In introducing his sermon a couple of Sundays ago, the pastor asked the question: Are you living an abundant life?

Now that’s a question worth meditating on for awhile. The question itself possesses several other questions like:

What is an abundant life?
How do you get to live an abundant life?
How much worldly possessions (wealth, money) do we need to live the abundant life?

I’m not answering the questions in this blog – just mentioning them as good topics for discussion.

Several things came to mind when I heard the “abundant life” phrase. Anybody remember the Abundant Life magazine that used to be published in the 60s (I think that’s the decade)? It was a great name for a Christian magazine that contained reports of healings, articles about Christian living, information about crusades, etc. It was a great magazine.

A second thing that I thought about was the hymn that we used to sing. The title was More Abundantly. The first verse is copied below. It encapsulates a very powerful message.

Are you trusting Jesus,
All along the way?
Does He grow more precious
To your heart each day?
Are you His disciple?
Test His Word and see,
He will give the Spirit more abundantly.

More Abundantly
More Abundantly.
That they might have life
And have it more abundantly.

In his sermon, the pastor exhorted us to follow three steps so that we could experience and enjoy abundant life in our relationship with Christ. They’re listed briefly below. You can check out the sermon posted on the church website. The text was John 10: 7 – 11.
Step 1: Discovering Jesus.  John 10:9:  It tells us the Jesus is the door, and any that enters through Him will be saved, and will find life.

Step 2: Discovering yourself in Jesus: To find ourselves in Christ, we may have to step outside predetermined patterns and expectations set by the world, peers, and maybe even our family. It could require us to think and act ‘outside the box’ as determined by others. Check out Ephesians 3:20. There is great power available to help us do that.

Step 3: Discovering the pattern of Christ. Following his example will help us find abundant life. It may mean leaving our comfort zone, and there could be risk. But there will also be excitement and adventure. Take a moment and read Philippians 4:12, 13.

My prayer is that you will enjoy abundant life through Christ Jesus.