Do you think that living the life of Riley (life of luxury) is what the abundant life is about? Nope, it’s really about making an impact for the kingdom of God. Listen up to find out how you can do this.
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Welcome to God's Toolbox the Bible. Today our topic is living the abundant life. Yes, the abundant life as in living life to its fullest. That phrase abundant life comes from one of my favorite verses in all of the Bible, John ten. It says the thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly. The thief, of course, refers to Satan, and he is not our friend or good neighbor. His goal is always to destroy us in an attempt to make God look bad. But Jesus came to earth for the purpose of making things right between us and God and to give us full and purposeful lives now with the bonus of living out eternal life with God. During that time it will be all gravy. No sickness, no sorrow, no tears, no death. It sounds too good to be true, but it is true for those of us who accept the gift of salvation that Jesus offers. But wait, we don't have to wait for eternity to enjoy life, because Jesus said He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. He was also talking about right here, right now. And you know what? I claim that promise, and you should too. Living out the abundant life daily. So what is this abundant life? Well it is not the life of Raleigh, as my mother used to say, all good and no bad. No, the abundant life has ups and downs, peaks and valleys, good as well as bad. What makes it so desirable is that Jesus is at the helm, large and in charge and his love overpowers us no matter what's going on. When we give our lives over to Jesus, then we live with purpose and fulfillment. We love God, we love other people, we are led by the Holy Spirit to impact the world around us for the better, using our gifts and talents to spread God's love. But how do we do this? How do we actually impact God's kingdom? Well think about it like this. What can you do? What job do you have? What family members, friends, and colleagues are in your life? What resources, what platform has God given you? Start right there. Speak to people, be kind, encourage them. Do your job with excellence. Share, smile, lead by example. Is this easy to do every day? Absolutely not. Because the thief Satan is always on hand to tell us it's useless, telling us that you can't make a difference, that the world will always be evil and people will always take advantage of you. Satan is messy, critical, scornful, and he tries to get others to be like him. But don't do it. Don't fall for his tactics. Don't be a hater or a critic. Be kind, help others. Look for solutions rather than always pointing out the problems. Live every day with gratitude and expectancy to be used by God for He has a plan and a purpose for us. When you live like this, thinking of others more than yourself, despite all the trauma you may experience, you won't have to look for happiness because it will find you. That's when you know you're living the abundant life of John ten. God bless you. Join us next week for another edition of God's Toolbox, the Bible.
