How to Enjoy Abundant Life

Bro. BHAVIN SHAH

In John 10:10 Jesus says “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”
That was one of the reasons why Jesus came into the world and with the coming of the Holy
Spirit we received all the resources to live complete and fulfilled lives. That is a wonderful
gift from God. Yet we often fail to enjoy the blessings of abundant life.

What are the hindrances that we face?

The first essential for abundant life is PROVISION. The Bible says “Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness and then all things will be added unto you.” There is
a promise of provision to all those who trust in the Lord. As we learn more of God’s ways
we also learn to lean on this promise more.

But along with all material provisions for a happy life there is also the provision for
time. We cannot truly experience abundant life without having adequate time for prayer,
Bible study, reflection, rest and even fun. If we are failing to receive this provision we are
missing out on an essential feature of abundant life. Quite often it might be our own failing
but there are instances when we must not hesitate to ask God for time.

Another aspect of abundant life is PLACE. God desires us to have a definite and
dignified station in life. He wants us to have an identity and a healthy relationship with those
around us. The Bible has a lot to say about husbands and wives, children and parents, slaves
and masters. These if properly understood, can be a real blessing. Quite often God places the
responsibility of those without it, i.e. the orphan, the widow, the refugee, the aged on the
church. These are essential aspects that we should develop in our society and church.

The most important aspect of abundant life is however, our own PERSONOLITY.
Quite often things that prevent us from experiencing abundant life are within us. Jesus
rightly diagnosed. “The spirit is willing but the flesh us weak.” We are often bound by
ingrained habit and a spirit of rebellion. We do struggle hard against it. We set standards for
ourselves and make strong resolutions like “I will read the Bible” “I will pray” etc. However,
exertion of the willpower alone is doomed to fail. The cycle of resolution failure,
discouragement, repentance will cause a state of constant conflict which will destroy rather
than strengthen. But the promise of abundant life includes our personalities too. In fact there
are many promises in the Bible concerning various aspects of personality; promises of
abundant love, good works, peace etc. The right exercise of the will is to place our lives
before Jesus so that He can change us. That of course demands an initial response and a
continual one. Then sanctification comes as a free gift from God.

Does that mean that we just wait for God and do nothing ourselves? No. St. Paul
says in Gal. 6:8 “he who sows to his own flesh will from flesh reap corruption: but he who
sows to the spirit will from the spirit reap eternal life.” We must sow to the spirit. We can do
that by cultivating a disciplined spiritual life. Discipleship does not come naturally to
anyone. It is something to be learnt. We must constantly be asking God to lead us forward.
Not only that. We must also be willing to be open about it and to discuss with other
Christians our experiences, our failures and frustrations as well as our testimony. It is so
much easier to share a testimony, yet the other is equally important.

God is interested in internal things rather than external things. Often the external
things are only the outworking of internal things. Therefore, the most important discipline to
learn is developing a personal relationship with God. That involves listening to God,
praying, mediating on His word and fasting. For these things we must set aside special time.
As we grow in this we will also grow in experiencing the presence of God all the time and
being able to pray while doing something else. But that does not happen instantly. We must
always allow God to work in us at His speed and not try to jump ahead of Him. One of the
most difficult things in this area has to admit to yourself that you have made a mistake. We
must be willing to listen to others and to change. Sometimes even start from scratch.

We read in the Bible that Jesus’ disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them
how to pray. Prayer, like all other disciplines, is something to be learnt, even something to be
experimented with.

Some experiments you can try are–

1) Use your imagination, both in listening to God and in praying. Considering the vast
number of images used in the scriptures it is apparent that God wants us to use our
imagination. You know that Jesus is in the room. Can you see Him in your mind’s
eye? He wants to heal; as you lay your hands on someone can you see His hands also
similarly laid on them? This is not just a psychological device. God can speak to you
through it.

2) Try praying for strangers in various ways. Pray briefly for anybody your eyes focus
on. Try that out for one day and share your experiences with others.

It is a long learning process. These are just some indications to or beginning. When
God really breaks through into our lives He attacks it at its most rigid, sometimes
most cherished points. We must be willing to yield. Thus God will begin to mould us
into what He wants us to be. A sure outcome of that will be an overflowing of joy.
That joy is not just a good feeling. It may accompany times of real hardship and
grief. It is the result of experiencing the abundant life of God.