“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10

God’s word contains many promises to us.  He promises us eternal life through belief in His Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:16).  Another promise is He will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).  One of the most often over-looked promises is found in John 10:10 where Jesus says “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Some translations say “abundant life.”  If you are a Christ-follower, you believe you have eternal life through Christ.  But do you believe that you have abundant life now?

Jesus promises us abundant living while we’re here on this earth.  We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven!  How great is that?!  But do we really believe that?  You may be asking, so what does abundant living look like?  No, it’s not the abundance of material things.  Neither is abundant living life without problems or difficulties.  Rather, abundant living involves walking closely with Jesus.  The Lord desires more than anything to have a deep, close relationship with us.  We each have a purpose in life designed by God (Jeremiah 29:11.)  He weaves into our lives all our experiences, our talents, and who we are, for His higher purposes.  Think of abundant living as a tool box filled to overflowing with the tools you need right now to navigate your life, through all the ups and downs, the hills and valleys.  Those tools include God’s promises in the Bible and other truths that you can apply to your life.  Walking the whole journey with you is God who is by your side filling you with the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23.)

You see, God really does promise us a rose garden.  But the problem is we expect that garden to be thorn-free.  When we’re scratched by the thorns, too often we lash out at God and blame Him.  We run from Him.  How do we live in the rose garden and deal with those prickly thorns?  When the thorns tear our souls causing us pain, do we run to God Our Healer or do we retreat to our own make-shift bandages?  It’s up to us.  We have a choice.

C.S. Lewis once said, “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”  Surrounded by jagged thorns, do we hear God shouting His love and mercy to us?  Are we listening? Do we feel His loving presence with us?  Or do we only see the thorns and ignore the beautiful roses?

Life is painful.  For those of us who have experienced loss, our souls ache.  We long for an easier road to travel, a rose garden without thorns.  Psalm 145:17 says “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.”* God leads us down the road that will most fulfill His purposes for our life.  The thorns along the trail are teachable moments for us, chances to draw closer to God and opportunities to see His power manifested in us.  Those painful “thorn-filled” moments are the way God shouts His love to us.  He cares for us through both the thorns and the roses of our life journey.  Listen to Him shouting His love and care to you amidst the thorns in your life.  He loves you so.

Heavenly Father, I claim today Your promise for an abundant life.  Teach me Your ways and purposes through the thorns in my life.  Fill me with the sweet fragrance of Your Rose – Your love, peace, and hope.  In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

 
 

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Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

* Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION ®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.  Used by permission of Zondervan.  All rights reserved.

C.S. Lewis quote from The Problem of Pain.  Copyright © 1962 by MacMillan Publishing Company, Inc. New York

Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools.  They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion.  Psalm 84:5-7

Have you ever been surprised by grief, loss, or suffering?  I know I have.  I have great expectations that life is supposed to be smooth, comfortable, and problem-free.  Even the least snag can throw me into a tailspin.  Not to mention a life-changing event.

Perhaps my perspective is skewed and my expectations are unrealistic.  Life is a journey, but it is never smooth-sailing all the time.   Walking through the journey of life is often more of a wilderness experience than an oasis.  Yet I expect life to be a huge oasis surrounded by desert.  As long as I stay in the oasis, I’m safe from the pain and desolation of the wastelands.  Or so I think.

The inspired writer of Psalm 84 had it right.  When we are on our pilgrimage of life, we are blessed (or happy) when we find our strength in God.  Even when we walk through the Valley of Baka or Weeping, we can still enjoy oasis there.  In our wasteland experience, we can have times of refreshment as we draw closer to God.  Perhaps the wilderness has a purpose.  In the suffering, when we draw near to God, we discover that He draws near to us.  And more importantly, we realize that God wants more than anything else to have a close, intimate relationship with us.  Oasis living has a way of masking our need for God.  More often than not, desert treks are where we discover Him.  And where we find the strength to go on our journey from oasis to oasis until we come to see God in heaven.

Instead of thinking about life as oasis living with a few wilderness times thrown in, I flip that thought around to be all about a wilderness journey that is dotted with respite oases.  In level-setting my expectations, I will be less surprised and will uncover the strength I need to journey forward.  From strength to strength until I see God face to face.

Thank You, Jesus, that You walk with me in both the oasis and wilderness times.  May I not forget You in the oasis and may I hold tightly to Your hand as I walk the wilderness.  May I have great expectations, not of problem-free living, but of Your very presence with me on my wilderness journey.  May it be so, Lord Jesus.  Amen.

 

 
 

Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Dailey.  All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™