Abundant Life

Read: John 10:10

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

That grouchy, gouty Englishman, Thomas Hobbes, said that life was "nasty, brutish, and short." What an attitude. Maybe it was something he ate? Someone he met? Jesus said that life was meant to be abundant, rich, and overflowing. I like that philosophy better, and I believe it.

Prosperity Preachers and Get-Rich Televangelists believe it, too, and they relentlessly preach the Gospel of More to their flocks. For Jesus, however, abundant life did not mean more; it meant less. Less worry. Less anger. Less covetousness. Abundant life, for Jesus, was a life freed from the tyranny of things. It was a life lived in harmony with the will of God, a life of serenity, security, and a peace that the world can't give, and the world can't take away. The abundant life, for Jesus, was a life free from fear, even the fear of death.

We have a choice, you and me. Moses said to the people: ". . . I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). We have a choice. We can choose to define ourselves by the world's standards, or we can choose life, the life that Jesus offers. Abundant life now, and eternal life forever—why would we choose anything else?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, I choose life. I choose you.

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