Live
Have you ever sincerely questioned the promise of Jesus to give life in all its abundance? Be honest! Have you ever though, “man, my life just isn’t measuring up to that promise” or maybe, “If this is ABUNDANCE, you can have it.”?
An abundant life isn’t one without pain or without struggle. It isn’t one filled only with the great stuff as we would measure it. Rather, it’s one in which we have the wisdom to see these and many other hardships with the context of the whole. These things ARE part of a “Full and Abundant” life.
Christ seems not to have lived a “balanced life” – the one we often hear extolled – so much as he lived and abundant life. To cry one hour, challenge and rebuke at another moment, and share a meal with friends on still another. Christ’s life might be described as one lived in the presence of companions and friends but one which was regularly punctuated with intervals of solitude and quiet. He was regularly within reach of those who wanted his attention, and willingly reached out to many who felt unworthy of his attention or interest.
Perhaps we see the ingredients of an abundant life in this. How each of us blends the elements will differ somewhat, but it seems evident that abundance involves regular, meaningful, and satisfying interaction with others along with burst of confrontation, and also times of willingly imposed solitude and rest. Life HAS duty, but it isn’t JUST duty. Life is a gift to be savored and shared.
As with leadership, our desire in men’s ministry is to facilitate. In this case we hope to facilitate “living” in community, and living with delight. We can’t and won’t force this on anyone, but like that proverbial horse which was led to water, we want to provide the stream for refreshment and some sign posts to indicate its location.
