New Direction Worship Center, Bryan TX - The True Meaning of LIFE

"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." John 10:10

As I read this scripture and others like it, my heart cries with grief concerning those who have not come to this realization. I feel burdened for those who are as I used to be, trapped in another zone of life, which really is no life at all, just occupying space on this earth until death. No peace. No true joy. No relationship with Jesus Christ.

The enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy, but God sent His only begotten Son that we might have everlasting life. But what does that really mean? What is life and how can we attain it?

The dictionary defines life as the property or condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms. I don't know about you, but that definition doesn't quite clear things up for me, so I must resort to the scriptures to give the revelation.

"In Him was life; and the life was the light of men." John 1:4

One of the Hebrew (O.T.) translations for the word is "nephesh", which means that which breathes. It refers to the soul of a man, his inner being, his appetite, his emotion, his passion. One of the most popular Greek (N.T.) translations is "zoe", the state of one who has vitality. It is that which has been quickened, revived from the dead by the Spirit of God. These definitions make things a little bit clearer to me, for when God created man, he was an inanimate object until God breathed "life" into him, and then man became a living soul.

Now, let me be perfectly clear when I say that ALL life comes from God, both in the natural sense of the word as well as it's spiritual sense. So when Jesus said that He wants us to have life "more abundantly", He was speaking of both senses of the word. He wants us, as much as is spiritually possible, to enjoy our natural existence upon God's creation. Be careful not to over-spiritualize salvation and your relationship with Christ, for we flesh and still require fleshly satisfaction.

"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." 3 John 1:2

We must pray for those who do not know Jesus Christ, for those who have not developed a personal relationship with Him as Savior, Lord, and King. Satan has blinded the minds of those who do not believe the gospel, bringing upon them certain destruction. They have been deceived into thinking that life can be found in alcoholic beverages, sexual relationships, drug abuse, or any other variety of recreational endeavors devised to keep them from hearing the truth.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Galatians 6:7-8

This is the message that Satan prevents our families and friends from hearing. He has always been a liar and will continue to be. But that should drive us more fervently to intercede for this generation. That should provide ample motivation to prayer and fasting for God's intervention on their behalf. That should stir us up to seek God more earnestly for the faith that transforms lives, deliverance that redirects sinners to the cross of Christ instead of a liquor bottle.

Because God has no beginning or ending of days, those of us are are born of Him possess this same attribute. Jesus declared that "verily, verily, I say unto you, if a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (John 8:51). John 3:15 tells us that "whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." John 10:28 reads "and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." WOW! What precious promises have been given to us from our heavenly Father!

We must be careful not to become envious or desirous of those who prosper in this world only, for the Bible asks this question: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his soul?" Holy scriptures also teach us that the pleasures of sin are to enjoyed only for a season, and once that season is past, there will be an eternity of punishment for the sinful life. "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it."

"But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith God, to the wicked." Isaiah 57:20-21.

1 John 5:12 tells us that "he that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." It is God's perfect will that, as many as are called, would come to repentance. Jesus was manifested to destroy the works of the devil, to give us power over the bondage of our flesh, to prepare us for our entrance into everlasting life. He's preparing a place for us that, where He is, we shall be also.

Sure, we desire to have comforts in this life, but we must also know that our lives do not consist only in the abundance of things that we possess. We should never confuse riches in this world with the abundance of life that Jesus promised, for there are many who are rich in earthly goods but are tormented in so many other areas. Sickly bodies. Disobedient children. Unfaithful spouses. Stressful jobs. And the list goes on and on.

But we can rejoice that our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. We might endure trouble for a season, but God promises that joy will come in the morning. We can give glory to God for mighty deliverance and the victory that we own as heirs of God, both in this life and the one to come. We are so grateful that He found us before it was too late and sealed our destinies with the blood of the precious Lamb.

"Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that He hath promised us, even eternal life." 1 John 2:24-25