The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
The abundant life knows that Jesus is enough.
We live in a world where nothing is ever enough. We are bombarded with subliminal messages letting us know we aren’t rich enough, thin enough, smart enough, successful enough, happy enough, or good enough. In the eyes of the world, we will never measure up because we will never be enough!
That’s the bad news! The good news is we don’t have to be enough because we have Jesus.
We learn from the story of the widow giving just a tiny donation, that it was enough once placed in Jesus’s hands. It was valued more than what wealthy people gave. (Luke 21:1-4) We learn from the story of the two loaves and five fishes which couldn’t have possibly fed the multitude. Yet, it was more than enough in Jesus’s hands. (Matthew 14:15-21)
Jesus is enough. He is the bread of life. (John 6:35) He is the living water. (John 4:13-14) He is the strength of our hearts. (Psalm 73:25-26) He is love. (1 John 4:8)
This message of not being good enough even carries over into the Christian community. I remember when my grandfather became ill. He was a gentle man who became a Christian at a young age. He was a deacon in a little country Baptist church where he taught Sunday School for decades. He helped neighbors and strangers alike, and never said one unkind thing about anyone. He had an exemplary reputation and was affectionately called “Uncle Doug” by all who knew him. At his funeral, I heard not one but several people say, “Well if Uncle Doug doesn’t make it to heaven, there is no chance for the rest of us.”
They would be surprised to know that when I spent a week with my grandfather while he was in the hospital, I came into his room and found him crying. I asked what I could get for him. What did he need? Did he need pain medication? No—he was crying because he felt like he was a sinner. He hadn’t done enough for God. He wasn’t good enough to meet his Maker. He was concerned that he would not make it to heaven.
He was right about a couple of things. We are all sinners. We will never be able to do enough for God. However, he was wrong thinking he wouldn’t make it to heaven. What he didn’t fully grasp is that’s it’s not our goodness that gets us to heaven. It’s God’s greatness. When Jesus lives in us, He is enough. (Galatians 2:20)
Those living the abundant life don’t weigh themselves down trying to earn God’s love. They realize God’s love is freely given. (Romans 5:8) After all, if we could be good enough on our own, we wouldn’t need Jesus.
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
