The More Abundant Life

The thief does not come except to steal, kill and to destroy; I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10


I will be honest, when the Lord first gave me this theme, my first impression was that it had to do with bringing us as an organization into abundant material prosperity. But with further study and prayer, I concluded that even though the more abundant life does not preclude material prosperity, it is deeper than that. Material prosperity is merely one of the benefits of the more abundant life, but not the goal. You can have a materially prosperous life without an abundant life, but you cannot have an abundant life without material prosperity. Material prosperity is not defined by a certain lifestyle or a certain income, but by the quality of your lifestyle and income. Jesus was materially prosperous but had no income other than the financial gifts He received from His followers to support His ministry. Many of us today would not want to have the lifestyle He had since He did not live in a castle, drive a luxurious car, or wear fancy clothes and jewelry.

But He lacked nothing and was the most prosperous man who ever lived. Of course, there is nothing wrong with all those things I listed above. The problem is when you begin to use them to serve as a measurement of your spiritual well-being or self worth. So what is an abundant life for the kingdom business steward and why is it so critical in today's uncertain business environment?

Notice that Jesus began His statement in John 10:10 by contrasting His work with the work of the enemy. He stated that the thief, meaning the devil, comes for three reasons only: to steal, kill, and destroy. So where there is theft, killing, and destruction, it is either the direct work of Satan or the result of sin which is caused by cooperating with the work of Satan.

Yes, I realize that the economy is still bad. But you do not have to buy into the lie that suggests you have to be a victim of the recession. If you do so, you are cooperating with the works of darkness that are seeking to bring an end to the plans of God in your life by destroying you and your business. As someone stated, you can choose not to participate in this recession and the devil cannot force you.

Of course, not all bad things we go through are caused by the enemy; some of them are caused by our own bad choices and sin in the world, but whatever the cause, God does give us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). The more abundant life is an existence in Christ that is overflowing with righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not say you will have life, which is mere existence, and He did not say you will have an abundant life which is an existence that is above the norm. Rather, He said you will have a more abundant life; a life that overflows with more than you need.

Do you have an overflowing experience right now? Do you want an overflowing experience? Join me next week as will discuss how to get that experience. This experience will not only bless your business but your personal and family life as well. It will cause you to have a bountiful rest of the year in the midst of a drought, a harvest in the midst of a famine, and hope in the midst of despair, but you have to want it and seek it.


Do you agree? Comments and discussion are welcome!

We are now at the midway point of this year. I felt led to recycle the devotional series that we shared with you at the beginning of the year so you can use it to evaluate your year-to-date to determine if you are walking in the abundant life we discussed when we began the year. As for Nehemiah, we are extremely grateful to the Lord for all that He has done for us so far this year; expanding the Biblical Entrepreneurship Program to more states than last year to date, protecting us from the devastation of the recession, providing us with the largest financial gift in our 10-year history - thanks to Bryan Mendez and Barbara Santiago, and giving us continued opportunities to serve His people and His church in the marketplace. Unfortunately, there are many kingdom businesses and ministries that are suffering the pressures of the recession with loss of revenue; some have even closed their doors. I am not sure where you are but I want to encourage you to remain steadfast in what the Lord has called you to do, reflect on this devotional series, and by faith, believe that God will bring you into His abundant life, no what matter your financial circumstances may be.

For the next several weeks we will discuss the more abundant life which has been our ministry theme for this year. I pray you will be blessed as we journey together into how to walk in the more abundant life that Jesus promised all those who will believe in Him.

Copyright © 2009 Patrice Tsague ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.