Because He Lives
There is much more to living than the physical life everyone enjoys. Jesus said, “I have come that [you] may have life, and that [you] may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10b) He was speaking to people who were already physically alive so He had much more in mind. The abundant life He was referring to is physical life plus spiritual life.
Every living person has physical life but not everyone has spiritual life. In fact, everyone who does not believe on Jesus is spiritually dead. Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also.” (John 19:19b) Jesus is the only source of spiritual life and He gives it to those who believe on Him.
When we first believe on Jesus, we go through a spiritual transformation. We are changed from being spiritually dead to spiritually alive, from adequate life to abundant life. Paul described it as follows.
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Rom. 6:4)
Amazing things happen at the moment we believe on Jesus. Spiritually we are buried with Christ. Then we are raised from the dead just like He was 2000 years ago. As a result we, have a new kind of life available to us, a supercharged abundant life.
Unfortunately, most believers do not experience this abundant life because we don’t consider it to be real. As a result, life continues after believing on Jesus much as it did before. How do we experience this life?
Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 6:11)
We must “reckon”, come to the conclusion, and believe that we really died to sin are are now alive to God. We have to realize that we are now living our life in Jesus with His life available to us. We must deny ourselves, take up cross daily, and follow Jesus. (Luke 9:23) We must realize it is no longer we who live but Jesus who lives in us. (Gal 2:20)
September 2nd, 2009 at 2:31 pm
You need to expond on this a bit more. This is saying the right terminology but it is not getting through to me. HOW? How does a Christian live in this abundant life? When we are distressed, how do we tranform to the power and joy of Jesus? When I committed to praying every day for a group of Christians, I have seen more attacks of Satan. I have seen discouragement and a lack of joy from coming to the Lord every day lifting them up. Prayer is a very hard ministry… I can feel the power of the Lord being used in so many others lives. I can hear the glory that comes to God though this neew minitry, but I get drained very easy….. How do I keep the cup full? I find myself empowered by reading God’s word, but I can’t seem to get enough…. I keep 2 bibles beside me open all the time. I can feel the spiritual attackes. I know we wrestle not against flesh and blood, and I am feeling the effects of the wrestling… Why do I feel drained at times?
I ask for openess to my sin that would keep me from God and confess any and all that come before my mind. I pray for renewed mercy and power every morning… is that a failed prayer?
Help!
Curtiss
September 2nd, 2009 at 7:52 pm
Your opinion is useful
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:14 am
Curtiss,
Abundant life does not mean an easy life or a life that only has joy or a life that does not have suffering. An abundant life is a full life, it is the same kind of life that Jesus and Paul had.
Paul experienced the same things you are mentioning. See 2 Cor. 1:3-11, 11:22-31.
In this life we will have trouble, we will get tired, and we will be sorrowful at times. Yet, we will also experience blessing, times of refreshing, and times of great joy. It is not until the next life that all difficulty is gone and only joy remains.