A Full Life

Let’s just jump. Jesus did not come to kill us. He did not come to steal from us or to destroy us. (Though he did come to destroy the works of the devil. See 1 John 3:8)

No calmly, let’s consider John 10:10b. It’s one of the “big thought statements that explain Jesus’ purpose for his life on earth. He did not come to give us every thing we want. Nope. He came to give us a full life, or abundant life.

A full life overflows in the intangibles — love, peace, joy, forgiveness, patience, grace, generosity, compassion, mercy, and many other virtues. We are taught fullness. We nurture it, cultivate it, and surrender to the Holy Ghost’s work in us. The result is, according to the Gospel song, “something on the inside, working on the outside, oh what a change in my life!” Life is for living and living fully. There should be a sense of wholeness, of an awareness of God’s presence and gratitude for his blessings.

What is the scope of fullness and abundance? I think what can trip us up is the positive connotation attached to abundance. We expect John 10:10b to mean all the good we can handle. No. Do we consider that Jesus comes to give us the experiences and opportunities that can fill up our lives if we let them? Jesus does not come to kill, steal, or destroy, but to give us full to overflowing lives.

What if we looked at the lessons from our losses and choose to see how the Lord filled our lives? There must be brokenness to know recovery. And ashes to know beauty. Mourning and grief are necessary to know joy.

In John 10:10, Jesus offers a powerful contrast. Even if the experience feels like He is killing us, stealing from us, or destroying us, his purpose is for our lives to be full. There is power in our testimonies of healing, grace, and restoration. With each embraced revelation, our lives expand toward abundance. We grow and live, live and learn, and become full until there is overflow. Overflow is the sharing of our abundant lives with others.

Can we agree to move forward with a better grasp of Jesus’ purpose to give us abundant lives? Can we now take a deep breath and let the Holy Ghost lead us in receiving experiences to see the fullness after the pain or discomfort? Yes, we can. We can do this. We can glorify God in our LIVING. Beloved, today and for all our days, let us live. SELAH.

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Dr. Shaunta D. Scroggins is the founder of The Bereans’ Commentary.