THE GOOD LIFE
Mrs. Smith smugly believes that her life’s tribulations and burdens cause her to be a better Christian. Mr. Jones looks at the prosperity of his neighbor in disdain, sure that such wealth will hamper the greedy man’s chances of procuring a place in Heaven. Little Susie suffers a chronic illness, and her parents feel that this is God’s manner of strengthening their faith. In Christianity, these are commonly held beliefs, but on what are they based? They are not based on God’s Word. God has made it clear in The Bible that it is his desire for his children to live abundantly, to prosper, and to enjoy good health: physically, mentally, and emotionally. The scriptures set forth God’s desires.
John 10: 7-10 states: “Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
God’s people are symbolized in verse 7 by sheep, and Jesus says plainly that he is the door of the sheep. It is important to know where the door leads, and how a person is to enter.
To discover where the door leads, we must look to verse 9. It says that upon entering in, any man shall be saved, shall go in and out, and find pasture. The criteria for entering in is defined in Romans 10: 9: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Entering and being saved then is as simple as confessing that Jesus is Lord, and believing that God raised him from the dead.
According to John 10: 9, salvation is but one of the three results of entering in. Along with being saved, the sheep shall go in and out. The phrase “go in and out” is an Eastern idiom which means “the normal comings and goings of life”. To find pasture is the third result of entering through the door. When translated from a Greek text, “find pasture” literally means “shall find food to eat”. Therefore, the sheep shall be able to go about their lives with ease while being sure to have food to eat.
John 10: 10 reiterates and expands verse 9 by saying that Christ, the door, came so that they, the sheep, can have life in all of its aspects: salvation, going in and out, and finding pasture. The verse also promises abundance in the life that he gives. Jesus was not crucified and resurrected so that God’s sheep could live scantily, but abundantly.
Abundance is only the beginning of what God makes available to those who believe His Word. In III John: 2, God says: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” The three words “above all things” denote the high priority that God has placed on having His beloved be prosperous and healthy. He compares His wish for our prosperity and health to the prosperity of a soul. Comprehending this comparison is facilitated by knowing that in God’s Word He refers to breath as soul. People generally pay very little attention to whether or not they are breathing. Breathing is an automatic, mindless act. God wishes that prosperity and health would occur in his beloved’s lives as readily as does breathing.
III John: 2 refers not only to physical health, but emotional and mental health as well. II Timothy 1: 7 addresses these issues of the mind with added clarity: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” His beloved are not weak and fearful, but powerful. His children are not abandoned, but loved. God’s people are not mentally deficient. The Bible says that he has given us sound minds.
The Bible is replete with these and other desires that God has for his children. He has desires for us, not endless restrictions. According to I John 5: 3, His will for us is never grievous. Verses 14 and 15 of the same chapter say that whatever we ask of God, according to God’s will, God will hear. It goes on to say that in knowing that God will hear, we can be assured that we will receive the petitions that we desire of Him.
Knowing that God’s Word states that it is His will for us to have abundance, prosperity, and health, we can be assured that if we ask, we will receive the good life that God promises to his children.