R.H. Hitchcock
Sugar Land, Texas USA
March 2000
Truly, A More Than Abundant Life |
John 10:10
10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, andto kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that theymight have it more abundantly.
(KJV)
I was introduced to the One True God by way of this verse of scripture.It was astounding to my ears, and a revelation to my heart that Christianitywas a way of abundance. God's Word made this promise, and He has continuedto fulfill it all of these years in my life. Truly, this is a more than abundantlife that we are living.
Rom 2:4
4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness andforbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeththee to repentance?
(KJV)
Despite religion's propounding of the opposite, it was the goodness ofGod that led us to repentance. Not an escape from fire and brimstone, butGod's Goodness. Surely, all of our lives have been filled with the goodnessof God: all of the many, many answered prayers, all of the signs and wonders,all of the directing of our paths, all of the sweet, sweet fellowship withGod and other believers. See, the goodness of God is greater than all thebadness of the devil. Although there may have been tribulation and opportunitiesto believe God in our lives, the goodness of God has far, far outweighedthe bad.
I Jn 4:7-10
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love isof God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God islove.
9 In this was manifested the love of God towardus, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we mightlive through him.
10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but thathe loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
(KJV)
God is Love. This love is not a passive love; not a touchy- feely love.This is an active love. God so loved that He gave. God so loved that He sent.His purpose in sending was that we might live through His son, Jesus Christ.His Love has enabled us to overcome all the bitterness and disappointmentof the world, to overcome all the scars and hurts, all the bummers and pains.He Gave and we received.
I Jn 4:16
16 And we have known and believed the love thatGod hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God,and God in him.
(KJV)
Certainly we have known experientially the love of God. Think of all themany blessings. When beginning to count our blessings, we soon lose countjust thinking about all the years, all the times, all the many, many peoplewho have blessed us. We have known God's Love and we have believed God'sLove.
I Jn 4:19
19 We love him, because he first lovedus.
(KJV)
His Love has caused us to love. How could we ever have done what we'vedone without God's Love?
We love (him is omitted in most Grk. Texts), because He first Loved us.He gave us the ability to love, and He gave us the confidence to love. Andlove is what puts a man or a woman, a boy or a girl over the top. Love givesus meaning, love gives us purpose, and love has given us confidence to bethe people that we've always wanted to be.
1Cor 1:30
30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of Godis made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, andredemption:
(KJV)
No status symbol or material thing will ever give us righteousness. Whatman needs is righteousness. It's what he desperately desires, it's what helongs for and strives for. We have it. We have been made the righteousnessof God in Christ Jesus. How comforting that is to know and how edifying itis. What a truly more than abundant life in Christ Jesus! Wisdom andrighteousness and sanctification and redemption. Who could have ever imaginedthis greatness of the more than abundant life?
Rom 8:15-17
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondageagain to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry,Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit,that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, andjoint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may bealso glorified together.
(KJV)
It's no more fear for this believer. Do you remember how much fear wehad in our lives? No more. We do not have a spirit of fear, but a spiritof sonship. Sons of God! We have the absolute proof in the senses world (orsenseless world as my friend and colleague likes to say) that we are thechildren of God: WE SPEAK IN TONGUES!
We aren't just vagabond children; we are heirs of God and joint heirswith Christ. If that doesn't put a charge in your battery, I don't know whatwill. We are heirs of God, joint-heirs with the Lord Jesus Christ AND wewill be glorified in the heavenlies one day. What a life, what a blessing,what a truly more than abundant life we are living.
Gal 4:6-7
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth theSpirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son;and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
(KJV)
We are not servants. We are not strangers. We are not beggars. We aresons of God with power! We have direct access to God as our Father. We donot come to God like He doesn't know us or like us; we come to God with boldnessand confidence because we are His children and His heirs.
I Jn 3:1-2
1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowedupon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knowethus not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it dothnot yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear,we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
(KJV)
What's your name? Well, now it is "SonofGod." That's your true last name.Sure we go by others names for now, but that's really your last name. Weare sons of God now, and we are also going to be changed at the appearingof our Lord Jesus Christ. We are not perfect now, but we will be in perfectionthen.
Phil 3:20-21
20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whencealso we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:
21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may befashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby heis able even to subdue all things unto himself.
(KJV)
Our conversation- our citizenship- is in heaven. We left this world behindlong ago in our hearts; our hearts are focused on the heavenly things, thespiritual things, and the things of God. What do we look for? We look forthe Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. We shall all be changed! This life weare living is wonderful, but the best is yet to come. Now we only see througha glass darkly, but then face to face. Now we know in part, but then shallwe know even as we are known.
Col 1:27
27 To whom God would make known what is the richesof the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you,the hope of glory:
(KJV)
I know the first time I heard this, my heart went through the ceiling.How astounding and yet how unknown or unbelieved in the Christian world.It's Christ in you, it's Christ in you, it's Christ in you!
"What power we've got if we only knew it." We know it now, and it's ours.It's Christ in us and we are living a more than abundant life in Christ.
I Jn 1:3
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we untoyou, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship iswith the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
(KJV)
What this more than abundant life is all about is fellowship with theFather and His son, and fellowship with each other in the family of God.There is no better life out there, there is no better situation, and thereis no better lifestyle or purpose of life: THE BEST is fellowship with Godand like-minded believers standing on God's Word together.
I Jn 1:7
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in thelight, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christhis Son cleanseth us from all sin.
(KJV)
To have been given a thorough knowledge of God's Word has been a blessingabundant to all of us, because it has provided the light that we might have fellowship with God.
Phil 2:13
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to willand to do of his good pleasure.
(KJV)
This has not been a hodge-podge effort; this has been a continual workingof God in our lives. Who you married, where you've lived, what kind of workyou've done…etc.etc.etc. All the many, many, many teachings, fellowships,manifestations, counseling, and prayers - all done because God worked withinyou both to will and to do of his good pleasure. The thread that weavesthroughout our lives has been the thread of God working in us to will andto do of His good pleasure.
Eph 3:20
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantlyabove all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh inus,
(KJV)
What better or more fitting conclusion than Eph. 3:20? God has done, isdoing, and will continue to do exceeding abundantly above all that we askor think. He has raised us up out of the hurt of the world and set us onhigh in the heavenly places. He has brought our lives from destruction andreplaced it with wholeness and love. He has given us knowledge of Him throughHis Word, and He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings. He has takenall the hurt and pain and replaced it with joy and grace. He has taken theconfusion and frustration of the world and replaced it with certainty andpeace. What a Great Big wonderful God we love and serve and what a trulymore than abundant life we are living.