Living in Abundance.

John 10:1-10
1 "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.
7 Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

That last statement, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" just means that you'll be living abundantly with Christ in your life. Most people when they hear that think "Oh, cool. I get to have a lot of money and nice possessions. Are you sure that's what he means though?

I'm about as sure as I can be that when he says you'll live a life in abundance he doesn't mean it in the same manner as I just mentioned. We live in a world that strives to get the hottest gadgets and the trendiest clothing...maybe even a high-paying job. These things make us happy. In reality, that contentment will probably only last a short while. When we fall into these traps we don't realize that we're losing a pretty good deal. You see, Jesus' definition of abundance is far better and has more of an impact - in the long term. That abundance is happiness too but it stems from being in a relationship with God and following his commandments.

Think about what might be preventing you from experiencing the abundance of Jesus Christ.