Life in Abundance

Photo credit: Free-images.com

Though our consumer society tells us otherwise, material goods may give us fleeting happiness, but the joy they give doesn’t last forever. Everything breaks down, or we get tired of them: cars, appliances, homes, clothes. Like the bicycle that brings happiness to the 10-year-old until he wants a bigger bike, our possessions bring us joy, but that pleasure is short-lived. We’re always searching for the bigger, newer item. 

Our souls are searching, too. They’re searching for Christ – for Peace. God designed us to understand that there’s more to life than accumulating stuff. Deep down, we’re happiest when we live in Christ and allow Him to fill us with His grace, power, and love. We experience lasting joy when we’re detached from our material goods; we feel His peace when what we want aligns with what He wants. As Augustine of Hippo wrote, “You have created us for Yourself, and our heart is not quiet until it rests in You.” 

When Christ said, “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10), He wasn’t saying, “If you follow Me then you’ll have material wealth and you’ll be free of hardships.” What He meant was more like, “If you follow Me then you’ll have riches that are greater than material goods. Do everything with Me and for Me, and I’ll give you hope in difficult times and peace through your suffering.” 

What does this abundant life look like? Goodness in our hearts. Joy in simple things. Detachment from worldly goods. The freedom, desire, and willingness to share what we have. A clear conscience. Avoidance of anything that separates us from Christ. A sense of purpose in contributing toward the betterment of society. Feeling that what we’re doing is what God wants us to do. Gratitude for our life; taking care of our body, mind, and soul. Appreciation of nature; taking care of our planet. A welcoming and inclusive heart toward people of all walks of life. The desire to spend time with our Lord – and doing so – to let His grace fill our heart. 

Having abundant life doesn’t mean we won’t have hardships. Christ wasn’t spared His passion and death, yet God used Christ’s suffering for a greater good: to break the power of evil and to prove that evil and even death itself didn’t have the last say. If we imitate Christ and ask God to use our suffering for some greater good, He will do so. We then trust Him to lead us through each difficult situation. His love gives us hope; His strength gives us peace.

Material goods give us fleeting happiness. Seek the lasting joy that comes from having an abundance of spiritual goods. Strive for riches that will never break down. Follow Christ, and let Him fill your soul with His abundant blessings.

“I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10

“Lord, fill my soul with Your riches.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

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P.S.

Pray for peace in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Rewards Now, Rewards Later

Imagine telling a first-grader, “Listen to your teachers and do your homework, and when you grow up you’ll be able to get a good job.” 

Of course we don’t say that. Being a grown-up is so far away; getting a good job can’t be the child’s primary goal. He has to experience the joy of learning and the satisfaction of reaching smaller goals first. So throughout his school years, we let him experience those with each little accomplishment. Only after many years of schooling can he be guided toward using his God-given talents for a particular field of work. 

In last week’s reflection I cited Matthew 7:13-14: “...How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life…” I pointed out that Christ promises that following His Way is the way to eternal life. A couple of people asked: Is our primary goal getting to heaven? Don’t we get rewarded here, too? Isn’t there value in imitating Christ simply because doing so makes our life and our world better?

Yes, we do get rewarded now. God designed us to get a good feeling when we show love to others, whether it’s by giving a special gift, sharing our time, offering a random act of kindness or kind word, or doing any other kind deed. These actions also strengthen our relationships and make our world better. Like the student who experiences rewards for working hard, so do we experience rewards for imitating Christ throughout our life. 

We’ll get rewarded later, too. We look ahead to Christ’s promise of unending joy with Him in eternal life. Most of us are familiar with this verse:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” – John 3:16

Most of us consider eternal life as life with God in heaven. We know that God is love, so maybe heaven is less of a location and more of a state of being. When we love others through our words and actions, we’re showing God to them. We’re bringing heaven to them. We’re bringing heaven to earth. Christ offers us life after we pass away, and also makes it possible that our life here on earth could be full of His love, His peace, and His joy: 

“I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10

So, yes, our rewards come both now and later. Think of it this way: Loving in this life is kind of like practice for eternity. Our thoughts, words, and actions become who we are. When we’re absorbed in loving others, when our thoughts, words, and actions are rooted in Love, then we experience heaven here and now. We then take who we are with us and continue to be absorbed by Love for eternity.

“Lord, let me grasp every opportunity to bring heaven to earth.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...