Skip to main content

The "est"

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. - John 10:10 NIV

This week I had the chance to share a short devotional in our Anchor House staff meeting. It was about this word "thrive" that God has put on my heart for this year and in this new chapter.  The word "thrive" can be defined as "to grow or develop well, to prosper, to flourish." 

When I think about thriving in God's kingdom, John 10:10 comes to mind.  But I must admit that I have struggled with what it says.  It says "life to the full" and I want it to say "life to the fullest". Isn't that what the world tells us to do? Live life to the fullest?  We are supposed to be the strongest, the richest, the smartest, prettiest, or any other "est". I want to compete. I want to live life to the fullest.

That's not the way God's kingdom works.  It's not a competition. Jesus died and rose from the dead so that we may have life to the full. Mine is not better than yours and yours not better than mine.  At the feet of Jesus, we are all equal. We all get the same reward when Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We all get what we don't deserve. We each receive a new forever. 

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23

“Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. - John 5:24

As we go through the daily grind, I pray we shift our perspective. The life we are promised in Jesus is a life to the full not the fullest. We're not in competition but in service. We are in process. Life to the full means thriving. Life to the full is filled with a growth, development, and prosperity that is only found with Jesus Christ. 

Be blessed and be a blessing,
Matt
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Right In Front of Me

There is one character in the story of the night of Jesus' arrest that sticks out. He seems insignificant to what is happening. He’s almost an interruption in the story. He is only mentioned by name in one of the four gospels, even though the description of what occurred is in all four gospels.  Malchus is his name. He works for the people who want Jesus dead. His job, with his compadres, is to seize Jesus and bring him back to the high priest. There he would be subject to questioning, a trial of sorts.  As Malchus and his posse are approaching, Peter takes action to protect Jesus. “With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear” (Matthew 26:51). Jesus immediately tells Peter and the rest of his disciples to stop with the violence.  I wonder what Malchus thought at this point. I imagine his was in shock, I would guess he was surprised. He had just been attacked and surely is bleeding ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Glow Differently

I saw this quote recently, “You glow differently when your confidence is fueled by belief in yourself instead of validation from others.” I found myself wrestling with it. I completely agree with the concept that the validation of my worth is not established by the thoughts of others. While I think a positive self image is important, I do not think that it is what really makes me “glow differently.” I hope I glow differently because of whom I believe in, rather than what I believe of myself.  The author of Titus says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) . Love and kindness entered the world in the form of a m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grits

This past Saturday I got the chance to catch up with my friend at breakfast. We connected months ago over grits, of all things. I learned he really didn't care for grits. Turns out his parents used to make him eat them quite often and in many forms. As he has grown older he's made the conscious decision, he's had enough grits for a lifetime. On the other hand, I really enjoy grits. They are a wonderful breakfast food with butter, salt, and pepper. For dinner, you can't beat some good shrimp and grits. I have a recipe for jambalaya grits that will put a smile on anyone's face. It is like jambalaya meets cheese grits. Yum! My friend and I joke about grits everytime we see each other. I offer him some and he politely refuses. Of course, I respect his wishes and don't give him any grits. How do you offer someone grits? Do you insist they eat and like them because you eat them? Do you put them on their plate anyway? Do you treat them differently bec...
Post a Comment
Read more