A FIRST-CLASS LIFE
John 10:10
I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance - to the full, till it overflows. - *The Amplified New Testament
By Heather Anne Kehr
The ride home from town was so wonderful! Everything looked sharp and colorful. People were smiling. Leaves floated in the wind. The world was so much more enjoyable once a pair of glasses corrected my vision. You see, I didn’t realize what I was missing until my eyes were opened to a new way of looking at the world.
In life, we often settle for what we are able to deal with rather than pursuing the best. We keep our eyes on the mundane details of life and forget to focus on the eternal destination. We often go about our lives ignoring the fact that Jesus came to give us abundant life–one overflowing with joy, peace, love, compassion, and hope that begins right here and now in this life.
As director of a crisis pregnancy center, I worked with many pregnant, unwed women who had just “settled”. Rather than find a mate who truly loved them and was kind, gentle, loyal, humorous, and forgiving, they settled for a guy because he was financially stable, handsome, or was the only one interested in them. My heart broke as beautiful, yet broken women shared how their boyfriends hit them, cheated on them, and generally did not value them as people.
God created each one of us with value! We have no reason to hold on to second place when He wants to give us first place. Yet without Christ, our best Friend, Savior, Lord, and First Love, we are settling for a second-rate life. We are not experiencing the full and abundant life Jesus desires to give us. Our eyes are opened to a “new world” when we understand that we are God’s children, full of worth. Although we don’t deserve anything, Jesus Himself made it possible for us to attain that first-class life.
Lord, remind me daily of Your desire to give me abundant life. I know I am Your child filled with worth. Teach me to seek to live the full life you intend for me. May I claim Your promise today and forever. Help me not to settle, but to seek a fulfilling life.
By Heather Anne Kehr, Counselor
Christian Counseling & Educational Services
*Scripture taken from The Amplified New Testament, Zondervan Publishers, 1958
Copyright Heather Anne Kehr, 2008
