Lovelier Ride

John 10:¹⁰ “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (ESV)

We will kick off today’s devotional with our final thought from yesterday. While the circumstances of your life may not have changed, but the class of your flight can change. This life that Jesus offers can be likened to being upgraded from flying economy to flying first class. Yes, you will still be in this world where there is turmoil, turbulence, and challenges. You will still have the ups and downs that happen to everyone. But the ride will be lovelier. Abundant life offers purpose—purpose in the midst of pain.

Abundant life offers meaning—meaning in the midst of the mess. Abundant life offers joy—joy in the midst of the confusion that is in the world. Jesus is not promising a life without the ups and downs. Jesus is saying that in spite of the ups and downs, you can have a lovely ride. And when your ride is lovely, it shows. When you are enjoying the ride, sipping on your favourite drink, your blanket is supple, the air you are breathing is different, and the food is different, it shows even though you are on the same turbulent ride.

I made some new friends in Dallas, amazing people. While we were hanging out one day, one of them, a very cerebral and witty man asked me, “How old are you?” I smiled. I get that question a lot. So, I said, “Okay, take a shot.” His wife was also hanging out with us. They looked at themselves and then at me, and he said, “Maybe you are thirty… thirty-one, max!” His wife said, “Maybe twenty-nine.” I smiled again and told them my age; they were shocked. “How is that even possible?”, they asked. At another of our hang outs, both of them said to me, “You make it look so easy. You make life look too easy.” It is abundant life! You can have an enjoyable ride. This is what Jesus has come to offer you, an enjoyable ride. Do not wait until all the problems are gone. They will never go, as long as you are on this side of eternity. But you can have abundant life.

Most times, people believe that life will be full, great, and abundant if they had “that job”. Or if only their bank account is very robust. And for students, if only they had the best grades. For the ladies of marriageable age, it is if they can marry that amazing man. And yet for some, life would have been great if they had their own home or had this or that. It is a trap. Do not fall for it. What I am saying is that, abundant life is available for you and to you now, regardless of the turbulence in your life. The question is, do you want to be upgraded?

Prayer: Father, I enter into the fullness of my abundant like in Christ, in Jesus Name. Amen!