Our Stories
Abundant Life
By Aaron Soderlund | posted 11/01/2007
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:9-10)
I read a new description of what 'abundant life' means tonight. In Reggie McNeal's book The Present Future, he says "When the kingdom fully comes, people will finally realize their full potential as beings created in the image of God. Jesus hinted at this when he spoke about abundant life. To live abundantly is to borrow the future into the present."
Wow! Borrow the future into the present? What is the future? Jesus comes back in the future. The Kingdom fully comes in the future. We realize our full potential in the future.
Just imagine...
We aren't ashamed to introduce Jesus to the person next to us in line at Starbucks. We don't shy away from a statement that has the name Jesus in it for fear that it may offend someone or make them uncomfortable. We fight for what we believe is right. We seek out our family and friends relentlessly that do not know Jesus. We actively fight against the enemy because we finally realize that he is here fighting against us every day. We have a passion for Jesus that cannot be missed. People are drawn to us because they can see Him in us, His disciples. People want to know Jesus.
If we are living the abundant life that Jesus has promised us, we should be borrowing from the future today! We don't need to imagine. He has come that we might live life to the full. Guess what... the battle has already been won. We cannot lose.
I don't always feel like I'm living my life abundantly. I get bored, bogged down, frustrated, tired, a glimpse of excitement every now and then, overwhelmed, and in between all of that, I feel joy. But the joy gets over-shadowed by all of the other junk in a day.
We talk about living an abundant life. But what does that mean? Sure it sounds good to say. But do you feel like you're living that? I hope you do. If not, that's OK. It's not too late. Jesus promised it to us. He didn't say we'd get it when we died. He came to give it to you now. So live it! Jesus is not a Sunday morning event. Infuse Him in every aspect of your life. Let Him take over your day at work. Your relationships. Your drive home in 520 traffic. Infuse Him into your lives and you will have abundant life. But this cannot be done without asking Him to be a part of your day. We must be in conversation with Him. Allow Him access to these areas of our lives that we compartmentalize apart from each other.
But I really believe that when we allow Jesus to control all of these areas of our lives, we will truly live abundant lives. Not just talk about it or say, 'Gee, I sure love Creekside's new vision'. I mean really invite Him into that area of your life. We're the ones missing out by not doing so. I am excited for the future when the Kingdom comes. But we can bring part of that here now. So why wait... Why not now?
To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com.
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"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:9-10)
I read a new description of what 'abundant life' means tonight. In Reggie McNeal's book The Present Future, he says "When the kingdom fully comes, people will finally realize their full potential as beings created in the image of God. Jesus hinted at this when he spoke about abundant life. To live abundantly is to borrow the future into the present." Wow! Borrow the future into the present? What is the future? Jesus comes back in the future. The Kingdom fully comes in the future. We realize our full potential in the future. Just imagine... We aren't ashamed to introduce Jesus to the person next to us in line at Starbucks. We don't shy away from a statement that has the name Jesus in it for fear that it may offend someone or make them uncomfortable. We fight for what we believe is right. We seek out our family and friends relentlessly that do not know Jesus. We actively fight against the enemy because we finally realize that he is here fighting against us every day. We have a passion for Jesus that cannot be missed. People are drawn to us because they can see Him in us, His disciples. People want to know Jesus. If we are living the abundant life that Jesus has promised us, we should be borrowing from the future today! We don't need to imagine. He has come that we might live life to the full. Guess what... the battle has already been won. We cannot lose. I don't always feel like I'm living my life abundantly. I get bored, bogged down, frustrated, tired, a glimpse of excitement every now and then, overwhelmed, and in between all of that, I feel joy. But the joy gets over-shadowed by all of the other junk in a day. We talk about living an abundant life. But what does that mean? Sure it sounds good to say. But do you feel like you're living that? I hope you do. If not, that's OK. It's not too late. Jesus promised it to us. He didn't say we'd get it when we died. He came to give it to you now. So live it! Jesus is not a Sunday morning event. Infuse Him in every aspect of your life. Let Him take over your day at work. Your relationships. Your drive home in 520 traffic. Infuse Him into your lives and you will have abundant life. But this cannot be done without asking Him to be a part of your day. We must be in conversation with Him. Allow Him access to these areas of our lives that we compartmentalize apart from each other. But I really believe that when we allow Jesus to control all of these areas of our lives, we will truly live abundant lives. Not just talk about it or say, 'Gee, I sure love Creekside's new vision'. I mean really invite Him into that area of your life. We're the ones missing out by not doing so. I am excited for the future when the Kingdom comes. But we can bring part of that here now. So why wait... Why not now? To respond to this message, email Aaron at aaron@windermere.com. |
