Abundant Life in the Lord

Scripture Text: John 10: 10

Running on EMPTY. Frustrated. Depressed. Tired. Negative consequences that we can well live without! We have a choice; be in abundance or be impoverished. We do not need to look far for an abundant life in God, just look up, as God is always there. We can keep in step with the Lord by:

1. Being intimate with God.
Have Him as the centre of our life and the very source of our existence. Walk closely with Him through prayers, praises and worship. Take time to reflect; if we have a problem, who is the first person we turn to? Is it our spouse, our best friend, our parents or God?

2. Being forgiving to those who have done us wrong.
Don’t dwell in the past. It is already behind you and you can never change it. Live for today and tomorrow and let yesterday contain life’s lesson which are to be learnt. Remember that if we harbour unforgiveness, our prayers will be hampered, and thus our source of Life is cut off to an extent.

3. Being able to love others just like our Lord always loves you.
Do good deeds from the heart, without expecting anything in return. Be less self-centred by thinking of others above yourself. When Christ went to the cross, He was putting the sinful world above Himself so that man can be reconciled with God. Is it then no wonder that the Bible explicitly mentions that, ‘ it is more blessed to give than to receive?’

4. Being able to enjoy God’s creation.
Take a break from our hectic lives. Smell the roses. See the majesty of what God has so richly blessed us with. Beauty is right before us. Let God’s light illuminate the darkness. As God creates all things perfect and beautiful, we will enrich our lives by taking time to marvel at His creation. Sadly, many of us are too busy to even smell the roses. We should consciously start today; take a stroll round the garden and marvel at the simple weed, the complex design of a simple flower……marvel…marvel!

5. Being less over-sensitive.
Don’t read too much into a situation. It could be a matter of people having different perspectives. Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Let it be. We don’t always need to have the last word. Remember, it is not worth losing our life, our sleep, over one word or an argument.

6. Being sacrificial to God through gifts, tithing and offerings.
We cannot out give God. When we give to God, we receive an abundance in return from God. A great lesson that we can learn is from the cow, which gives while it is still alive. We should not follow the pig which gives only when it is dead. Our lives will be greatly enriched if we are willing to give a little of ourselves for His Kingdom.

Prayer Response:

Dear Lord Jesus,
I thank you that you want to bless my life and give me an abundant life. I thank you that you have made that possible, through your death on the cross. Help me to realise this, and to put anything that troubles me at your feet. Grant that I may live an abundant life as you have intended and made possible. Amen.

Devotional based on the message by Mrs. Woon Ee Lin