Life...to the Full!

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10)

Make no bones about it; Satan is our vicious adversary whose modus operandi is to seek and to destroy. If he cannot keep us from being saved, he will strive to keep us from being used. He is ever seeking opportunities for his savage attacks. However, we are not to fear, but rather be on our guard! Satan desires to destroy us … but Jesus desires to give each one of us life! Peter tells us quite plainly:

Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1Peter 5:8-9)

Just as God has a wonderful plan for our lives, Scripture tells us Satan also has a plan for us, although his plan is for our destruction and death. We can be sure that whatever God does for our good, Satan tries to counter for our harm. God comes to bless and give life to the full while Satan comes to ravage and steal.

Peter tells us to “resist” Satan, which is a term of defense rather than attack. Christians are able to stand firm against Satan when they depend totally upon the power of Christ. Hence, we are told to put on the full armor of God so that we can stand against Satan’s assaults. Paul writes in Ephesians:

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:10-13)

The word translated “scheme” in verse ten is from the Greek word methodeia meaning “method, the following or pursuing of an orderly and technical procedure in the handling of a subject” (Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible New Testament Lexical Aids). In other words, Satan is not willy-nilly in his attempts to deceive man, he has a plan. And while he certainly is not omniscient, he does have the ability to do a careful study of our weaknesses. He seems to target his arrows at our most vulnerable areas or tries to breach our walls of self-defense. Thankfully, we are sealed with the precious Holy Spirit. It is important for us to fortify our weakest areas. And there are times we must flee rather than remain dallying with our temptations. We are foolish indeed to give Satan any kind of foothold.

Proverbs tells us:

Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control. (Proverbs 25:28)

In ancient times, the power of the city rested in the strength of its walls. In like manner, the wall surrounding us is our self-control, and when it is breached, we will collapse. We are to be on our constant guard against our weaknesses and avoid putting ourselves in tempting situations.

Take It to Heart

Jesus tells us that He has not only come to give us life, but give it to the full. No half measures will do–He has come to overflow our cups.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

Redeeming Our Time

“As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:4-5)

In these verses our Lord Jesus is teaching us a valuable lesson on the importance and urgency of redeeming the time–for our own soul’s sake, for the souls of men, and for the glory of God. Our fleeting “day” is merely the dash placed between the year we were born and the year we shall die. Jesus tells us that our time on earth is fleeting. Each one of us is to be about the Father’s business; investing our time in His priorities.

We would do well to remember that all opportunities God allows are both golden and unrepeatable. He may give us additional chances, but once an occasion to “display His splendor” is lost, it is lost. We cannot go back in time; we do not have the luxury of a do-over.

It is not God’s intent for His disciples to remain idle. Like Jesus, we are to be about our Father’s business, approaching it with both vigor and industry. Paul gives us the following commands, emphasizing the importance of the most of each and every opportunity:

Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. (Colossians 4:5-6)

Jesus was always about His Father’s business–and His disciples are to be likewise. Jesus’ ministry would last only three short years, during which our Lord worked with diligence, a firm resolve, and a fixed purpose. With Him, there was no dilly-dallying around. He was on a mission and everything He did was motivated by his desire to accomplish God’s will. His goal was simply to please His Father. He therefore never allowed opportunities for the demonstration of mercy to pass Him by.

"My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. (John 4:34-35)

He also demonstrated His deep compassion and sympathy for mankind, spurring and urging His disciples–both then and now–into action:

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matthew 9:35-38)

Take It to Heart

Paul reminds us who it is we are actually serving when we set out to help others:

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. (Colossians 3:23-24)

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, in all the places you can, as long as you can.” (John Wesley)

The Truth Will Set You Free

To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Jesus, the one who frees the captive. Jesus, the great liberator, sets us free from bondage–bondage to sin, bondage to self, bondage to death and destruction. Jesus breaks the strong chains of sin that blind and bind us. When we are not yoked to Jesus, we will find ourselves yoked to the things of this world. We are either bound to Him or we are bound to sin. That is why Jesus issues the following call to all to “come” and “learn.”

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my

yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Isaiah had prophesied regarding this particular aspect of our Savior’s job description. Indeed, Jesus Himself read from Isaiah’s scroll at the advent of His ministry (Matthew 5:11) claiming to be the freer of the prisoner and the preacher of the very good news:

“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2)

Jesus’ half brother James gives us an even broader dimension to our verses for today. He echoes and emphasizes Jesus’ words regarding our knowing and demonstrating and continuing on in the truth.

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:22-25)

It is one thing to begin to follow our Savior and quite another to persevere–holding firmly to the end. Not considering the cost beforehand, sadly, many of Jesus’ disciples fell away when His teaching got tough … and still do today. We must remember heaven is our home, not earth, and our path to heaven is not always easy.

Take It to Heart

Christ came to give us freedom, liberty, privilege–the state in which one can act and move without restriction or hindrance. Believers in Christ are free when we hold to and follow His leading and teaching.

The Light of Life

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12)

For the moral and spiritual darkness which covers the earth, for the darkness plaguing humankind, Jesus declares He is the only remedy–He is the True Light that breaks the darkest and strongest chains of sin and depravity. Just as one sun is the sufficient visible light for the whole world, so too there is One Christ–the sufficient Savior–and there need be no more. Isaiah prophesies regarding our Messiah:

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. (Isaiah 9:2)

In our verse for today, Jesus says that He came not only for a few, but for the benefit of all. And yet sadly, some choose not to use or value His Light, preferring to wallow in the darkness. Jesus had made this same point earlier in the book of John:

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." (John 3:19-21)

Man’s love of darkness stems from an innate love of what is all around us over a love for God–worshipping and serving created things rather than the Creator. The darkness disguises our misplaced love, but nothing is hidden from God’s sight. We read in God’s Word:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. (Romans 1:25)

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)

It is not enough to simply marvel at the light of Jesus from a distance–the promise is for those who are willing to follow. Just as we are not swimming when we simply gaze at a pool, nor are not actually eating chocolate when we simply look at it, we are not experiencing God’s light when we are looking at Jesus. We are swimming when we jump in, the wonderful taste of chocolate comes to us when we place it in our mouths. Jesus requires of us our commitment and submission to His leading; following is the act of believing. As we follow Christ, His promise is that we will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. We will neither be left in ignorance nor grope around in uncertainty–our conscience and our understanding will be flooded with light that can never be totally quenched.

David proclaims his confidence in the Lord as being his light–and it is this confidence that takes away his fear:

The LORD is my light and my salvation–whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life–of whom shall I be afraid? (Psalm 27:1)

Jesus’ provisions for His followers are salvation and strength, joy and understanding, life and strength.

“Into the soul at the new birth divine light is poured as the precursor of salvation; where there is not enough light to reveal our own darkness and to make us long for the Lord Jesus, there is no evidence of salvation. After conversion our God is our joy, comfort, guide, teacher, and in every sense our light:  He is our light within, light around, light reflected from us, and light to be revealed to us …He, then, who by faith has laid hold upon God, has all covenant blessings in his possession.” (C. H. Spurgeon)

Take It to Heart

“With every revelation there is obligation. With every blessing there is responsibility. It is not enough for us to receive the gift of salvation or to be blessed of God. We must commit our way to the Lord and heed His Word.” (Dr. Michael Youssef)

Satisfying Our Spiritual Thirst

On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone

is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39)

Grabbing the attention of His hearers on the most important day of the Feast, Jesus loudly proclaims a wide and full and free invitation to all mankind–establishing with certainty the gospel as being eminently wonderful news. I am reminded of the prophet Isaiah’s words:

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” (Isaiah 55:1-2)

Apart from Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, mankind remains spiritually thirsty, anxious of soul, in need of pardon before a Holy God, and longing for a lasting peace. God’s perfect law convicts us of our sin. We are in a hopeless state. No one possesses the ability to be declared righteous in God’s sight by observing the law, for apart from Jesus, we all remain helpless. We will always be found wanting. Paul tells us:

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

The Jews were all too familiar with their lack of ability. The sacrificial system served as a constant reminder. God had warned His people through the prophet Jeremiah that they had forsaken Him, the Spring of Living Water, and had dug their own pathetic broken cisterns. They had replaced the one true God with false idols which could never satisfy nor meet their needs:

"My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

When we come to the realization of our sinful state, it is then that we desire the help and relief that comes through forgiveness. This is the idea behind Jesus’ choice of the word “thirsty.” Who has not been thirsty? Who has not been parched and desirous of having their thirst quenched? What we perhaps know all too well in the physical realm, Jesus relates to a spiritual truth. Unfortunately, we often seek to quench our spiritual thirst with almost everything but the Living Water! From money to pleasure, to honor, to prestige, to self indulgence –there is no limit to man’s chase for satisfaction or the careless handling of their own souls. We seem to go to great lengths not to pursue what ultimately satisfies. Jesus tells us:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5:6)

Take It to Heart

Isaiah prophesied:

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11)

Peace is only to be had in Christ Jesus who serves as our mediator and substitute. To come to Christ is to believe in Him and to be filled with Him.

Thirsting After God

Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit (2 Kings 2:9).

One of the first requirements to move in greater power and authority in God is to hunger for it. Yet, even this hunger is born from God. Elisha hungered after God. Elisha saw many miracles as the servant of Elijah. But he wanted more. He wanted a double portion of Elijah's spirit. When he asked Elijah for this he responded, "You have asked a difficult thing." It wasn't because it couldn't be granted. Elijah knew that with great anointing came a great weight of responsibility and difficulty.

Secondly, humility comes before honor. Elisha was known as the "servant of Elijah." How would you like to be known as "the servant of John?" Your name is not even mentioned. This was the preparation of Elisha. It has been the preparation of many men of God. Consider Joseph, the servant of Pharaoh. Consider David, the servant of Saul.

Thirdly, Elisha committed himself totally to his calling. When Elisha was called to join Elijah the scripture says he left his farm business completely. He destroyed his oxen and had a great feast for the community. It was all or nothing. He could not fall back on his farm trade if his new venture didn't work. This demonstrates Elisha's pioneer spirit in stepping out, not knowing what was ahead.

Do you want greater anointing in God? "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart. I will be found by you"(Jeremiah 29:13). Begin thirsting for God's anointing today in you heart. This is the starting place.

Truth Comes from Above

Jesus answered, "My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own. He who speaks on his own does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him.” (John 7:16-18)

Jesus divulges the mystery of His knowledge to His Jewish audience–His teaching is not His own, but rather divine. He had no need to be taught by man–His teaching was not learned, it was by divine revelation. Jesus was commanded by the Father what to say and how to say it. We find these words of our Lord later in John echoing the same sentiment:

"As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." (John 12:47-50)

Many people complain regarding their ability to discover truth. In our verses for today, Jesus tells us one secret key to knowledge–obedience. And as we are obedient in the simple things, we will be taught the deeper truths. Jesus is telling us that anyone who chooses to do God’s will–responding to the Word and the Spirit–will succeed in their search for the truth. In other words, those who progressively submit to divine guidelines will progressively be given divine light. As the Spirit leads us through conviction and we are obedient to change, we grow in Christlikeness–conforming to His image. This process is called sanctification. Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians:

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.(1 Thessalonians 4:7-8)

Jesus lived a perfect life; indeed, Jesus lived the life God calls mankind to. We are simply incapable of following His steps apart from the indwelling Holy Spirit. Jesus came to portray God to man. Those who follow our Lord, through the Holy Spirit’s leading and power, are to portray God to man as well. Jesus brought God honor through His willing obedience. Likewise, we are to bring God honor through our willing obedience.

In Malachi, we are told that God rebuked the Levite priests for their failure to listen to His Word and for their failure to honor His great Name:

"And now this admonition is for you, O priests. If you do not listen, and if you do not set your heart to honor my name," says the LORD Almighty, "I will send a curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already cursed them, because you have not set your heart to honor me.” (Malachi 2:1-2)

The priests knew they were to honor God by the reverence of their words and their actions. Their teaching and instruction were to be true, nothing false found on their lips. By walking in peace and uprightness, they would turn many from sin.

Take It to Heart

In similar fashion, believers in Jesus are a royal priesthood, so termed by Peter, and called to declare His praises. Not stumbling through disobedience to the message, but rather living in such a way that our lives demonstrate the peace and wisdom found in God:


But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter 2:9)

Believed

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." (John 6:28-29)

Our verses for today illustrate the willingness of the crowd to know and to do their duty regarding the requirements of God. They were totally convinced the “food that endures” that Jesus had spoken of (verse 27) would be theirs at the completion of such works. They presented both a serious and humble question in response to Jesus’ words; willing to do the work, they now sought to know what the work was.

I can so relate to their inquiry! We live in such a works-oriented culture, do we not? Ever pushing ourselves to do more and more–get up earlier, stay up later–push, push, push, work, work, work, do, do, do. We even come back from our vacations needing rest! Sometimes I wonder what underlying factors propel our motivation toward this frenzied lifestyle–pride, insecurity, a continual desire for more, greed, power, selfishness, a desire to blend, a desire to stand out–you fill in the blank. I know what it definitely is not–it is not God’s requirement for our salvation. Scripture tells us:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Our works will never be good enough because flawed people do flawed works. Simply put, we lack. This is why we need a Savior; we simply cannot save ourselves no matter how hard we try.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

Jesus gives the people an answer quite contrary to their works-oriented thinking.

"The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

Do we believe in the One He has sent? It is God who does the work of faith; the one thing necessary for us is that we believe or trust in the One He has sent. Jesus, sent from the Father, full of grace and truth, came to seek and to save that which was lost–which is everyone:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:9-10)

Take It to Heart

While grace is lavishly and freely poured out to those who believe, it came as a great cost to God. The cross of Christ was the price of grace. Sometimes I think we, as modern day believers, have the gift of grace down so well we are trampling upon it. Grace is not a license for licentious living, rather it is the ultimate response given in the law of love by our Lord. It calls every believer to a higher calling through His power. This love is found in the hearts of those who believe, transformed by the power of the precious indwelling Holy Spirit.

We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:13-19)

“It is not a question of our equipment but of our poverty, not of what we bring with us, but of what God puts into us.” (Oswald Chambers)