"...I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10b
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
The “abundant life” can be a deceptive term to an American Christian ear. When you and I read that verse in Scripture, we can barely help but to think about things like an increased income, a good family, a nicer ride, and making it to our 80’s with a full head of hair; basically, a life full of pleasure without suffering. And while none of these things are inherently sinful, if we mistake them for what Jesus meant when He said,
“I came that they may have life...abundantly”, then we rob ourselves of something far greater and more powerful.
The truth is, we have
A LOT to be excited about as Believers in Jesus. Free of charge to us, God has graciously given us freedom from sin, a clean conscience, the presence of His Holy Spirit in our lives, eternal life as we exit this one, and the greatest of all gifts, the pleasure of enjoying Christ as the Great Treasure that He is for all eternity. I remember in my B.C. days (Before Christ that is), that my greatest joys came from the most rotten things. I was a glutton and a pornography addict and a whole host of other things. All the while I thought that the way I was living was true life! C.S. Lewis hit the nail on the head when he wrote,
“[We are] like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased."
It wasn’t till mid high school that God rescued me from the slum of my self-centered pleasure. If I only knew the true “abundant life” I was getting into!
My song, “Yours To Take,” tells of two important truths concerning the abundant life. The first is that if you are a blood bought Believer, you have much to celebrate! God has given you a brand new life to live! It’s almost like you begin to breathe for the very first time. I guess that’s why it’s called being born again. So please, rejoice!
The second truth is just as powerful though a bit harder to swallow. Here it is: God gives us a new life, and then He asks us to give it back to Him.
“Or do you not know...that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price.” (
1 Corinthians 6:19-20a). There is a line in the song that says,
“the Son of Man came here to give life, and in return He’s asking for mine”. This is true. Jesus saved you so that He could have you as His own possession. When we come to Christ, we forfeit our rights, our autonomy, our everything in order that we might gain Christ. This is the abundant life Christ wants for us. A life joyfully laid down for the service of the King.
No one put it as nicely as the Apostle Paul.
“But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (
Acts 20:24). Paul lost his status, his rank as a Pharisee and ultimately his life for the sake of Jesus. And yet Paul, more than most people, could truly say that he had abundant life. Why? Because true life isn’t the sum total of the things we acquire on earth, or how convenient our life is, or how happy we were before we died. It is a life abundantly spent on making Jesus famous no matter what the cost--because He is worthy.
This is something I have to wrestle with everyday. My life is not my own. I’ve been lovingly purchased from Satan and my sin at a very high cost. Now, everything I have belongs to Jesus, even my very life. May God give you grace to believe this as well today so that you might truly experience the abundant life in Christ.
