Living a rich and satisfying life

John 10:10b (NLT)

“My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” 

“I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”  John 10:10b (The Message Bible)

This verse is used to substantiate the first spiritual law---the God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life (refer to http://www.4laws.com/laws/english/flash/ for understanding what these four spiritual laws are if you don’t know or cannot recall).

Jesus makes a wonderful claim here, that the meaning of His life is to give you a life that is “perissos”, the original word that means “exceeding some number or measure, or rank, or need”.  The two translations used above describe Jesus’ claim as “a rich and satisfying life” and “a real and eternal life, more and better life than you could ever dream of”.  Other translations of this verse use such adjectives as full, abundant, enjoy to the fullest, and enjoy to the fullest possible way.

Why would any sincere, thoughtful person carefully read and think about this claim of Christ and not want to take Him up on His claim?  Who does not want to have a life that is rich and satisfying and abundant and full and better than you could ever dream of?  The Lord Jesus Christ says that He comes into your heart, if you are open to Him, and will give to you what you need to live life to its fullest, not to take anything away from you, other than what you don’t need like self-pity, selfishness, pride, and other evil ways. 

People may read this and think, “I believe in this claim of Jesus, but I don’t always feel like my life is rich and satisfying and abundant”.  I know that I feel this way many times.  Yet, when you feel this way, you are not under complete control of the Holy Spirit.  When you are dissatisfied and complaining and unsettled in your life, this is verification that you are not following the will of God.  There is something that you are doing or not doing that is outside the will of God. 

Jim Zazzera, pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church (Sacramento), said this about the meaning of an abundant life:  “Abundant life—simply put—is not first and foremost about earthly riches, but the quality of our relationship to the living God we know in Jesus Christ”. The life Jesus is talking about in John 10:10, in fact, in all of the gospel of John, is a life lived in an intimate relationship with God through His Son, Jesus. 

What is the quality of your life in Christ?  What role(s) are you allowing Him to have in your life?  Is He your shepherd (the context of John 10:1-10 is that He is the door of the sheep)?  Do you know His commandments and keep them?  Do you talk to Him daily, do you read about Him, do you speak about Him to others?  Examine the quality of your life in Christ and if necessary make some appropriate changes so that you truly can experience every day a life that is rich and satisfying and better than you ever thought possible.