We must remember also that the “opposite of
truth is also true”…so, everyone who desires to live the abundant life avoids
these negative qualities. They are just the opposite and lead to an unhappy and
unsatisfied life; selfishness, hatred, lust, unforgiveness, envy, jealousy,
fear, drunkenness, sexual immortality, discord and malice, fits of rage,
dishonesty, greed, gossiping, slander. pessimism, despair and self-pity. In
other words, the more these negative qualities are a part of a person’s
behavior, the further they are from obtaining this “abundant life” that Jesus
came to give.
God however, can remove all of these
negative characteristics from a person’s life. Every one of them! God is
greater than our sins! Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:11- "And this is what
some of you WERE… But you were
washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
So it’s no longer an excuse to say,
"This is who I am… this is just the way I am… and I can’t change that! Oh,
yes you can! Part of the abundant life is being able to make right decisions
and follow through on them. Now there is no doubt many non-Christians can
experience some happiness and satisfaction in their lives, but that is usually
because they practice some of the qualities that make up the abundant life,
such as patience, integrity, and kindness, and a certain morality. They also avoid
many of the things that destroy the abundant life which I also mentioned. However, Jesus said that unless we believe in
him, we will die in our sins, and the only thing we have to look forward to is
judgment.
We must, therefore, realize that no matter how
much happiness a non-Christian seems to experience, it is unfortunately limited
in quality and it’s only temporary. You cannot be happy if you have no hope for
the future.
The facts are that anyone without the
saving grace of Jesus Christ in their life is spiritually dead. A person cannot
live the "abundant life" if they are spiritually dead.
Many assume the abundant life depends on
circumstances, or fate or luck, or their bank account, or their status in life,
or their health…and, no doubt, these things are highly valued in our lives, but
wealth, power, status, worldly pleasure, and even health issues have nothing to
do with living the abundant life Jesus came to give.
As we learn to see what life is all about,
we will begin to see all around us many people who are successfully living this
"life to the full" in spite of circumstances. These people quietly go
about their lives filled with meaning and hope, happiness, satisfaction and vitality,
and peace of mind. They enjoy quality friendships, have good, loving, family
relationships, and a strong faith in God. Their life becomes an adventure worth
living. They do not allow trivial or non-essential matters to control their
thoughts and their life! Life is too short to waste time complaining, or
arguing,
or worrying about such things.
No comments:
Post a Comment