What is Abundant Life?
Jn.10:10 - "A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance."
Commonly, people equate the abundant life with the ‘Good Life’. This usually means living a luxurious lifestyle, owning a lavish home, driving a fanciful car, taking nice vacations, eating in plush restaurants, etc, etc. While many may have achieved the “good life”, sadly, most of us missed the abundant life that Jesus promised to all who follow Him.
Some people are also deluded into thinking that a busy life equates a significant, meaningful, and purposeful life. Thus, they always keep themselves busy, living intense and multitasking lives. This lie has trapped many to live their lives on a conveyor belt and in the rat race, yet without clarity on what they are pursuing, resulting only in fatigue of the soul, stress and poor health.
The truth is that life is not found in pleasure, performance, possession, position, or pursuit; it is found in the person of Jesus Christ. Only Jesus is the giver and the author of life and thus, authentic abundant life can only be found in Him.
Meaning of Life
King Solomon is the author of Ecclesiastes, a book that chronicled his lifelong experiment with various pursuits to seek meaning and significant in life.
Blessed with great wisdom and wealth, Solomon had the means and resources to explore all possible avenues in his search for satisfaction in life. But after years engulfed in endless pursuits of seeking out knowledge, human wisdom, power, sensual pleasure, fame, etc, all had proven meaningless and a “chasing of the wind”.
In his late life, upon reflection, he regretted his folly for the misplaced pursuits in life and saw the vanity and futility of life without God. The world might applause and recognize Solomon's great achievements, but he unashamedly admitted that having all while not having God was absolute meaningless. Whatever worldly success we may attain, eventually the law of diminishing returns will take hold. It will have to take a bigger thrill, or greater success to bring us greater satisfaction.
Finally, he concluded his writing on a sober note and recognized that the key to the purpose and meaning of life is to “fear God and keep His commandments…” (Eccl.12:13-14).
Eternal Life vs. Abundant Life
When we receive Jesus as personal Lord and saviour, we have eternal life. However, there is more, Jesus came so that we might also have abundant life. Sadly, many may have eternal life, yet few have abundant life. Many Christians who got eternal life are still disillusioned about life, they are still bewildered and continue to struggle with the meaning and purpose of life.
Why do most Christians do not enjoy the privilege of living the abundant life?
The authentic abundant life is not something to earn or achieve; rather, it is a gift to receive and an ongoing relationship with God through Jesus. For life to be abundant it must have abundant resources, and the only unlimited resource for life is in the person Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jn.15:4-5 - “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
To possess this fullness of life, the believer must abide in Christ Jesus and allow His life to transmit into our soul and spirit till we can resonate with Paul’s declaration in Gal.2:20 “ I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The abundant life is the life of the Lord Jesus Himself, imparted to us and lived in and through us by the Holy Spirit. The abundant life is a life lived mindfully in the presence of God. The measure to which I can know and experience His abundant life depends upon, and is in exact proportion to, the measure in which we are surrendered to Him.
Life could not find its meaning and significance without the source of life. If we truly desire abundant life, we must make God our prime reference point for living. To say it succinctly, abundant life is found in a surrendered life, a life totally and unreservedly yielded to God!
Just because we live a self-controlled life does not necessarily mean a less rewarding or less satisfying life. If we truly live in this truth that life is found in Jesus, we will live a more superior and an enviable abundant life, a life that is worth living.