The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
The abundant life enjoys simple pleasures.
God’s pleasures are simple ones. Nineteenth century English preacher Frederick William Robertson puts it this way:
All God’s pleasures are simple ones;
the rapture of a May morning sunshine,
the stream blue and green,
kind words,
benevolent acts,
the glow of good humor.
Children capture the essence of enjoying simple pleasures in life. No wonder Jesus says unless we can become as little children, we can’t inherit the Kingdom. (Matthew 18:3) He is telling us we can learn a lot from children. God even lovingly refers to us as His children. (1 John 3:1)
As children we were amazed by yellow daffodils and mesmerized by watching ants carry ten times their weight across the yard. Too soon we become jaded and take our sunsets for granted. We no longer see a colorful sky radiant with colorful reddish, pinkish, and orange hues. We just wish the sun would go down so the light will stop shining in our eyes while we’re trying to drive.
God has much to say about simple pleasures such as enjoying each new day (Psalm 118:24), being content (Proverbs 30:8, 9; Hebrews 13:5), living in unity (Psalm 133:1), being kind (Ephesians 4:32), laughing (Numbers 22:25-31), delighting in children (Matthew 19:14), and appreciating nature (Isaiah 55:12).
In fact, God’s creation beckons us to marvel at majestic mountains, admire vibrant sunsets, smell fragrant roses, and calm ourselves beside still waters. You might say God did the hard work of creating all of this so we could enjoy these simple pleasures in life.
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
