Category: Abundant Life

Luke 24:6,7                                                           Because He Lives

“He is not here; he has risen!  Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (NIV).

 

Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote a song entitled, “Because He Lives.”  It is a favorite of mine, and I’d like to share it with you.

“God sent His Son, they called Him, Jesus,

He came to love, heal, and forgive;

He lived and died to buy my pardon,

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,

Because He lives, all fear is gone;

Because I know He holds the future,

And life is worth the living,

Just because He lives!”

That’s right, “Life is worth the living just because He lives.”  He fulfilled the prophecies about Him, and He did what He said He would do.  The Bible and the Words of the Lord were both proven to be true.  That gives me great hope; it encourages me immensely.  He loved; He healed; He forgave my sins on the cross; He bought my pardon, and He guaranteed me a place in heaven with Him for all of eternity!

He arose from the dead and then He rose into heaven to sit beside God the Father where He intercedes with the Father on our behalf.  In John 16:23 He says, “When that time comes, you won’t have to ask me about anything.  I tell you for certain the Father will give you whatever you ask for in my name” (CEV).  He is with us every day, and He sent us the Holy Spirit to remind us of the words that Jesus said.

Yes, “Life is worth the living just because He lives.”

John 10:10                               The Abundant Life

“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” (NIV).

 

Even in the desert, we have abundant life, and in a saguaro cactus, we have abundant life.  Near Tucson there are large abundant stands of saguaro cactus, and this particular one exhibits the trait of abundance well with the large number of arms.  What little rain that falls is collected and stored in the arms of the Saguaro and other cacti.  After a good rain, the cacti are plump, and when the rains are far apart, the arms of the saguaro and the paddles of the prickly pear get visibly smaller.  Somehow, they seem to be able to hold enough to last until the next rain.  I think that was planned by the same God who created all of this in the first place.

If there is evidence of abundance in the desert, how much more should abundance be evident in our lives and in the life of the Church.  Perhaps we should take a clue from the cacti and drink in all of God’s blessings we can get whenever we gather together as His children.  It seems like His blessings flow in greater abundance when our praise and thankfulness are in abundance, whether it be corporately in a church gathering or in our one-on-one time with our Lord.  He has provided for abundance as a gift, but like all gifts, it must be received.  If we showed our desire to receive the blessings of God to the extent that God shows His desire to give them, the world would have to take notice.  The greatest compliment that we can receive, and the only compliment we desire from this world, is when someone says, “I want the peace and joy you have.  How can I get it?”  By sharing the love of God and demonstrating the peace and joy we receive from Him, we open the opportunity to share God’s message of salvation.  That’s when we let the Holy Spirit take over and speak the words that need to be said.  Our actions and our lives are the gateways into the realm of the spoken word, and when we let the Holy Spirit speak, we know that the message is spoken with love and grace.  It appears that one of the best ways to spread the Good News is to live the life of abundance that God provides.