The Better Life

John 4:¹⁴ (TLB) “But the water I give them,” he said, “becomes a perpetual spring within them, watering them forever with eternal life.”

In yesterday’s devotional, we established that everyone wants to have “the good life” and the good life means different things to different people. However, in the pursuit of the good life, we experience exhaustion; we are tired because it is draining. While chasing the good life, the exhaustion leads to emptiness, the emptiness, in turn, makes people feel enslaved, trapped, and boxed in. Sometimes, we are in a marriage, we cannot go anywhere and so we are trapped, exhausted, empty, enslaved chasing the good life. Sometimes, you feel enslaved in school, you cannot go anywhere. Sometimes, it is a relationship that makes you feel enslaved. Sometimes, it is our jobs that we feel enslaved to and we feel trapped. That is what happens when we chase the good life, it drains us. The quest for the good life empties us, it makes us feel that we are enslaved. What God is saying to you today is that there is a better life in God.

It is not like “the good life” is bad, it is called “the good life” for a reason. There is nothing wrong with having a job. There is nothing wrong with being married. There is nothing wrong with being in school. They are good things in themselves, but God is saying, there is a better life. In those days when I was about three months old, I remember that the good life was milk. All I needed to do was cry and I will get my supply. As I grew, I discovered Nigerian jollof rice with fried plantain and peppered chicken. That became a better life. The best milk can do right now is to wash it down. There is nothing wrong with milk; there is nothing wrong with the good life, it is what you call extra. God is saying when you get the better life, the good life becomes extra. That is what God wants for you and it is only Jesus that can give you the better life in this world.

So, what is this better life that Jesus offers? The first is, It Is A Life Filled With Meaning. The better life Jesus is offering through His death, His burial, and His resurrection is a life that is filled with meaning. Unfortunately, a lot of people are running helter-skelter trying to fill their lives but there is no meaning. Jesus wants to give you a life that is filled with meaning. The late Dr. Myles Munroe said, “The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without purpose.” In other words, the greatest tragedy in life is living without meaning. The good life is not enough, looking good is not enough. You can have the biggest house in the neighbourhood, with the best furniture and the most expensive car. But if the life does not have meaning, it is useless.

Col 3:⁴ “Christ gives meaning to your life…” (CEV). It is only Jesus, Christ alone that can give meaning. The challenge is, we confuse a full life with a meaningful life. A life can be full without being meaningful. Your schedule can be packed full without producing meaning in your life. You can fill your house with stuff and remain empty. Guess what? You can have a full bank account, but the life can still be meaningless. We should not confuse a full life with a meaningful life.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, l ask that You alone will give meaning to my life, in Jesus Name. Amen!