Life More Abundantly

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

—Jesus  

What does that promise from Jesus of having "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?

I've been having a great discussion with a close friend on what that means to each of us. Here is what it means to me.

When I read that passage in my morning devotion, the first thing that popped into my heart was: 

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

Here's the entire passage:

“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:26-27)

God Himself—Jesus Christ—lives in me. 

His peace is always with me, no matter what dire circumstances the world throws at me, or whatever fiery arrows the Enemy launches at me. Because Jesus Christ dwells in me, I know I am loved, and that I am His. I have Hope that cannot be quenched. And because I am in Christ, and He is in me, when the Father sees me, He doesn't see Mark the filthy, lying, sinner; He sees His Son. 

Because Christ lives in me, I am truly free—free indeed. I am no longer a prisoner of my sin. Jesus paid it all, covered my sin, took my death sentence and put it on Himself. I have been set free from the law of sin and death. I am free from my guilt and shame of all the horrific things I have done in this lifetime.  

For me, that reality of freedom is "life more abundantly."

Therefore, I am free to love. 

Free to give to others what I have freely received. Free to enjoy all things that God has given me. Free to enjoy a day on the river, fishing with a friend, because I don't have to jump through any religious hoops to gain my Father's approval. 

I am Free by the spirit of adoption, by which I can now cry out, "Abba Father!" And I have access to my Heavenly Father 24/7, because I am now a son of the Most High God. 

And whenever I stumble and fall, He picks me up, dusts me off, and sets me back on the right path.

Because I have Christ in me, the hope of glory, I am free to rest in His love, His promises and His plan for my life. He has fore-ordained my steps, and The Pressure Is Off because it's not up to me to finish the good work that He began in me. He said that HE will complete the good work that He began in me. HE is the Author and the Finisher of my faith. I don't have to perform like a cowering employee or a trained circus dog. I am now His son because Christ is in me.  

And Jesus said He came to heal my broken heart, and to make my heart whole.  

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

He also helps me to turn my focus off of myself, and my problems, and to seek first His Kingdom, and then the things that I need will be added unto me. He turns my focus onto others who need His love, mercy, compassion, and encouragement, and sometimes even His admonishment. 

He strengthens me to do whatever He calls me to do. 

And because He lives in me, He helps me to delight myself in Him. I know by His Word that He will give me the desires of my heart when I delight myself in the Lord.

Life more abundantly from Him also gives me the love, wisdom, strength, mercy, and compassion to reach out to others, such as through this little Love Never Fails blog. 

Life more abundantly from Him helps me to love my wife with His Agape love, rather than with my own conditional love. 

It's those Rivers of Living Water that Jesus promised us in John 7:38.

 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Life more abundantly from Him humbled me to talk with compassion, to a nice Mormon girl who just happened to show up at our church on Sunday night, and for me and my wife to encourage and pray for her and her new Christian friend who invited her there.

But after the gift of salvation and Christ living in me, perhaps the next greatest blessing of being a follower of Christ is having meaningful relationships with my eternal family now. 

Our close friends, with whom we have fellowship on a regular basis, and the godly men that Jesus has placed into my life, are priceless. 

If I did not have the small group of 'band of brothers' in my life, who are true friends who stick closer than a brother—friends who have my back, who pray for me, who come alongside me and encourage me—who are there with me in the foxhole of life—I don't think I could make it in this difficult life. 

I know that I am not in this battle alone.

Because Jesus lives in us, we can have amazing, beneath the surface, meaningful relationships with other like-minded people who love God, and who want to see His kingdom come, and His will be done.

Because Christ lives in me, I can rest in His faithfulness.

"Christ in me; the hope of glory."

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

—What does Jesus' promise of "Life more abundantly" mean to you personally?