THE ABUNDANT LIFE- February 2019
John 10:1-10 (NKJV)
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand the things which He spoke to them. 7 Then Jesus said to them again, “Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 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.
There is something magnetic about the word free. People go distances to benefit from an extra 25% off; a blue light special; buy one, get one free or; a red apple sale. On the other hand, the mentality is, I worked hard for this, through blood sweat and tears. With that disposition, we protect, by desperate means, what we have acquired. Those things that we think we got on our own, are treasured without giving credit to Him who has given us power to get wealth. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
However, Jesus gives an offer we should not refuse. The scenario is that He came to give abundant life while a thief’s activities are to steal, kill and destroy. The devil cannot steal, kill or destroy when we are in Heaven. That demonstrates that Jesus was speaking then of our earthly realm. However, when our understanding is brought into play, we realize that abundance goes much deeper. Comprehend Proverb 4:23 and take the necessary steps to live the abundant life. (Abundance: overflow; more than enough; excess; uncontainable amount.)
Here on Earth we CAN have an overflow in substance, health, favor, peace, joy and everything that is available to us through Christ. How can we access them? Matthew 8:26, explains that in the presence of fear, we accomplish nothing. Also, anxiety is one of the tools that the enemy uses to pry open the door to our heart and steal our joy and thus impact our faith in Christ’s supply. Since our owner is the Good Shepherd who owns everything, why should we doubt His ability? He offers abundant life both for Heaven and Earth. Because we are His sheep, we know His voice and follow His guidelines and expect Him to give to us ONLY what brings good outcomes.
As Kingdom citizens, we are entitled to the benefits of the Kingdom. We can change the way we function by watching our words. Thank Him that He gives out of His abundance. When we search the Scriptures and BELIEVE THEM, we should not speak contrarily to what we believe, in that, we make Him a liar. If we inject doubt in our confessions, we negate the power that should be at work in us. It is possible to see the Word at work for us, if we pay attention to little things and give God credit for them.
Yes, we will have abundant life in the sweet by and by, but Jesus who gave His life to accomplish that for us, has also provided everything for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). The word ALL is inclusive… nothing lacking. We can access those things by knowing who He is and by trusting that He knows best. In knowing Him, we tap into His divine nature, which causes us to think the way HE thought… He relied on God, the Father, in everything that He did and SAID. Until we acquire that kind of confidence in Him, we operate in lack and shortchange ourselves. If we speak defeat, that’s the world we are creating.
When the prodigal son left home, his father’s resources were not depleted, although that son lived below the privileges he had before he left home. Our Heavenly Father still has resources for us, and His Word guides us to the index to find the conditions for us to receive benefits. Would you take a lunch bag to a banquet? Yet, sometimes our actions demonstrate that that’s what we are doing. By the very definition of abundance, we expect His ability to come into reality, even when all we do is think. (Ephesians 3:20).
He tells us to ask correctly, according to His will (the desire He gives us). For too long we have been satisfied with being entombed in a cocoon of lack. We become comfortable with the walls that restrict us. Isn’t it high time for us to shed the encasement, like the chrysalis, and emerge into beautiful freedom? A butterfly flits on the grass and on tree branches to display its beauty and enjoy its new-found freedom. It was restricted for a time until it was mature enough to emerge. What role will we play, since the vastness of God’s abundance is available for us to enjoy?
The wide, open space is our stage. Could it be that we retard our process of launching out, by the words we speak, think and by doubting? Can you imagine what would happen if the time of breaking free came, and the butterfly chose to remain encased? Is that what we do by deciding what is impossible for God?
What makes life abundant? Certainly, it is not the availability of possessions. In Luke7:22, we are told that we will always have the poor with us. Did Jesus state that the poor was given money or possessions? No! He opened blind eyes, cleansed the leper and the lame, raised the dead and gave hearing to the deaf. Then He said, “…to the poor the gospel is preached”. Good News is the doorway to the overflow— the remedy to poverty. That is what Jesus said because the Gospel offers hope. Obedience to God’s word and life’s applications are the keys to the principles of abundance, both now and in the life to come.
Consider this, the author of evil is the devil who wants to deprive us of everything that is available to God’s children. When we conclude that God does not hear us, or if He did, He did not answer, could it be that He wants to give us better than our request, OR we are in the process of waiting for His providence/our maturity? Recognize that He is always working behind the scenes. Sometimes He exposes to us, His hand at work, therefore we must make Proverbs 3:5 our resolution.
Abundant life may mean different things to different people. Some may see it as an insurmountable supply of physical possessions only. To others, it may be a wealth of confidence in God’s ability to supply every need. He supplies according to His riches. Can we measure those? Elijah was fed by a raven when he hid from the reach of people. The widow’s oil was multiplied. Today, God has given people a heart of compassion to help each other. Whenever He asks us to share, He provides. Convince yourself that someone will obey His prompting.
God is not in the game of Hide-and-Seek. His hand is at work in every aspect of our life, so we must ask Him to reveal His purpose in everything that happens to us. With that attitude we will come to a positive conclusion about ALL of life’s experiences. Let us not underestimate His doing. God can do anything. Do you just say that, or do you BELIEVE it?
Remember, He also wants us to be equipped for the life hereafter, because abundance doesn’t get any greater than Eternity. Even if we are short-changed by this world’s goods, (1 Corinthians 15:19), know that God is yet preparing an abundance, freely.