The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
These verses in the Gospel of John are some of the most frequently quoted in the bible. They beg the question of how an abundant life attained and what are the things that steal life. The Lord gives us a peek into why life sometimes feels empty and what leads life out of emptiness to abundance when he speaks of laying our lives down for each other. It reminds me that life can have so much meaning when it is shared with, and given to, others.
I think that this is the secret to finding life. Selfishness and selfcenteredness rob us of true life. When our lives are inward, and become all about us, our lives cease to have meaning. In contrast the abundant life that the Lord Jesus speaks of is one that involves loving God and loving each other in such a way that our focus turns outward. On the cross Jesus exemplified that an abundant life only comes when we lay our life down for another.
This is a hard message Lord. Help me today to die that I might truly live.
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