Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Yesterday we started a devotional study on the fundamentals of successful Christian living, and as a basis for this study I am using notes I wrote in my Bible 53 years ago. I was a teenager at the time and these sermon and study notes were the foundation of my maturing process in Christ.
As a teenager, anytime anyone mentioned abundance I tuned in. If a little of something was good, then a lot of it must be gooder (yes, I used that non-word on purpose). I wasn’t satisfied to just play 18 holes of golf in a day if I had time to play 36. I wasn’t satisfied to have just any old car; it had to be the nicest car around, and for sure it had to be the fastest. I looked for abundance in every area of my life. It was my immature attempt at significance.
Then I discovered that Jesus provides abundance of significance when fleshly life with its pursuits is put to death and the life of Christ is resurrected in its place. I discovered that entering into union with Jesus Christ brought 4 things that make up this abundant life:
- Purpose: Jesus gave my life meaning. He gave me a reason for existing – to honor Him by accomplishing His work which gave me significance. But purpose has no value without…
- Possibility: With Christ all things are possible. I had a reason to try. The fear of failure was eliminated. Obstacles became opportunities. This was more than just cute verbal exercise; it was the reality of my heart, because Jesus Himself became my…
- Pattern: Christ lives in me! Everything He ever accomplished became the reality of my life, as if I had lived it. Everything He ever said became the guide for each decision and action, because the Word was alive in me. Everything He ever willed became the objective of my life, so that my life would glorify Him in every way. This is more than simply choosing to follow a blueprint for living; it is having the blueprint indelibly stamped on my life so that it is all I know. It is Jesus Christ living in and through me, which is possible by the Holy Spirit’s…
- Power: God has graciously granted to each of His children the gift of the Holy Spirit. He provides us with dynamic power to follow the pattern of Christ. We have limitless power to accept the possibility that mountains can be moved by faith. The purpose of Christ can be realized with visible power that glorifies the Father.
These are the 4 elements of abundant living. Are they your current personal experience? If not, then come back tomorrow when we discover how to get this abundant life.
Pastor John
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