Message: John 10:10

Jesus said, I’ve come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly. The dictionary tells us that abundantly means, “more than is needed.” Another translation tells us Jesus came so that we may have life to its fullest. We’re invited to ask for our cup to be filled to overflowing, and to not be shy or embarrassed about it. McDonalds and Burger King has nothing on us. In the Old Testament, Elisha asked for a “double portion” -- The original “Super Size” portion!

And yet, sadly, so many people, even Christians, settle for so much less. Many times, they have a mere “existence” rather than a “life”. Day after day, month after month, and many times even year after year, it’s just the same ole thing. Nothing new, nothing exciting, nothing noteworthy. Good People, having a mere existence is NOT the good news message of the gospel. Christ came so that we may have everlasting LIFE, not everlasting or ongoing existence! Instead of waking up each day, and saying “Good God, it’s morning“; we can and should say, “Good Morning God!”

2Pet. 1:3 Tells us His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him by his own glory. Is 6:3 tells us the whole earth is full of His glory (and wonders), not just part of creation; but ALL of it. So how do we miss it? What makes us too many times look at life as “awful” rather than “awesome”? Well, Job tells us in Chapter 37, to stop and consider God’s wonders.

We do this by striving to love God with all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our spirit and strength.

And if you can’t do that with ALL of your heart, mind, or spirit today, strive for just a little bit more than what you did yesterday. John Wesley would say Glory to Glory.

Ezek. 36:26 promises “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh. That heart of flesh will allow you to see and experience God in all sorts of ways, some of them perhaps new and different for you, but oh, so wonderful. You can start experiencing, loving, and praising God with all of your heart, mind, soul, emotions, and even your senses. Start by focusing on some of your favorite things; and since we all have different personalities, what is special to you, may not be so to another. There is no right or wrong, God made us all individual and unique. But all of us are wonderfully made, and you can start anywhere in creation.

You can get that “new pair of glasses” that allows you to see things in a new way. It also allows you to become closer to God in your everyday walk of life. Your life can get fuller and more abundant day by day. It will not matter about circumstances, or what you do or don’t have. You’ll be living out the gospel promise of “He who has eyes, let him see; and he who has ears, let him hear”.

I’d like to share with you just a few instances of how I do this in my personal life. These are some favorite things that make me feel grateful and closer to God. This is just a small tip of the iceburg. But it might give you a clearer idea of what I’m talking about, and where you might can start.

Using the 5 Senses:

Seeing--I love to see rainbows, stained glass, fluffy clouds, Godbeams, waterfalls;

Hearing-- I love to hear cats purring, birds singing, children laughing, our choir singing, my clock chiming.

Smelling-- I love the smell of vanilla, certain flowers and perfumes, cinnamon, coffee;

Tasting--I love pizza and fried fish, peppermint candy and spearmint gum

Touching--I love the touch of my cat’s fur, a baby’s grasp, hugs, rocking chairs.

You know, I’m also thankful that I have all of those senses, and can enjoy them.

Also that I can walk, talk, dress myself, and have my mind intact.

We should have a picture of a waterfall on the powerpoint. Which by the way, we saw a great one on my recent mission trip to North Carolina. It is one thing to have me simply tell you about how wonderful a waterfall is. It goes further if I can show you in some way, as if with a photo. I may even be able to explain it in terms using the senses--it looked beautiful, you could hear it roar, you could smell and taste the mist, you could touch the cold water.

All of that would be good, and get you further along in your knowledge and understanding; but if you could experience it for yourself--all of the beauty, the majesty, the wonder, the awesomeness. Then it would become alive, and you would have all of the fullness. It would fill your heart, your mind, and your soul with wonder and delight.

Ephesians 4:23 holds our closing prayer. Lord, may we take off our old selves, our old ways of how we look at life, and put on the new. May we be made new in the attitude of our minds, so that we may fully and completely experience this new life in the way that you meant for it to be for us; Abundant life! And then may we go out and share this good news with others. Thank you for loving and giving to us abundantly, may we do likewise towards you and our fellows. Amen.