In John 10:10 we see the badness of the devil and the goodness of the Lord Jesus Christ.
John 10:10: The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
It is evident in the world that the devil is actively doing his thing. The manifestation of his influence dominates our times. For us who are Christians, we need to rise up to the realization of what Christ promised, living the more abundant life now!
Some will say that the more abundant life is what we experience when we get to heaven. But, really, our Lord and Savior meant for us to live the more abundant life now, today and the next day and on until He comes to gather us together.
The Heavenly Father has unloaded numerous promises to us so that we could realize victory day in and day out.
Who are we going to believe? Our Father implores us to follow Him and believe His Word. Do we trust His Word?
Not only do we have God’s Word to provide the more abundant life, but we have the gift of holy spirit in us, that will bring us to a higher standard of living a blessed life.
WHAT DO I DO NOW TO LIVE THE MORE ABUNDANT LIFE?
John 17:17: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Galatians 5:16:..Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
2. BELIEVE who you are in Christ and what God’s Word says.
Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
3. ACT as a child of God. You have Christ in you, which is the gift of holy spirit.
Philippians 4:13: I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
This year of 2019 our ministry theme is “Living the more abundant life now.” We will be working God’s Word to explore the greatness of this more abundant life Jesus Christ provided for us to the extent we can experience it now!
Agape,
Bob
I John 3:2: Beloved, now are we the sons of God,…
She looked into the mirror and saw herself with a crown upon her head. Queen Victoria at the age of 18 took over the monarchy in 1837 of the most powerful nation in the world – Great Britain. At first it was too much for her to bear. But soon in her reign she recognized her authority and started acting with conviction in her role as Queen.
I think we all have imagined at some point in our life what it would be like to reign as a king or queen. Imagine no more, because the spiritual reality of every believer, born again of God’s spirit, is they do reign in life through Christ.
Romans 5:17: For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
Adam cause a catastrophe in Genesis that sowed the seeds of death in every human being. His one act of disobeying the one thing God told him not to do, ruined God’s dream of a spiritual relationship with man.
Thankfully, His Son, Jesus Christ did the one act of redemption giving His perfect life, which provided man a way back to the Heavenly Father. The new birth via belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and His resurrection from the dead, ushered in the family of God and the gift of righteousness whereby we stand before the throne of God by His grace, guiltless and free of sin.
Romans 5:21: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
2Corinthians 5:21: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
We now have the boldness to go before the throne of God to fellowship with Him. He has made us righteous and filled us with His spirit so that we can live the more abundant life as we reign with Christ.
Hebrews 4:16: Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
Unlike Queen Victoria, we may not have a crown to wear to remind us that we reign in life, but we do have speaking in tongues to put in remembrance our new birth status and that we can reign in life. Let’s continue to recognize who we are in Christ and that we can have authority in this life to handle any situation, because “we reign in life by one Jesus Christ!”
Agape,
Bob
Over 2,000 years ago, the heavenly bodies spoke very loudly to the Magi to the extent they quickly organized a caravan to travel hundreds of miles to witness the new king of the Jews. The Bible story of the “wise men” coming all the way from the East to see the new Messiah, is fascinatingly told in Matthew, Chapter Two.
I am awed by what I observe in our starry skies, but to dedicate months of arduous travel to a strange land by the movement of certain planets and stars, I don’t think so!
These highly educated men acted on a prophecy of a coming Messiah that they had evidently learned from generations before them. Many Biblical scholars attribute Daniel and the other wise Jews during the Babylonian captivity, of teaching them about the signs of the coming Christ. The Magi’s faithful believing was rewarded with a visit by angels and most of all seeing the child who would be not only the king of the Jews, but the Messiah and savior of the whole world!
These men literally acted on the signs they saw in the heavens. They travelled through dangerous lands, carrying gold, frankincense and myrrh to see a young child who would be the king of the Jews. This bold act of believing is an awesome witness to me. I do not have stars and planets to follow, but I do have God’s dynamic Word to believe in and act on.
II Peter 1:2a: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises:…
May we be as bold and daring to step out on the revelation of God’s Word, as the Magi were on the revelation in the sky. May we seek Christ with such passion and conviction.
Agape,
Bob
P.S. Happy Holiday to you all! May we praise Him who so loved the world that He gave us His Son. And may we praise Him who is “…able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us (Ephesians 3:20).
Our expectations in a situation cannot guarantee the outcome. I have found my expectations for worldly things are rarely better than what I expect. This was true when a friend set me up on a blind date.
On the other hand, my expectations with Godly things turn out much better. This is certainly true for the lame man laid at the gate Beautiful as recorded in the book of Acts 3:1-8. He was asking alms and yet when Peter ministered to him, he leaped up and stood, and walked. He certainly got much more than he expected!
Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Our Heavenly Father wants the best for our lives. Why else would He sacrifice His son for our redemption. When it comes to being a son of God and fellowshipping with our Abba Father we can have high hopes and expectations.
Psa 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
Why would we wait for anyone else? It pays to have patience with our Heavenly Father. We can have the highest of hopes, the largest of ambitions, and believe for the best, because our Father is faithful who promises.
Heb 10:22 & 23: Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
We all have certain goals or aspirations that would be fulfilling in our life. When we go to the Heavenly Father those goals and desires can become realities if we wait on Him.
What kind of expectations should a son of God have? How about, ones that are “exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” (Ephesians 3:20).
Agape,
Bob
Many say life is a struggle; one battle after another. No wonder someone spoke up and said, “Choose you battles wisely.”
As we face life’s challenges may we remember who we are and how we fit into the scheme of life. You are a prodigy of our Heavenly Father as a result of the redeeming work of the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes you very special and completely equipped to engage in life’s skirmishes.
Colossians 2:10: And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
We are complete in Christ! When we step into the arena of life facing the enemy and his strongholds, remember who you are! Philippians 4:13 says, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Our tactics in the ring are to “fight the good fight of faith.”
1 Timothy 6:11 & 12: But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed [confessed] a good profession [confession] before many witnesses.
The key points to remember from this:
Now do you see what the good fight is? You are now ready then, to enter the ring and be your best for our Heavenly Father!
Agape,
Bob
PS:
2 Corinthians 4:17 & 18: For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.