His Encouragement: Life more abundantly

His Encouragement: Life more abundantly

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This post is part of the series His Encouragement

Other posts in this series:

  1. His Encouragement: Biblical Inspiration for your Thursday
  2. His Encouragement: Psalm 147:3
  3. His Encouragement: Psalm 37:3

Welcome! Welcome, dearest friends, to His Encouragement: Biblical Inspiration for Your Thursday. Every Thursday, a few blogging friends and I will each bring you a Bible passage and a little hope-filled discussion. We pray that these Thursday posts help you end your week strong in God’s love and purpose for you. We also welcome you to join the conversation by commenting with your thoughts. God bless!

Today’s Encouragement

“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.” 

— John 10:10, KJV

Life is precious. Every second, every minute that passes is time that we can never get back. Every moment we share with loved ones is unique and, try as we may, we can never fully replicate it. Yet in this fast-paced world with an abundance of knowledge and distractions in the form of the Internet, social media, and so much more at our fingertips, we are allowing this scarce commodity to slip through our fingers. When your toddler comes running over to you asking: “Mama play blocks me?” and you respond: “In a minute…” because your eyes are glued to your phone or your computer or your television… THAT is a moment that you can never get back. Are you living in the here and now or are you missing the precious moments?

Life is fragile. There is no guarantee that we will be given a long life. In fact, there is no guarantee that we will even have tomorrow. Whether through illness or injury, gradual or sudden, anticipated or unexpected, the fragility of life means that it can end at any moment. That is not to say we should be pessimistic and not plan for the future. Certainly not! But it begs the question: are we truly experiencing life and life “more abundantly” NOW? Today? This very minute?

Life is brief. Are we so rushed and frazzled that the joy and peace have been sapped from us? Do we forget to celebrate and rejoice in the little things?  Are we so focused on the daily grind that we have forgotten how to live? Do we wake up each morning with our minds already cluttered with to do lists, meeting reminders, and the like? Do we spend extra hours at the office to earn a little extra to buy the next “new thing” instead of spending time with our loved ones?

Life is real. Are we spending money we don’t have on a new TV, a new car, a new house to keep up appearances, compete with others? Is it just to prove to ourselves and the world that we have accomplished something? Are we lost in the virtual world of social media, always scrolling and liking (or pinning) cool crafts or amazing vacations or a DIY home improvement project, but never actually experiencing anything real ourselves?

That is not abundant living. That is merely existing and attempting to live vicariously through others. We run the risk of cultivating an almost fully artificial existence while shutting ourselves off from true, human-to-human, face-to-face interactions and genuine relationships. There is a reason why loneliness has reached epidemic portions despite society being more “connected” than ever before. (Read this!)

This is not the type of life that the Lord Almighty, our Creator and Redeemer, wants for us!

In John 10:10, Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.It is interesting that some translations end the verse with “satisfying life”, “fullest measure”, “live life to the fullest”, etc. Hmm… This should make us pause and evaluate our priorities.

Are we kissing our loved ones goodbye even if we are just going across the way to the store? Are we saying “I love you” a dozen or hundred times a day? Do we hug our children just because? Do we laugh and do silly dances down the hallway? Do we gather together for songs of praise and special moments of prayer? Are we standing in the rain just to feel the cool drops against our skin? Are we spending a day out in nature or enjoying a picnic lunch?

Our older son, Peanut, playing piano with his grandpa while we were visiting my parents the other day.

Enjoying a recent Sabbath in the beautiful Rim Country of Arizona with my in-laws and admiring the elk as they slowly passed by while grazing.

 

I want to live life to the fullest until my life overflows with goodness, joy, laughter, and love. That does not mean there will be no sorrows, no pain, no grief, no separation. Life is precious, life is fragile, life is brief, but most of all, life is real. We are not guaranteed tomorrow… we are not even guaranteed the rest of today! But in spite of these things, I choose life — life in all its fullness, life more abundantly.

What do you choose?

I have come that they may have life and life to the full. John 10:10

 

Now it is your turn! How does today’s verse encourage you? What verse or passage is blessing you today?

 

Be sure to also visit my fellow bloggers and read their encouragement for your Thursday as well:

Are you a blogger? If you would like to join us every Thursday, please contact Trisha or Nicole.

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