Abundant/Abandon
by Lauri
Krentz
Recently our pastor preached a sermon from John 10. In John 10:10 Jesus says that He came to give life and to give it abundantly. The word "abundantly" jumped out at me and immediately I thought of another word, "abandoned" and suddenly I saw a fascinating paradox: To have Jesus Christ's abundant life I must abandon all that is dear to me. These two words look similar to the eye but mean very different things. One is usually used in a positive sense, the other usually in a negative. According to the dictionary, abundant is defined as more than adequate, richly supplied, profuse, overflowing, plentiful. Abandon is defined as to leave or forsake completely and finally: to give up possession or control of, to leave, desert, cast away.
We live in a society where truth is relative. Whatever you feel is right is right, whatever you feel is wrong is wrong. No absolutes. No barriers. No hindrances. This supposedly is freedom. This is the way to be happy, to have an abundant, rich life. Tolerance, espousing all people who engage in all things is supposed to be freeing. Accept yourself, you deserve it, if it feels good do it, do our own thing, to each his own are common phrases or at least common attitudes, even among Christians. But as usual what society and the world call "freedom" is truly bondage.
There is absolute Truth. Jesus Christ and His Word are Truth we can live our life by. Only when we keep this Truth are we truly free.
The world's freedom centers on self-centeredness. God's freedom centers on self-sacrifice. The world's freedom says be willing to die for your rights, your desires, what you think is "right". God's freedom says die TO your rights and desires. When I abandon, leave, forsake all that I hold dear, when I give up my hopes, my dreams, my ideas of how things should go, when I cast away the old way of life, only then I will experience His abundant life and true freedom.
"If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 16:24,25
What does Christ's abundant life consist of? His plentiful grace, His overflowing mercy, His adequate righteousness, His overflowing kindness, His never ending faithfulness, His adequate strength, His profuse love for me. All that I am not He is. When I relinquish my right to myself it allows Him to be for me all that I cannot be without Him.
"Therefore
if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
John 8:36