The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
Last week we discussed what abundant life is NOT.
- Abundant Life is NOT equal to material wealth.
- Abundant Life is NOT equal to the approval of man.
- Abundant Life is NOT a picture-perfect life.
- Abundant Life is NOT found when everything is going just as we want it to—because life on this earth will never be exactly just the way we want it.
Now that we know what it is not, let’s think about what it is. Let’s investigate a little bit more about abundant life by asking ourselves what does abundant life YIELD?
There are two meanings to the word yield: 1) it means to produce, provide, deliver, generate.
So, what does the abundant life Jesus gives us produce, provide, deliver or generate for us?
2) YIELD also means to give way to another, to relinquish the right or possession of something.
So, how does the abundant life Jesus gives us enable us to give away to others? How does the abundant life Jesus gives us enable us to relinquish our rights or possessions?
I think both definitions apply in our study of abundant life. From the first definition, what does it yield—produce, provide, deliver, or generate for us? We can find one of the answers to this question by focusing on why Jesus came. We all know why Jesus came, right? Many of us have learned this from birth at home and church.
He came to forgive us. That is the bottom line. If we did not need forgiveness, Jesus would not have had to come save us.
So, abundant life yields (produces, provides, delivers, and generates) forgiveness from Jesus to us. That is how we come to Christ in the first place. We recognize that we are sinners, unable to conquer sin on our own. We recognize that we need forgiveness and then we ask for it. That is how a relationship with Christ begins.
But it doesn’t stop there. Then we need to go on to the second definition of yield. Abundant life yields forgiveness in us (helps us relinquish the right or possession of un-forgiveness) so we are free to forgive others as we have been forgiven.
Forgiveness is hard, no doubt. But rest assured you can never be more like Jesus than when you have to forgive someone. Ask the Lord today whom you need to forgive. Praying for you!
Sara
