The Abundance of Life

(Again we are sharing devotionals from my father, Bertram J. Youde.  This will carry us through the month of October.)

(#851; Imperial, 1960)

Read John 10:10

Christ had little to say about the length of a man's life.  But he had much to say about the depth and breadth of life.  Scripture speaks of the Christian's experience in the most glowing and superlative terms.

ƒ      The New Testament norm of Christian experience.

Christ came to give abundant life.  This life should be one of...

w    Extraordinary joy, 1 Peter 1:7-8, not unhappy frustration.

w    Extraordinary peace, Phil. 4:6-7, not fretfulness, anxiety.

w    Extraordinary contentment, Phil. 4:11, not griping, dissatisfaction or complaint.

w    Extraordinary faith, Matt. 17:20, not doubt ,uncertainty or skepticism.

w    Extraordinary love, Eph. 3:19, not selfishness, unforgiveness.

w    Extraordinary power, Phil. 4:13, not a life of limping along or inadequacy.

w    Extraordinary victory, Rom. 8:35-37.

ƒ      Why are we failing in our Christian experience?

The trouble lies in our superficial relation to God.  The norm of Christian experience lies in Christ...

w    Joy: John 15:11.

w    Peace: Eph. 2:14.

w    Contentment: 2 Peter 1:3.

w    Faith: Gal. 2:20.

w    Love: Rom. 5:5.

w    Power: Phil. 4:13.

w    Victory: 2 Cor. 2:14.

Christ came to give that life abundant.  Our lack lies in a superficial relation to the ONE through whom we have all things.

ƒ      The secret of the abundant life lies in a strong relation to God.

Isaiah 40:31: "They that wait upon the Lord."  Developing any relationship takes time.  So for starters we are encouraged to spend more time with God.

Wait on the Lord!