I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
I've never really understood this verse.
"What's not to understand?" you may ask. Well, the tricky part is this "abundant life" thing. What does it mean?
Some possible answers...
- It means knowing Jesus.
- It means being saved from spiritual death.
- It means God's blessing on our lives as we walk with Him.
- It means that life spent getting to know God will be full of joy in His presence.
- It means that I endure the bad with the good, and trust God to be my source of fullness.
That's a pretty good list. But nothing on it or any other list has ever quite answered the question for me.
Yesterday I posted a quotation from Oswald Chambers. Let Jesus just get on with the business of living His life vicariously through yours, is basically what the quotation says. Today I finally caught the connection between this and John 10:10. I didn't figure it out -- Jesus demonstrated it to me.
Last weekend I was feeling pretty good, until I heard Charles Price talk about His prayer life. He didn't set himself up as any kind of example; he simply described the experience of coming away from time with God with a sense of victory and peace, having put the governance of issues on God's shoulders. This hit a nerve with me. I want this to be my regular experience. I know this is a central component of the abundant Christian life. But how do I get there?
Back to what Jesus demonstrated to me. It goes like this:
The abundant life Jesus promised begins when we just let Jesus get on with the business of living His life vicariously through us.
When I truly turn my day over to Him and truly let Him get on with being the "Son of God living in His Father’s house in me," as Oswald Chambers says, I begin releasing His creative power. His creative power!
Jesus loves to work with all His heart, mind, and soul. He loves to relax deeply when it's time to relax. He loves to laugh with the people He loves, and to cry with them when they're hurting. He loves to think big, to think outside the box (any dilemmas you've been trying to solve by yourself?). He loves to love us with all His might. He loves to teach us about the Father. He loves to sing, to garden, to paint pictures, to discuss issues with clients, to do calculations, to teach classes, to dance, to tend to the sick, to invent, to reach out to people in crisis, to analyze, to research, to share the Gospel, to write essays, to make grocery lists, to take care of children in a day care or at home, to make dinner, to talk to old friends and make new friends, to build and repair things, to milk the cows, to plan the budget, to fly an airplane, to play the flute, to teach a Bible study, to compose music, to swim, to sit with the dying, to hold a newborn baby, to invite friends over for a meal.......
Jesus is life. He brings life. He came to bring us life, not only by saving us from death, but by giving us abundant life here on earth. This doesn't mean He came to bring us stuff. This doesn't mean He came to bring us hope (although He does bring hope). It means He has a zillion things to do -- not only big, officially "spiritual" things, but all the many things of life. Whatever tasks He has given us to do, He wants to do them vicariously through us, and for us to share in the victory of what this means. When He takes over ownership of our lives and our days, it's not to oppress us, it's to bring us life -- His own boundless life.
How did He demonstrate this to me? Well, first I repented. Then I asked Him to please just get on with the business of "living in His Father’s house in me." The next day (which was yesterday), I'd only had four hours of sleep, but even so, I got to watch Him at work: reviving me, encouraging me, helping me focus, giving me tenacity, sparking my creative process. He even surprised me with five or ten minutes of intense weeding, which I hadn't intended to do and was way too tired to do. It was all very matter-of-fact... it needed to be done, so there I was doing it. (I've put it off all summer.) Then we came back inside and resumed the other work that needed to be done.
I've been blocking Jesus. I see this now.
I can't wait to see what He has in mind for tomorrow.