“The thief comes only to
steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have
life and have it abundantly.”
- John 10:10
When I think of a thief, I instantly
picture a cartoon figure clad in a striped shirt and sporting a black
eye mask – not too sneaky of a get up for a thief, if you ask me.
But the thieves Christ is speaking of are so much less obvious than
what our minds imagine. They show up in the subtle lies whispered by
our sinful hearts, the world and Satan, whose main goal is to trick
us into believing that there is something else in life that
will make us happy. These thieves never rest; they are ever
attempting to lure us away from chasing our joy in Christ. When we
fold to them, we fling open the door to our hearts and allow them to
wreak havoc on the peace Christ died to give us – the abundance of
life we are offered in Him.
These thieves are opportunists, knowing that our physical lives this side of heaven will very likely be one of trials and struggles. They've helped twist the understanding of this verse and promoted the “prosperity gospel” lie that the abundant Christian life is one marked by a full bank account and a clean bill of health. While most of us, if we are honest, desire those things, what Christ is talking about here is so much more than just our material security, which we all know is fleeting and can change on a dime (no pun intended).
So what is the abundant life? When we
are born into God's family through faith in Christ's redeeming work
on the cross, His Spirit dwells in us and the abundant life can be
experienced in our daily decision to be satisfied in Him alone. Our
simple lives become supernaturally empowered, allowing us to live
life to the fullest in the strength He supplies, just as He designed
it to be lived.
It seems like a foolish question, but who doesn't want a MORE joyful, fulfilling life? That is the abundant life that Jesus promises – that in Him (and Him alone), we are graciously given the chance to operate infused with his unshakable joy every day; and when our days on Earth are done, eternal joy. Let's make it a habit to ask God for the grace to stop being satisfied by lesser joys, as C.S. Lewis famously wrote,
“It
would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too
weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex
and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child
who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot
imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are
far too easily pleased.”
Lord, help us to lock out the
thieves and vigilantly guard our hearts (Proverbs 4:23), turning our
minds toward the face of Christ by saturating them in Your Word, our
main weapon, as often as we are able, knowing that a richer, fuller
life marked by joy and strength in Christ alone awaits us.
