God's Abundant Life 2024 Series

The psalmist writes in Psalms 1:1-3, that we’re blessed when we meditate on what God says—we become marked by His fullness. We shouldn’t race through the words; meditation is about learning the nuances of thinking about who God is and what He desires. As we do this consistent work, Scripture will begin to change us. Then God’s voice sinks into our being, transforming how we think, act, and respond to the world around us (Hebrews 4:12).

The Christian life is a walk of faith—one step of obedience after another. Though we may think the situations we face are unrelated, the Lord moves us through a variety of circumstances toward His ultimate purpose. If, for the sake of safety, we back off from obeying, we’ll miss the opportunity to experience His awesome power working in and through us. Small choices may seem insignificant, but they lead to a thrilling lifelong journey with God.

 As believers, we’ve been granted special abilities to be used  during our time here on earth. First Peter 4:10 says we have a  responsibility to respond to this divine grace by serving one another.  It’s important to realize these gifts aren’t just for our own  advantage—they’re meant to be used generously, impacting the lives of  those around us. And God is glorified when we do so in dependence on Him  for guidance and strength. 

When answering the call to partner with God in the work of renewal, we have a choice: Give in to distress, or heed the voice that promises, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5). The Lord wants us to say “no” to fear. Although we may be tempted to despair at the brokenness around and within us, we can cling to God’s promise of restoration and entrust our life to the One who makes all things new.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells the story of a man who found a treasure hidden in a field. Apparently, no one else knew of its existence, so he covered it and sold all he had in order to secure the new property (Matthew 13:44).

As believers, we have inherited a vast treasure called the grace of God. For years, its great worth may remain somewhat hidden from our view, but as we seek out its true valuation, we are astonished to find how wealthy we are. This is what John was getting at when he exclaimed, “For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Another translation of that verse puts it like this: “From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another” (NLT).

Paul describes these successive blessings in Colossians 1: We can be filled with the knowledge of God’s will “in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”—then we’ll be able to please the Lord in “all respects” and bear fruit in “every good work.” What’s more, we will be strengthened with “all power” and thereby be able to attain “all perseverance and patience” (vv. 9-11). Indeed, the Lord has an abundance of goodness and blessings for His children. 

God, the Creator of the universe, chooses us. And His purpose in doing so isn’t simply to save us from eternity in hell. His love goes beyond that—He wants an intimate relationship with each one of His children. Building this intimacy requires ...

• Commitment. God showed His commitment by rescuing us from sin through His Son Jesus, sending the Holy Spirit to live within us, and promising us eternal life. A reasonable response is our pledge to obedience in both inner attitude and outward action.
• Clear Communication. To develop a close bond, two people will express deep thoughts and feelings, and they’ll also listen carefully to one another’s words. God speaks to us through Scripture about Himself and His plans, and He also stands ready to listen (Psalm 10:17).
• Openness. God speaks honestly about our nature, the condition of the world, and the only solution: Jesus Christ. He willingly tells us the difficult truths about ourselves but also encourages and affirms us in our efforts to follow Him. Our part consists of being honest with Him about our thoughts, actions, and emotions.

One of the grandest expressions of the gospel is found in Titus 2:11, where Paul tells us, “
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people” (NIV). How could there be any better news than that? What was invisible for many centuries has now come into view. Moreover, this grace has appeared for all people, not just a chosen few. It is what the apostle elsewhere calls “the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16).

With such power at our disposal, we’re sometimes disappointed to find that grace, while beautiful, also involves pain. To most people, the word power suggests instant transformation and easy accomplishment. We often forget that grace is a schoolteacher whose lesson plan includes very specific instructions.

In Titus 2:12, we learn what that plan entails. This teacher has appeared, “instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner.” We can learn to say no to sin. We can learn what holiness is and find ways to acquire and display it. Only through God’s grace can we even attempt to live a righteous life.

The Lord has ways of shaking the world when He is at work. He literally caused the ground to quake when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:51), and Hebrews 12:26 describes a time to come when the earth will undergo a similar display of His power and presence.

Likewise, God often lets the foundations of our personal world be shaken—whether through financial difficulties, family crises, or difficult diagnoses. If we’ve built our life on human wisdom, pride, conditional love, or the like, things may look good for a while but will collapse when storms hit.

Adversity affects everyone, yet we can have peace in knowing that God always has a greater purpose when He allows it into our life. Hard times can shake believers out of apathy and self-focus, reminding us not to trust in ourselves or the temporary structures of this world. There is only one secure foundation: a genuine, deep relationship with Jesus Christ, which will carry us through anything. No matter what storms are raging all around us, we’ll have a solid footing if we stand on His love.

Though our trials are challenging, we as believers are blessed with the security of a firm foundation. We also have the responsibility and honor of helping others to become strong in God’s grace (2 Timothy 2:1). Be a living message of hope to those around you today.

Some people believe ethical behavior and moral character will get them to heaven. Others think a self-improvement plan is the way to get there. And sadly, there are those who assume they’ll be barred because of their past mistakes. 

The truth is that character and deeds do not determine our eternal state. Rather, the barrier between us and holy God is our sinful nature. Adam and Eve’s sin caused all mankind to begin life spiritually dead and under a sentence of judgment (Romans 5:12). No amount of good works or moral behavior can change our unholy nature—nor do bad choices make our nature worse. 

Without direct help from the Lord, the entrance to heaven would be closed to everyone, and we’d all face an eternity of separation from God. But the Father had a plan so we could live with Him forever: He sent His Son Jesus to take our sins upon Himself and receive the punishment we deserved. What we were helpless to do, Christ accomplished for us. Through faith in Him, we receive a brand-new nature and get to live in God’s presence forever. 

We don’t have to worry about earning our place in heaven. Because of Jesus, we can be confident of our future there, which gives our life on earth hope and meaning. 

Take a moment to imagine a doorway. Perhaps you envision the entrance to a cozy cabin, or maybe you picture a massive entryway fit for a palace. Regardless of how the image looks in your mind’s eye, what it symbolizes is an opportunity.

God offers each of us a life worth living, though sometimes that means trusting Him and stepping into the unknown. When we encounter such a door, we don’t have to be afraid but can walk through it with confidence, knowing that if our heavenly Father is involved, He has a plan for us once we’re on the other side. (See Jeremiah 29:11.) What’s more, He Himself goes before us to prepare the way. 

This year, be on the lookout for the doors of opportunity God puts before you. And remember, they very well may not be where you expect—He has a way of using unlikely situations or people, after all (Hebrews 13, 1-2). So be listening for Him to direct you and commit to living with your heart and spiritual eyes wide open. 

We might think it was easier for the disciples to follow Jesus than it is for us today. After all, they were able to experience His physical presence and learn from His example, whereas we can’t touch, see, or hear Him the way they could.

But Christ made provision for His work to continue after He left this earth: He promised the disciples a Helper who would never leave them—a Helper who would actually live within them (John 14:16-17). 

Today we, too, follow Jesus by hearing and heeding His indwelling Holy Spirit. In fact, there’s no better way to get personal guidance. As Jesus did for His disciples, the Spirit guides us each step of the way and teaches us the truths of God. But His work goes beyond that. The Holy Spirit transforms us from the inside out and enables us to serve and obey the Lord. He helps us discover God’s will for our life and shows how to walk in His path. All we have to do is follow. 

An essential requirement for following Jesus is sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s voice. And the more yielded we are to His guidance, the sharper our spiritual hearing will become. 

Jesus spent time developing His disciples’ faith because He knew it would be essential for the tasks ahead of them. For over three years, the 12 men attended “classes” where Christ was their instructor in both word and action. Sometimes He used verbal instruction, but many of the lessons were taught through demonstrations—such as healing the sick, casting out demons, feeding thousands, and calming the sea. 

At times the disciples’ understanding was slow or faltering, but Christ never gave up on them. He reproved them when they exhibited a lack of trust (Mark 4:40) but also commended progress (Matthew 16: 15-17). His objective was to establish their faith so He could accomplish His work in and through them. 

The Lord has the same goal for us—to increase our faith so we can do the work He has planned for us (Ephsians 2:10). Faith building is a necessity for every Christian, and God has two primary means of going about this: Scripture tells us what to believe about Him; and tests place us in difficult situations that stretch us to believe and rely on God instead of our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5). Each time we believe Him, our faith grows.