Abundant Life

March 18 – Abundant Life

       John 10:10 – [Jesus said], "The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full".

       What does it mean to live life to the fullest? Right now - under the new covenant? In America? In Bangladesh, where 160 million souls are crammed into a land mass the size of Georgia? In Siberia, where it is barely not winter for a short time of the year? Some Bible translations, render the verse above, with the last phrase as "and life more abundantly." I have mused over this idea for decades with little actual experience, or at least what I thought was little experience. Over the years, with constant study of the Scriptures, I knew that the phrase could not mean material wealth. Psalm 63:5 gave me this clue: "My soul will be satisfied, AS with the richest of foods." I knew that the abundant life of which Jesus spoke had to be more than physical. As a matter of fact it has nothing to do with material wealth for those living in a North Korean prison camp, or in a hostile desert country like Somalia, or in a refugee camp in western Thailand. Today, in 2023, I had a revelation as I mused about some completely unrelated scriptures, to which I was led from the rabbit hole of Psalm 78, in my ordinary routine of reading a Psalm according to the day of the month.

       Let us start with the precursor to the body of Christ – the physical nation of Israel, chosen by God out of all the nations of the world, to be his special inheritance. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 gives us the historic foundation and recipe for abundant living in the land of Canaan, to which God was about to lead the nation of Israel. Verses 1-2 state: "If you fully obey Yahweh your God and carefully follow all his commands that I give you today, Yahweh your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey Yahweh your God:...." Then, in the following verses, abundant peace, fruitful horticulture, and fruitful agriculture flow.

       Besides obeying all the commands that Moses received while on Mt. Sinai (which are basically re-iterated in Deuteronomy), the Israelites had one other mandate when they actually crossed the Jordan into the promised land from east to west. They even had a taste of this mandate while on the east side of the Jordan (Deut 2:31ff). They were commanded to wipe out all the current inhabitants of the land promised to them. Deuteronomy 7:1-7 gives the mandate to complete destroy the specific peoples – to not make any treaty with them, to not intermarry with them, but to kill all inhabitants, and to smash and burn their religious objects.

       These physical acts were commanded by God in that dispensation (Mosaic covenant), at the very least, as a sign pointing to spiritual acts in the current dispensation (New Covenant, established by Jesus – Luke 22:20). The nation of Israel had to physically invade the cities as a killing host, which would lead God to fulfill his promise to wipe out the sinful peoples (Deut. 7:1; cf Genesis 15:16 also.) The act was God working symbiotically with his chosen people to produce a desired result. This concept is spelled out specifically in 2 Peter 1:3-9, in which Christians are commanded to pursue godly disciplines, character, and behavior, all while contrasting the work of God's spirit alone to produce fruit in us, as is stated in Galatians 5:22-23. This spiritual act is the ongoing sanctifying process of the believer, which is a direct correlation to the wiping out of the sinful peoples in Joshua's time of leadership.

       There are a couple of other scriptures that give us a picture of this concept. Psalm 1:1-3 states: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor take his stand according to the ways of sinners, nor sit in the authoritative seat of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of Yahweh, and on whose law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its FRUIT in season and whose leaf does not wither." We Christians, however, are not trees, which cannot move; we can choose to put down our roots by the streams of waters, or we can uproot ourselves and move to poisonous soil. It is our choice. Likewise, Romans 12:1-2 gives us a similar concept: "Therefore, I urge you, brother, in view of God's kindness, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your reasonable act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing, and perfect will." Can you see how this relates to the mandate to the Israelites to wipe out all memory of the Canaanite inhabitants? The "renewing of the mind" equates to the smashing and burning of the pagan religious objects. However, once again, offering ourselves as living sacrifices is a choice. One can easily slip off the altar, when one is not dead, like a traditional offering was.

       As I was reading the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 11 today, having slid down that aforementioned rabbit hole, I recalled that at that time in history, the promised land had barely been overtaken, even after 200-odd years since the walls of Jericho came down. It would take another generation or two for the nation of Israel to even come close to controlling the boundaries that God originally spelled out to Abraham in Genesis 15:18. As I look back at my life as a Christian over 40+ years, I can only blame myself for not experiencing the abundant life promised me (controlling that spiritual land from end to end). Of course I still have eternal life, for that was given to me when I was adopted into the kingdom of God (cf. Colossians 1:12-13 & Ephesians 1:13-14). Eternal life is an unchanging state of being; abundant life is a constantly-changing state of experiencing. Laziness, premature contentment, and downright disobedience are killers of abundant life.  (This is how the nation of Israel basically lived from the time of Joshua's death, until roughly the time of King David.)  That is why I must focus on the aforementioned scriptures as I live in a daily relationship with the spirit of God – if I am to ever have any semblance of life to the fullest, regardless of my circumstances. Jesus suffered tremendously as a sinless human, and yet he lived a human life to the fullest. He promises both trouble and fullness, simultaneously. John 16:33 states "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world." 1 John 5:4-5 also says "...everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who trusts that Jesus is the son of God." 

 

May 6 – Your Word is Truth

         Psalm 119:104 – "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

         This is easily one of the most quoted scriptures in the Old Testament. It goes without saying then that God's words, recorded for us, should be the most sought-after treasure in our lives. Actually, the entire song of Psalm 119, the longest in the Bible, is one that extols his word, laws, and commands. Jesus takes this idea even one step further. In John 17:17, he prays to the Father "....your word is truth".

        Recently, I had an unexpected conversation with a 40 year-old woman, that started with what's wrong about American society. She immediately stated that we have neglected the Bible. I then said, "Tell me more!" So she proceeded to tell me how God had led her mother, sister, her daughter, and herself 20 years ago from New Orleans to Virginia Beach to start a new life. She told of divine intervention along the way, as well as "signs" to guide them to the correct location. They were helped in gaining employment and lodging in Virginia Beach. She even met her future husband there. The same happened (minus the husband-finding) when just three years ago (2019), they were prompted to move again from Virginia Beach to my hometown, of all places – a rinky-dink small tourist town, with few opportunities of employment.

        Throughout our conversation, I delved further into life in Virginia Beach. There were no friends who would miss them, when they would move to my town; there was no church family to speak of, only a husband to bring along. The same thing was said of her three years of residence in my town. She preferred to keep to herself. If this wasn't odd in itself for a Christian (although she did not mention that name), one thing else was glaring. I asked how she knew that God was truly leading her. Her reply was how she saw his hand in her family's moves. I then inquired if God's word, the Bible, was important. (Remember that this was the catalyst of our conversation, but which never appeared in her long story.) She stated that it was, but that it was not enough in order to know God in a personal way. She gave the age-old example of people in poor and restricted nations, where folks cannot find a Bible, but nevertheless, have found the living God. I couldn't deny that this is true, but not in America, where we both lived. I came to the conclusion, that God's word was not really important, as she mentioned that she might read it a couple of times a week for "comfort", not for direction, guidance, or truth. However, it was not needed for knowing God in a personal way. So many verses came to my mind, and a few I offered; however, I was beating my head against a wall.

        So, my dear reader, let's remind ourselves of what God's word can do for us. Psalm 119:10, 11, 97-100, 133 state, "I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you....Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are always with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts....direct my footsteps according to your word." Verse 10 above sounds like a personal relationship with God CAN be found via his word.  Furthermore, the last phrase states that God can give us direction in which to walk. 

         Deuteronomy is my favorite book of the Pentateuch, because it is pregnant with hope and description of why keeping God's commands are more than just rule-following. In chapter 6, we read: "Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them upon your children. Talk about them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and get up." Having them in one's heart and living them daily sounds to me like a lifestyle, not a religion. The rest of chapter six also gives that impression.

        The Israelites, by and large, however, forgot that God brought them out of Egypt, in order to make them prosperous in a new land – under his covenant as King and caretaker. By the time that Jesus arrived on the scene, the Mosaic law had become a burden that no one could carry, and one that not even the Pharisees would help you carry (Matthew 23:4). Jesus had to remind us that God and his word were more than rules to be submitted to. Man was not created to just follow the rules; the rules were created to benefit man (Deuteronomy 10:12, 13). Jesus showed us how to love God by keeping the Spirit of the law, which transcended and pre-dated the Mosaic law itself. Jesus said that he came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17), as only he could. 

        How can we know these differences that bring freedom unless we read the words of Jesus himself?  Let's get out the flashlight, and start walking in this dark world.