The abundant life is a life that Christians can experience now. Eternal life begins at salvation, not death; so can the abundant life. Christians must pursue the abundant life. Jesus said in John 10:10, “...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Life in this context means eternal life with Christ in Heaven; more abundantly means a higher quality of life here on Earth as a growing Christian. Both are a choice. One must first choose to receive the gift of life in Christ (salvation), then one must choose to pursue the abundant life as a growing Christian (sanctification). This pursuit involves loving obedience regarding the things God has told us to do in the Bible. John 14:21 says, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest (reveal) Myself to him.” How do we then pursue the abundant life? We do so by obeying His Word out of love. That means we must be in His Word daily so that we know what to obey. “But his delight is in the law of the LORD (the Bible), and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:2). Pursuing the abundant life also involves being persistent in the gift of prayer. Paul said in 1Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.” We will certainly live abundant lives if we remain in constant contact with and awareness of God’s presence and activity in our lives. Lastly, we will experience the abundant life if we mimic Jesus in how He loved. John 13:35 says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 1 John 5:2 says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.”
Does the abundant life take time and great effort? Yes, but what better life could we live for the God who gave us His Son, than to live a life that imitates His Son!
