Most Read Bible Verses---#12---John 10:10b

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[1].

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[2]:  “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. 

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[1] 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.

[2] http://faithpresby.org/archives/sermons/written/files_497754db1c98a.pdf

Most Read Bible Verses---#13---Acts 18:9-11

Acts 18:9-11 (NLT)

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”  So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.

Have you ever experienced the Lord speaking to you in a vision?  We can be very skeptical of people who claim that God spoke to them personally.  Televangelists commonly make this claim.  It’s impossible to know if they are telling the truth, or if they are delusional, or if they are lying in order to leave the impression that they have special connections with the Almighty that no one else has.  Cult leaders are notorious for claiming that God told them to do this and that.  Indeed, beware of anyone who claims that he/she has received a special revelation from the Lord.  People who boast of this proclamation most likely are self-centered, unstable psychologically and aim to deceive others.   

However, God does speak to us through the listening part of our prayers and especially through His Word (which, of course, people in biblical times did not have so God by necessity needed to speak to them through visions until His Word was written down).  You certainly can be praying over some fear/anxiety and be reading biblical passages/verses that speak about not be afraid and, like Paul’s vision, you will feel like God is speaking to you personally.  The Bible is totally sufficient in providing guidance to you without the need for any special vision from God.  God has revealed His will for you through His Word and no longer needs to speak to people through special revelations.

God revealed to Paul and now reveals to you in this passage several truths that you should never forget:

·  Do not be afraid—The Bible is very clear that you should never fear anyone (Hebrews 13:6) nor anything (Isaiah 41:10).

·  Do not be silent—This is in reference to being bold in declaring your faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 1:7)

·  God is with you—You do not need to pray “God, be with me”.  He always is with you even if you don’t “feel” like He is.  You must rely on your faith that He is always with you (Joshua 1:9, Hebrews 13:5)

·  No one is going to attack and harm you—I admit that this promise sometimes is difficult to believe.  We know of many examples where God’s anointed followers (e.g. missionaries) have been physically harmed/killed. Even this promise to Paul did not last.  Yet there also are many more examples where Christians have been miraculously protected from harm and Paul was protected until he had achieved God’s will for his life.  When you think about what a dangerous world we live in (crime, terrorism, natural disasters, accidents, illnesses, etc.) it is very reassuring to believe in God’s truths that He protects you from most/all of these dangers (Proverbs 1:33, 12:21, 18:10, Psalm 91, Isaiah 41:10).

You’ve heard the old saying, “the closer you are to the Shepherd, the farther you are from the wolf”.  Trust in the Lord that His presence in your life will protect you.  Do not fear anyone or anything except fear (reverence) in the Lord.  Whatever fears and worries you have right now, lift them up to the Lord and ask Him specifically to guard and protect you.  Also ask for sufficient faith that will enable you to trust in His Word that promises to keep and protect you and your loved ones.  Amen.

Most Read Bible Verses--#14---Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 (NASB)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

This verse speaks of your body being crucified with Christ.  What does this mean?  Crucifixion, as horrible as it was, was the act of God through Christ to destroy completely, totally and finally the influence of Satan and sin in the lives of people who accept this act of sacrifice. Crucifixion is not something that you have to do, it is something that Christ did for you.  You just have to believe that this is truly what He did for you.  You do not need to rely on your own ability to overcome your old self with all its sinful, selfish, and prideful ways and habits.  You cannot do this on your own anyway.  Christ can do it through you.  He won the battle over sin, you did not and cannot, but through faith you can relinquish your will and life to Him.  The statement above, ”who loved me and gave Himself up for me” summarizes the love of God through His Son and His sacrificial death by crucifixion in order that you can be saved from your sins and sin nature.  This not only gives you the assurance of eternal life (I John 5:11-12), but also gives you an abundant life (John 10:10) that you could never enjoy apart from the influence of the Lord in your life 

True/sincere Christianity is the voluntary willingness of an individual to abandon his/her desires of the flesh, eyes, and boastful pride of life (I John 2:15) and replace them with the character and Spirit of Christ.

That is why Paul further states that “it is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me”.  He is stating that he has removed his old habits and preferences in his former life and has replaced these with complete filling and control by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit.  The second sentence further describes what this means.  He still lives in the same body, but no longer trusts his own decisions and limited thinking, but now trusts in the guidance of Jesus.  Where does the guidance of Jesus come from?  Through His Holy Word and through the remembrance and application of His Word by the Holy Spirit filling your life (John 14:26).  Your faith comes from hearing and you hear/learn from the Word of God (Romans 10:17). 

Pastor Rob Morgan preached a sermon[1] that proclaimed that out of the 31,102 verses of the Bible, the best choice you could come up with for a life verse, for a verse to be engraved on your tombstone, or a verse that someone else would use to describe your aspirations and experiences as a Christian is this verse—Galatians 2:20?  Do you agree with him?  Do you see his logic?  Think about this and whether or not this verse can very well describe you?

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[1] http://www.donelsonav.org/pocket/pp-000123.html