Sabbath Thought - Abundant Life

We live in an amazing time in mankind's history.  But, in spite of mankind's advances in understand the physical world and universe around us, the purpose of life has never been further from their understanding.  Part of this is because mankind has sought to replace God as the source of true knowledge with the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Rather than enlightenment, mankind has created imprisonment.  Evolution teaches that man is just an advanced animal, so this physical life is all there is.  Rather than freeing mankind to some higher purpose, people have lost purpose and so they pursue something - anything - to make life enjoyable - or at least tolerable. "Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."  It is all very sad.

Are we in the Church of God any different?  The saddest comments I have heard from young adults in the COG is, "I don't want to miss out on the fun things in life."  I have even heard older adults lament (as they leave the church) saying "I am tired of the struggle."  Too many felt that their religious life must be one of giving up all the fun and the enjoyment of living - that in order to please God, they must endure a life of gloom - they didn't see the abundant life they had and lost the joy of their calling.

What kind of life does God want us to have?  Is that a question that you have even thought about? Our relationship with God is not expected to be an onerous one. We are not called to simply bear through this life for the hope of a better one in His Kingdom.  Do you have an abundant life?  Jesus Christ said that He came to this earth for a purpose - for us to have that abundant life (John 10:10).  The Greek word translated "abundantly" has the meaning to have "above and beyond" and "more than necessary".

We have a hope that the world doesn't have (1 Peter 1:3, 5) - a hope that we can have a life filled with far more splendor and glory, and far more happiness than we probably ever imagined.  We know from Scripture that we can be born into the Kingdom of God - the Family of God!  The trials of faith we face are developing character that will never perish (1 Peter 1:6-7). That is more valuable than gold.  A Christian understands this, and it doesn't make him/her unhappy, because these problems and trials serve the very purpose of our being - to help us become like God!

What is an abundant life?  Abundance is: "possessing an overflowing fullness."  It means having great plenty. It means exuberance. It means abounding. That's the kind of life that Jesus Christ came to reveal that we could have.  Each of us can fall a great deal short of all of that, but that's our goal!  That is the life that we shall live in the Kingdom of God. That is the life that we should strive for, and with God's help, we can gradually grow into more and more.  It means that God's Spirit in us will radiate attributes of cheerfulness, friendliness, love, sincerity, peace, courage, and interest in others, instead of being self-conscious, or focused on self.  We will be humble. We will be ready, always, to admit error when we are shown, and to change to what is right, wherever we are wrong. We will be ready to accept correction and to act upon it no matter how humiliating or painful.  We will diligently study to learn the right way and to live it (Matthew 4:4), and we will study the Bible to find it.  We will wish others to live their lives to their highest, their fullest, and their best. We will not go around griping, complaining and murmuring about things that make us and others unhappy.  We will be relentlessly pursuing the goal of the Kingdom of God with zeal and with energy fired by godly ambition, with hope, with faith, and living by every Word of God.  We will be overcoming our own carnal human nature and the world, resisting Satan, drawing nearer to God by through daily Bible study, prayer, meditation and occasional fasting.

The Christian life is a happy, abundant life.  It's ours for the asking. It's ours for the willingness to confess our sins to God and to repent.  It's ours if we're willing to become like Him.

I wish you a joy-filled Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

30 July, 2021