us broken and scarred in some way, but Jesus is the only One who can heal those hurts, renew us and take us on the journey toward wholeness. As part of that restoration that Jesus brings to our lives, He is able to work in and through us in amazing, incredible ways.
When we receive Jesus into our lives, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of us. It’s through the Holy Spirit’s power at work within us that we can achieve things that wouldn’t be possible without Him. He deserves the glory when we accomplish those things through His power working within us.
Without the Holy Spirit’s power working in my life, I would never have been able to write a book, publish it, or start up John 6 Ministries in Mt. Pearl, NL. Not everyone will be called by God to do the exact same things as me. For example, it wasn’t God’s plan for me to be a parent, which is something that many of you do every day, through God’s divine enabling. Training up a child in the way he or she should go, so that when he is old he won’t depart from it, is an incredible responsibility, but an amazing blessing as well. (See Prov. 22:6)
Once we’ve received Jesus Christ into our lives, we have a connection with our heavenly Father that can be life-changing. When we commit to knowing and meditating on His Word, and spending time with Him through prayer, we discover a strength that is bigger than ourselves. That strength will grow steadily as we stay connected to Him, as He is the ultimate power source of our lives.
Let’s face it, everyone has questions about which decisions they should make in their normal, daily lives. In Jeremiah, 33:3, God makes a promise to us. He says, “‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ He promises us that when we call on Him in our prayers, He WILL answer us.
I’m reminded of Isaiah 55:8-9, which says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
We have the opportunity to tap into God’s unending wisdom and knowledge. He loves us with an everlasting love, and He invites us to come to Him, and to have a relationship with Him.
Accepting God’s invitation to call on Him is the beginning of our personal journey toward discovering MORE in our lives.
If you haven’t already done so, I encourage you to accept His invitation today!
