The Abundant Life: Riches money can’t buy…
Those living the abundant life still have a sense of awe and wonderment.
Children have a keen sense of awe and wonderment. A colorful flower, a vibrant sunset, a twinkling firefly, a crescent moon—all fill the young eye with sparkle and delight. I used to marvel when my three-year-old granddaughter would gather rocks of all shapes and sizes. To me, they appeared to be nothing more than ugly hunks of gray hues. In her eyes, each one possessed some hidden form of fascination.
Sometimes when we age, our world can seem smaller. Those vibrant, twinkling colors are still there, but we become so used to seeing them that in our eyes, they look dull and gray.
This can be analogous to the Christian journey. When we first discover Christ we are filled with awe and wonderment. How can it be that one would care for us so much that he would give His life for us, offer us salvation, extend us grace, and give us victory over death through His resurrection? All this Christ did while we were yet sinners. We are amazed at such sacrifice, such benevolence—such love!
After a while, we can grow accustomed to this. We can drift hither and yon. Instead of praising God for our blessings, we might blame Him for our trials. God has not changed. Christ is still the one who extends His mercy, but sometimes we change. We stop participating in a relationship with God through prayer, meditation, Bible study, and communing with like believers. Our senses become dulled. We lose that awe and wonderment we experienced when we first realized God’s love for us.
Perhaps that’s what happened to the church at Ephesus. (Revelation 2:1-5) They started out strong with an infectious love of God. Yet something must have happened along their Christian journey to dull their senses. Maybe this happened slowly, over time. Perhaps they gradually stopped praying, thinking about God, and studying the scriptures. Or perhaps it all became just a ritualistic routine without much meaning. Whatever the cause, the Bible says they lost the love they first had for God and were encouraged to find it again.
Losing this awe and wonder of God and His creation can affect our lives. For when we view God and His creation through dulled senses, we will not see the glory that surrounds us. The world becomes a dreary place.
Those living the abundant life will ask God to help them remember how they felt when they first knew Him. They will ask to know Him more. They realize that the more they know God, the more they will be able to see what surrounds them through His eyes. Then they can stand in awe and wonder of it all!
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“…I have come that they may have life and that they
may have it more abundantly.” ~John 10:10 (KJV)
