Jesus Offers Abundant Life
How do we access the abundance of Jesus?
Verse of the Day
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Today’s Devotional
If you knew that someone was prone to steal, or that they made a habit of destroying property, would you let such a person into your home? I wouldn’t. My home is one of my safe places in this world.
But do I protect my heart with the same intensity? I know that satan wants to steal my joy, kill my love for Jesus and destroy my life in the process. So why do I not protect my heart and mind from ANY avenue that might allow him access? Do I spend time with people that encourage negative thinking? Do I allow media of any type to cause me to question my worth? Do I look to worldly status to measure my success?
What Jesus offers is so much better. Life. Abundant life. I think Jesus offers us hope in the midst of chaos. Joy in the face of difficulties. Peace that cannot be explained in human terms. Faith in something so much bigger than us.
If you look at the two choices Jesus gives us, it’s an easy choice to make. I don’t know anyone who would choose being stolen from, destruction and death over an abundant life.
But I believe that having an abundant life doesn’t come from the one time choice of deciding to believe in Jesus. I think life, a big, full, joyous life, comes from choosing Jesus in tiny moments all throughout the day. For many days in a row. Choosing God over the world in small moments is the equivalent of one brick, built on the foundation of Jesus. How great my “home” is depends on how many bricks I have. The more I choose God’s will, the more I train my mind to focus on truth, the more Scriptures I have written in my heart, the more I am grateful, the more I pray, the more I rejoice, the more I serve others expecting nothing in return…the better my life is. And the more abundant my life becomes.
The life of abundance that Jesus offers us is real. But we have to make lots of tiny choices to follow Him into that abundance.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How have you allowed satan access to your heart?
What are three things you can do today to choose Jesus?
What area(s) of your life don’t feel abundant?
How do you need to rejoice, pray and give thanks in those areas of your life?