A recent ad for the WHOOP Advanced Labs app explains the difference between “healthspan” and “lifespan.” With healthspan, “the goal is to add life to your years, not just years to your life.”
They are referring to improving your health. However, adding life to your years is a general definition of abundant life. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Let’s look at three aspects of abundant life.
First, there is the appropriation of abundant life. According to Roget’s Thesaurus, an appropriation is “something, as a gift, granted for a definite purpose.”
Abundant life is a gift connected to the gift of eternal life. Someone explains, “abundant life does not consist of an abundance of material things. If that were the case, Jesus would have been the wealthiest of men. But just the opposite is true.”
Matthew 8:20 says, “And Jesus said to [a certain scribe], ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’” Jesus’ purpose for coming to earth was to provide life eternal and abundant (John 10:10b) to everyone who would believe in Him and receive Him as Savior and Lord (John 1:12–13).
Appreciation
Second, there is the appreciation of abundant life. To genuinely appreciate abundant life, you must specifically define it. The word translated “abundant” comes from the Greek word “perisson,” meaning “exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, a quantity so abundant as to be considerably more than what one would expect or anticipate.”
Ephesians 3:20 reads, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
Vance Havner observes, “I’m often amused and amazed at the way we equate Christianity with success, popularity and prosperity. We may not admit it, but we use the same old gauge the world uses, except we employ religious language. It would appear that gain is godliness with us, in spite of Paul’s formula that godliness plus contentment equals great prosperity” (1 Tim. 6:6–11). Paul exhorts in Colossians 3:2, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”
Third, there is the application of abundant life. Note the word twice translated “may” in John 10:10b. This speaks of the possibility of possessing abundant life. You must take it and make it personally yours.
Jesus prayed in His high priestly prayer in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
As someone notes, “This definition makes no mention of length of days, health, prosperity, family or occupation. As a matter of fact, the only thing it does mention is knowledge of God, which is the key to a truly abundant life.”
Franklin L. Kirksey
Robertsdale, Alabama
Vacation Bible School
There are many ways to prepare for Vacation Bible School. Prayer is an obvious one. Prayer walking offers every church member an opportunity to lay an intentional, strategic spiritual foundation for ministering to children.
Pray in every room, hallway, classroom, doorway and outdoor space used by your church. Prayer walking turns preparation into worship as the Holy Spirit reminds us that VBS is far more than an event. It is a ministry of the church and one of its largest evangelistic outreach opportunities.”
Nancy Duggin
Prayer catalyst
Tennessee Baptist Mission Board
3 tips for success in college, life
- Set intentional priorities. Decide what is important to you. Make those things the center of your activities at the start of school. If your faith matters to you, then that must be a priority. Priorities help someone decide what to do and not to do when there are lots of choices.
- Choose friends carefully. Your friends have a big influence on where you go, what you do and who you become. Make friends by your priorities. If your friends have similar priorities, you are more likely to practice those priorities. Keep hanging out with other believers who will encourage and help you.
- Face doubts about faith and Scripture head-on. Tough questions will come, but just because you do not know an answer does not mean there isn’t one. Ask people who know more than you do. Remember the words of the father who brought his sick son to Jesus: “I do believe! Help me overcome my unbelief!”
Arliss Dickerson
Adapted from “162 Tips & Hacks for College Freshmen”
Share with others: