Contending for the Abundant Life
Every Christian should be aware of the phrase “the abundant life”, which is promised to us, by Jesus, in John 10:10, “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”. The abundant life means to have more than enough in this life and in the next life.
You may ask, “why is salvation, which by the way, is the most important part of the abundant life, so easy to receive, but the abundant life on earth seems to be so difficult to receive”? There are two parts to the answer.
One, salvation or being saved is a gift of grace. Jesus says clearly that all one has to do is repent and believe in Him. Salvation is not earned or deserved. Think about it! What could you do to earn or deserve His gift of eternal life in Heaven? The answer is, of course, you can’t! It is a gift. That’s what grace means in this context.
The second part of the answer is found in the word thief in John 10:10a “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy”. The thief is, of course, the Devil or Satan. In other words, you have an enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy the abundant life which has been promised to you! The only tool that Satan has to steal, kill, and destroy the abundant life God has promised is to tempt you to disbelieve or disobey what God has said.
Here is the rub, so to speak, God has created you and has plans for your life so, He knows what is best for you (Jeremiah 1:5a, 29:11; Philippians 2:13). You, on the other hand, have been used to doing things your own way. By the way, how has that been going for you?
So, the challenge is to let go of your ways of doing things and align yourself with Jesus who loves you, forgiven you, and accepted you into the family of God. Jesus’ promise is an abundant life filled with every good thing.
CONTENDING
It is clear in the scriptures that if you want the abundant life you will have to contend for it or in other words it will be difficult. Contending for the abundant life is hard because it means to deny yourself of doing what you want and beginning to do things the way God wants you to. Remember, He knows what you need. What you need is health in your body and mind, healthy relationships, and financial peace just to name a few important areas. All of these things come about as you become more and more like Jesus in your character. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”.
Most of the time learning new things is hard. Driving a car, learning a musical instrument, becoming proficient at a sport or job. But, you know that with a little practice and time that which is difficult becomes easy, as a matter of fact there comes a time that you don’t even have to think about it… you just do it!
EXAMPLES OF CONTENDING
The Apostle Paul uses a number of analogies for the struggle of contending, I want you to notice the emphasis on self-control or discipline.
- In 2 Timothy: 3-7 Paul uses the illustration of a soldier. Having been in the Military, a Marine, I know that the keys to be a soldier are discipline, training, following directions, or orders. The same can be said of a Christian experiencing the abundant life. Nothing on this earth comes easily, but Jesus’ sacrifice was so that you could live as “more than a conqueror! Paul says in Romans 8:37, “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”.
- In Hebrews 12:1 Paul uses the illustration of being in a race. The illustration here speaks of the Olympic Games in those days. Regardless of the race, it was always a question of endurance. Personally, I was a Jogger for many years, not a runner but a jogger. Slow and easy but always finishing. I would jog a three-mile course and I can’t count the number of times I felt like quitting before my imaginary finish line. Usually, about ¾ of the way, I would start thinking of why I should just walk the rest of the way. Whether you were a runner or a jogger, like me, I am sure you know what I am talking about. Here is the truth by not quitting you were building up discipline and endurance. The required character traits of a Conqueror!
- In three of the Gospels, Jesus tells his followers to deny themselves and pick up their cross and follow Him, Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23. I like to think of the cross in these cases as the cross that intersects your will and His will. The only weapon the devil has is the weapon of temptation. He will tempt you to do what you want instead of what God wants for you. When the enemy of your soul comes to steal, kill, and destroy what he wants to impact is your relationship with Jesus Christ.
While we are contending for the abundant life, keep in mind that our “warfare” is not against flesh and blood people but against the spiritual powers of evil. Ephesians 6:12 states, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places”.
THE ABUNDANT LIFE IS A BY-PRODUCT OF SERVING JESUS!
Don’t make the mistake of putting your focus on the “abundance” and missing Jesus! The bible is clear, whom you obey becomes the Master of your life! “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death or of obedience leading to righteousness?” Romans 6:16. Many have enslaved themselves to seeking riches and wealth only to be empty in their souls.
Here is a curious truth about the abundant life promised by God. God has made the promise, He has all the power and authority to make it come to pass. He doesn’t need your help to make it happen. All He requires of you is to trust and obey Him. The abundant life is a byproduct of following Him. In other words, if you are in it for the abundant life only, you will miss it.
The “prosperity message” which is so prevalent today tends to focus on the riches or wealth. The focus is all wrong because it appeals to the natural desires or the flesh. Thinking this way opens you up to the temptations of the devil. Jesus says that you cannot serve God and riches, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [riches]” Matthew 6:24.
You might be thinking, “well how do I enter into the abundant life properly…” check-in for my next post for some thoughts on that.
