Abundant Life

Posted on by korgrocker

“All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
John 10:8-10 NLT
“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”
John 10:10 AMP

Before we start getting excited over the potential material benefits of a “rich and satisfying life” in the years we have left in this world, we should note that Jesus was referring to spiritual life. The parable of the Good Shepherd and His sheep created a wonderful picture of how God looks after us, and what He has to offer. The life that Jesus offered is eternal life, because He said in John 3:16, “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”. Believing in Jesus will not mean we will live in our natural bodies forever, but He will provide a home for our souls eternally. Jesus told His disciples about eternal life in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. This is the abundant life that Jesus referred to in His Good Shepherd parable. We should also note that Jesus said, about our natural lives, in John 16:33, “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”. So, on the one hand we have our natural lives, and on the other our spiritual lives. How do we reconcile the two?

Our natural and spiritual lives are intertwined – one affects the other and vice versa. The conflict that can sometimes develop was summed up by Paul in Romans 7:21-24, “I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death?” Thankfully, Paul left us a legacy that saw through the dilemma we all face and he wrote, “Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death” (Romans 7:25-8:2). 

In the UK, established denominations are on the decline but where have all the believers gone? Other churches don’t see to have benefited greatly by picking up those who have left declining congregations. Have all these church members decided that they don’t believe anymore and so stay at home on a Sunday? I’m sure there is an element in that, but perhaps many Christians are instead waiting for the day when they cross the Great Divide and move on to eternal life, or so they hope, disillusioned by a denominational Christianity that doesn’t contain the abundant life Jesus promised. Perhaps many churches have become religious social clubs failing in their mission to the world, and failing in their relevance to a needy generation.

Perhaps there are pilgrims out there today who can relate to this lack of abundance in their own lives, so how can they remedy the situation? We of course turn once again to Jesus. he will refresh our souls. He will provide the living water from a well that never runs dry. He will even feed us the very bread of life, sustaining our souls on the journey to our promised land. We have much to thank Jesus for. Abundant life is within our grasp, but we have to reach out and apply it to us every day and in every situation we are likely to meet.

Dear Father God. Thank You for all of Heaven’s resources that are available to us. Life so abundantly is the norm in Your Kingdom and we are so grateful. Amen.

Personal Testimony

Posted on by korgrocker

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” The Pharisees replied, “You are making those claims about yourself! Such testimony is not valid.” Jesus told them, “These claims are valid even though I make them about myself. For I know where I came from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me. You judge me by human standards, but I do not judge anyone. And if I did, my judgment would be correct in every respect because I am not alone. The Father who sent me is with me. Your own law says that if two people agree about something, their witness is accepted as fact. I am one witness, and my Father who sent me is the other.””
John 8:12-18 NLT

The Pharisees seem to have been abandoned by the other Jewish religious leaders because John stopped mentioning them. But regardless, the Pharisaical attacks on Jesus continued, and they now start another approach. The Pharisees decided that Jesus was making claims about Himself that could not be substantiated by independent witnesses, so how could they be proven? Where was the testimony of others? Without it, the Pharisees said, Jesus had no right to make the claims He did. Claims like we read in John 6:35, “Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty”. And in our verses today we read another claim that Jesus made – “I am the light of the world”. Of course, to the Jews, the use of the two words “I am” was highly contentious because they were the name of God and many Jews wouldn’t even mention it. Exodus 3:14, “God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you””. 

Jesus told the Pharisees that what He said about Himself was valid, because there were two witnesses – Himself and His Father in Heaven. Jesus said His claims were true because He knew where He had come from and where He was going. His mandate couldn’t have been any higher. He was on a mission ordained by His Father. Effectively, He was saying to the Pharisees that He was the Son of God, able to make valid claims about Himself, so get over it!

Jesus also pointed out that the Pharisees were using human values to judge Him, something that did not apply in His situation. There was no higher authority than God and His Son, so human jurisdiction did not apply. Jesus then said that He didn’t judge anyone. We remember that He had previously mentioned this in His conversation with Nicodemus, recorded in John 3:17, “God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him”. At the time of His first coming, Jesus was not going to judge anyone – that occasion was still to come, as we read in Revelation 20. 

So, what do we pilgrims think of Jesus and His claims? They are all recorded in the Gospels and elsewhere in the New Testament. The people of His day were divided in their opinions of Him. Many believed in Him because of the miraculous signs that he did, and because of His teaching. But still more, including the Pharisees and the other religious leaders, did not. However, two thousand years on, we are followers of Jesus, disciples of the Son of God, believers in the God-Man who had the words of eternal life. The Messiah who was the bread of life, sustaining those who believed in Him. We don’t stumble around in the darkness of a sinful world, but we have the light of Jesus illuminating our every step. We worship a loving Saviour, who gave His life that we might live.

Dear Lord Jesus. We believe in you, and will follow You all the days of our lives. In Your precious name. Amen.