John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Someone who is living life well is…
Loving toward others. Romans 13:8 tells us we can never finish paying the debt of love we have to others; this means we should act as if we owe others our love. Jesus has also told us that his true disciples will be known by their love for others. Would Jesus be able to tell you were one of his true disciples?
Investing in significant relationships. Our most important and first significant relationship should be with God, to make Christ the Lord of our life. Ecclesiastes 4:10 tells us “People who are alone when they fall are in real trouble.” We need others to help support us, and we need to support others in the same way. This starts after we begin to be loving towards others. Often we try to impress those at school or even church, to fit in with them, and we won’t see them again after graduation. We compromise our life, and our beliefs, for someone we may never see again.
Valuing life vs. existing. Existing is like going through life blindly…not thinking about actions, not seeking a purpose or trying to fulfill it. Paul, in the Bible (Phillipians), explains that for him “to live is Christ, to die is gain.” He lived and breathed the Lord. He lived a life of value. And he valued his life because he was in Christ.
Expecting to grow. Hebrews 6:1 encourages us to stop repeating the basics of Christianity, and mature in our understanding. A person living life well is curious, wants to know more, expects to learn more; that person is excited and enthusiastic. Their attitude shows their expectation to be changed – but because of God only! Ephesians 4 speaks of holding to the truth in love and becoming more and more, in every way, like Christ. And the only way to become more like Christ, is to learn more about Him. To expect to come to church and learn of ways to imitate Him as His follower; to expect to learn new verses and facts about Christ in Sunday school.
Displaying Christ. See above point about imitating Christ. The bible tells us to be a fragrance to God – and we want to be a pleasurable fragrance to our God. We are all displaying something, through how we act, dress, talk and what we make our priorities. Our outward actions are the first thing that someone can look at to decide who we are, or who they they think we are. Hopefully they will not make a complete decision based simply on our outside self; but many times we come into contact with someone briefly and this is all they have to go by….did they get a glimpse of God from their encounter with you? Make that your goal.
Questions/Application:
How would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10 on each of these points?
Are you stumbling through life or valuing life and living it well?
How often do you spend time thinking about what you are displaying on the outside? the inside? which is more important to God?
How can you show people a glimpse at God through your life?
