When Jesus promised an abundant life, one of the things He was explaining to those around him was the difference between those who misrepresent or mock the things of God and those who mimic Him because they belong to Him. The gift of an abundant life is meant for all; Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” but not all will receive it. “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:14). In 2 Peter 3:9, Peter writes, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” The word willing in this verse means desire. It is not God’s desire that any should reject His Son. He is longsuffering and perfectly patient, because He knows that some will reject Jesus, yet He continues to reach out to those who reject Him while there is still time. So, some will experience an abundant life, and some will not. Another aspect of this promise is that an abundant life does not mean a life of wealth and prosperity. The abundant life has nothing to do with worldly possessions, but everything to do with divine possessions and eternal blessings of Jesus such as the gift of His indwelling Spirit abiding with us forever, the gift of His Word, the gift of prayer, and the gift of being used by Him for His glory. These are the things in our lives that make life abundant, and these are just a few of the things He offers us when we surrender our lives to Him. For instance, John 14:21 tells us, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” If we take the gift of His Word and obey it, that not only shows that we love Jesus, but it also reveals to us His love and the Father’s love for us, which causes Him to reveal to us, by way of the Holy Spirit, more about Himself. This awesome gift is an ever-growing cycle of love and revelation involving us and the Trinity! Finally, another aspect to the promise of an abundant life is that it does not prohibit us from difficulties. Remember the first part of the verse where this promise comes from; “The thief does not come but to steal, kill, and destroy...” The enemy, the thief, Satan, desires to steal our minds, kill our joy, and destroy our witness. Therefore, he is always at work against us and our abiding in Christ. He is not only described as a thief, but he is also portrayed as a liar, a deceiver, and a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Each of these things pit him totally against us and our relationship with Jesus. However, Scripture rhetorically asks, “If God is for us then who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). And Jesus said, “You will have tribulation; but be of good cheer for I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We also know that, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). All throughout the Bible we see one encouragement after the other from our great God. He calls us who abide in His Son “conquerors” in Romans 8, “His workmanship,” which means masterpiece, in Ephesians 2, and “His children” in John 1. So, make the choice every day to pursue the abundant life and fully abide in our wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ.
