I don't think Jesus would mind me quoting an Elvis Presley song and applying it to Him. But this morning, I feel like He's saying "a little less conversation, a little more action, PLEASE!" John 10:10 "Jesus came to earth so we could have life, and have it more abundantly." He said "We are more than conquerers" which literally means 'super conquerors.' Jesus said I am going to hit the mark...and beyond!
So how is that possible? How do I have more abundant life? Can I just say, "Lord, give me abundant life?" And bam! I have it? Obviously not.
But to 'live abundantly', I have to die. Strange concept. I must die to self. I must die to what I want and live for what God wants. What I forget sometimes is that the Bible says this is a daily action. We must 'take up our cross daily and follow Him.' I don't know about you, but I've been pretty guilty most of my life about not doing the 'daily' dying. The Lord may deal with me about a particular area of my life, and I have this major catharsis with Him...times when I pour out all my emotions and strongholds and lay them at His feet. The next day, I move on, continuing perhaps my 'walk' with Him, but forgetting that every single day I need to empty myself before Him.
I want to have abundant life. Who doesn't, right? Dictionary.com says the word 'abundant' means present in great quantity, more than adequate, well or richly supplied, and abounding. So what exactly gives me this 'abundance' -- it's God. He is more than adequate. He richly supplies and when I truly allow Him, He is abounding in my life. But just like a pitcher full of iced tea (and I pick that because I despise iced tea) I must empty the tea out so that the water, the Living Water can come in. Would you drink from a pitcher of water a day old that had been sitting out on the counter? I wouldn't. I would empty it out and re-fill it before drinking. For me, the 're-filling' it isn't necessarily the problem all the time. It's the 'emptying out.' It's the act of daily dying to self and emptying myself from what I want and asking Christ to come in and do with me what He wants.
Just for sake of confusion, once you have made a commitment to Christ, it's a done deal. If you have asked Him to forgive you of your sins, believed He died, was buried, and rose again on the cross, and you have put your faith and trust in Him, then you are assured of heaven. What Christ did on the cross is sufficient. But just asking Him to forgive you of your sins that one time does not equal living an abundant life in Christ. That's what I'm talking about here.
God loved me so much that HE GAVE...do I love Him enough to daily die to what I want and take up my cross and follow Him?
Strange, perhaps, that I'd be writing a blog about a little less conversation and a little more action. Does it seem like they shouldn't go together? I hope you know that as I write, God is dealing with me on the daily act of pouring myself out so He can fill me and use me each day. My prayer this morning is that my actions will speak much louder than my words. I so desperately want to have an abundant life in Christ.
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com