“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
If you are hungering for some food for the soul, these words, in the least, serve as delicious appetizers.
For, it is in Jesus that we find life. It is in Jesus, where life is not offered up for a limited time only, so act fast before supplies run out. In Jesus, abundant life does not spoil in the refrigerator when the power is out. In Jesus, life is not a goal to figure out on your own.
In Jesus, life is abundant. In Jesus, life has companionship. In Jesus, life is truly life, not a cheap, off the shelf, it only costs a dollar, knock-off.
There once was a man who was starving for some real life. He had been born blind since birth, and he starved to see the beauty of the world. He starved to see others around him. In fact, he starved to even have others around him, period.
He was hungry for life, but was found alone, in the darkness.
Then Jesus came, cracked open his prison of darkness, and gave him life.
The man rejoiced in his sight, but others did not. Those around him questioned and made accusations concerning his new life. Who had done this? By what authority was he healed? Was he really blind I the first place?
The once blind man had thought that those around him would provide green pastures and safety within the gate, but they did not. Even the man’s own parents failed to defend the man and his new life of sight.
The once blind man thought that he had found life, but all he found was a new sort of blindness…a new sort of darkness.
It is the sort of darkness that comes when those who pretend to care do not. It is the sort of darkness that comes when abundant life is less than abundant, and is actually conditional. It is the sort of darkness that comes from thieves who promise life, but can only provide a cheap toy.
The once blind man is thrown out of his community for nothing more than being healed, and he is alone once again. He had been forgotten, again.
Well, not quite. Jesus did not forget. The good shepherd came back for his once blind sheep, and his sheep recognized Jesus’ voice and followed.
You do not forget the voice that heals. You do not forget the voice that loves. In Jesus, the blind man both found his life when he was healed, and found it abundantly when collected once again by Jesus.
Jesus gives us this promise, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
It is true! You have life. You have been found by Jesus, forgiven and healed of the things from the past, been welcomed into the gates of the sheepfold, and are now watched over by your shepherd.
You know his voice. His voice speaks of love and forgiveness. And, when he leads in ways of love and forgiveness, you follow. You share in that love and forgiveness, and you share that love and forgiveness.
You know to whom you belong. You have been found by the good shepherd. You have life, and you have it abundantly.
Except, the thief would have you think otherwise. He crawls into the sheepfold, through the slats in the fence, and promises you another sort of life. He says things like:
“Wouldn’t life be better if you spent less money on helping others and rather spent it on yourself. You deserve it. You have worked hard for it. It is yours, not theirs. Go ahead, buy, buy, buy your happiness.”
Once, in the search for happiness during a down time in my life, I bought an electric screw driver…you know, one of those electric wands that can twist in screws and fix stuff around the house. It was billed as a tool to quickly fix anything that goes wrong around the home so that you can just go back to enjoying life.
Would that not be nice, to just buy a quick fix that can clear the stresses of home repair and just let you go back to enjoying life?
The only problem with this quick fix was that, at the time, I did not own a home. I was sold the solution to a problem I did not have! I was in college, living in a dorm, with a full maintenance staff. I had no problem that an electric screw driving wand could fix.
Plus, the thing was only powerful enough to twist a screw back into the hinge on a pair of reading glasses. But, it did not have a bit small enough to do even that! Good thing I listened to the thief who sold me that piece of junk by calling me at 7:00 in the morning. Good thing I spent the equivalent of 6 or 7 good meals on that lifesaving device!
There are other thieves of course. Social media promises companionship anywhere you may find yourself. With social media, you will no longer be alone. That is fine. It is actually very good is some cases. For those who are confined in their homes, social media is a life-saver that offers a way to have friends beyond your confining walls.
The only problem is that social media promises the same sort of life to those who already have beloved people literally right next to them. The online life seems like real life, but it can actually be a prison, blocking us from those who stand next to us who need our love, and who need to love us in return.
Jobs can be thieves. They need not, of course. Work is one way that we can love our neighbor. The reformer, Martin Luther, once said, 'The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes.” So, yes, we show love to our neighbor by offering quality work.
But, work can also be a thief, promising abundant life with just a few more hours devoted and a little more blood shed for the greater cause of the job, but offering no time to actually enjoy that life. At worst, a job can become a distraction that whisks us away from those who need us the most.
I suppose that in a world where hard work promises blessings of cars, great houses, great food, wondrous toys, and abundant life, Jesus’ vision of abundant life seems a little less grand.
I assure you that it is not.
A life that is given the gift of forgiveness (and the freedom that comes with that gift), and a life that rests of the shoulders of love is truly abundant. You do not have to be well off to know the treasure of those gifts.
My grandmother once told me that her family did not have much growing up, but they did not even notice. They had people who loved them, and they their neighbors in return, and that was more than enough. Jesus provided her family the food that filled their souls.
Jesus is your shepherd, and you are his sheep. He leads you out to eat the grass that is sufficient for the day. He leads you in ways of love. He leads you to others who also know the ways of love. He provides you with life, and provides it abundantly. Listen for his voice, he is calling.
If you are hungering for some food for the soul, these words, in the least, serve as delicious appetizers.
For, it is in Jesus that we find life. It is in Jesus, where life is not offered up for a limited time only, so act fast before supplies run out. In Jesus, abundant life does not spoil in the refrigerator when the power is out. In Jesus, life is not a goal to figure out on your own.
In Jesus, life is abundant. In Jesus, life has companionship. In Jesus, life is truly life, not a cheap, off the shelf, it only costs a dollar, knock-off.
There once was a man who was starving for some real life. He had been born blind since birth, and he starved to see the beauty of the world. He starved to see others around him. In fact, he starved to even have others around him, period.
He was hungry for life, but was found alone, in the darkness.
Then Jesus came, cracked open his prison of darkness, and gave him life.
The man rejoiced in his sight, but others did not. Those around him questioned and made accusations concerning his new life. Who had done this? By what authority was he healed? Was he really blind I the first place?
The once blind man had thought that those around him would provide green pastures and safety within the gate, but they did not. Even the man’s own parents failed to defend the man and his new life of sight.
The once blind man thought that he had found life, but all he found was a new sort of blindness…a new sort of darkness.
It is the sort of darkness that comes when those who pretend to care do not. It is the sort of darkness that comes when abundant life is less than abundant, and is actually conditional. It is the sort of darkness that comes from thieves who promise life, but can only provide a cheap toy.
The once blind man is thrown out of his community for nothing more than being healed, and he is alone once again. He had been forgotten, again.
Well, not quite. Jesus did not forget. The good shepherd came back for his once blind sheep, and his sheep recognized Jesus’ voice and followed.
You do not forget the voice that heals. You do not forget the voice that loves. In Jesus, the blind man both found his life when he was healed, and found it abundantly when collected once again by Jesus.
Jesus gives us this promise, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
It is true! You have life. You have been found by Jesus, forgiven and healed of the things from the past, been welcomed into the gates of the sheepfold, and are now watched over by your shepherd.
You know his voice. His voice speaks of love and forgiveness. And, when he leads in ways of love and forgiveness, you follow. You share in that love and forgiveness, and you share that love and forgiveness.
You know to whom you belong. You have been found by the good shepherd. You have life, and you have it abundantly.
Except, the thief would have you think otherwise. He crawls into the sheepfold, through the slats in the fence, and promises you another sort of life. He says things like:
“Wouldn’t life be better if you spent less money on helping others and rather spent it on yourself. You deserve it. You have worked hard for it. It is yours, not theirs. Go ahead, buy, buy, buy your happiness.”
Once, in the search for happiness during a down time in my life, I bought an electric screw driver…you know, one of those electric wands that can twist in screws and fix stuff around the house. It was billed as a tool to quickly fix anything that goes wrong around the home so that you can just go back to enjoying life.
Would that not be nice, to just buy a quick fix that can clear the stresses of home repair and just let you go back to enjoying life?
The only problem with this quick fix was that, at the time, I did not own a home. I was sold the solution to a problem I did not have! I was in college, living in a dorm, with a full maintenance staff. I had no problem that an electric screw driving wand could fix.
Plus, the thing was only powerful enough to twist a screw back into the hinge on a pair of reading glasses. But, it did not have a bit small enough to do even that! Good thing I listened to the thief who sold me that piece of junk by calling me at 7:00 in the morning. Good thing I spent the equivalent of 6 or 7 good meals on that lifesaving device!
There are other thieves of course. Social media promises companionship anywhere you may find yourself. With social media, you will no longer be alone. That is fine. It is actually very good is some cases. For those who are confined in their homes, social media is a life-saver that offers a way to have friends beyond your confining walls.
The only problem is that social media promises the same sort of life to those who already have beloved people literally right next to them. The online life seems like real life, but it can actually be a prison, blocking us from those who stand next to us who need our love, and who need to love us in return.
Jobs can be thieves. They need not, of course. Work is one way that we can love our neighbor. The reformer, Martin Luther, once said, 'The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes.” So, yes, we show love to our neighbor by offering quality work.
But, work can also be a thief, promising abundant life with just a few more hours devoted and a little more blood shed for the greater cause of the job, but offering no time to actually enjoy that life. At worst, a job can become a distraction that whisks us away from those who need us the most.
I suppose that in a world where hard work promises blessings of cars, great houses, great food, wondrous toys, and abundant life, Jesus’ vision of abundant life seems a little less grand.
I assure you that it is not.
A life that is given the gift of forgiveness (and the freedom that comes with that gift), and a life that rests of the shoulders of love is truly abundant. You do not have to be well off to know the treasure of those gifts.
My grandmother once told me that her family did not have much growing up, but they did not even notice. They had people who loved them, and they their neighbors in return, and that was more than enough. Jesus provided her family the food that filled their souls.
Jesus is your shepherd, and you are his sheep. He leads you out to eat the grass that is sufficient for the day. He leads you in ways of love. He leads you to others who also know the ways of love. He provides you with life, and provides it abundantly. Listen for his voice, he is calling.
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