Skip to main content

Translate

Abundant life




You know, I said that sometimes I would write here in English. Why? I don’t know, maybe because I am living in the U.S; so, here I am; please, excuse my English, since I am neither a native nor a expertise.
Anyway…

I just wrote the post before this one, and instantly I wanted to write this one about the abundant life, or “to have it to the full” – life. Who said that? Jesus said that.

What is it that caught my attention this verse today? The whole verse is: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10. 

Who is the thief that Jesus is talking about?  The thief is the devil, our archenemy or the enemy of our souls; that one who doesn’t want anything to do with our happiness or success or freedom. He is the one who comes to destroy our lives; he might look like a sheep at once, in the very beginning; but he is no sheep, he is a wolf in a sheep’s skin.

I don’t like when they picture the devil as an ugly creature. Because he is not. He used to be very beautiful, full of light, his name used to mean light. But, he got envious and greedy, and covetous; so he had no place in the realms of heavens anymore. So, God kicked him out. The devil can come with a very good disguise to mislead you; like richness, success, beauty, and so many other things that are always shallow and meaningless. He doesn’t want you thinking too much what are the consequences. He wants you to grab it fast and think later when the disaster is already done. He wants you dumb, dull, numb, blind for life. Live like a robot; live like that because he said it so.
But Jesus, He wants your happiness, your real success. He wants to give you life. How? Why? He came to the world to teach you how to give meaning to your life; he came to show you what is important in this life. He came to this world so He could feel your pain. He needed to be human, and live like a human so he could mirror in Him our lives too. He resurrected so you could resurrect too when the day comes. He is the one who can strengthen your to fight against the devil on a daily basis. In 1 Peter 5:8 “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour”.
Let’s seek the presence of God, and befriend Jesus, so we can have an abundant life and be safe against the devil’s trap.
Let’s pray: Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your provisions and your sacrifice on that cross. Thank you for giving up your life so I could have mine. I want You to live in me and be alert and sober mind to overcome the devil. Thank you, Lord, in Jesus’ name, Amen.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Through Death to Life // Pela Morte para a Vida

Bible Project Podcast Redemption episode   The Bible Project podcast has lately dedicated itself to the theme of Redemption. We all have a plain idea of what redemption in the Bible means, or not. It isn’t an easy subject to talk about; nevertheless, they chose to expand their knowledge and pass it on. I love it. So, the whole Bible talks about redemption. But what does redemption mean? Well, sometimes, we get a coupon, and then what do we do with it? We redeem it, right? We use this word mostly in this sense. We exchange, we give something in place for something else. Back in Genesis, Abraham and Sarah got tired of waiting for God’s timing; they got worried and decided to fulfill God’s promise by their own means. Meaning, they used and abused a foreign slave (an Egyptian slave - ironic: where did they end up being slave?). Remember, God sees all, and no one stays unpunished. What happened after the child was born? Sarah got pregnant. Ops!...
Post a Comment
Read more

We are the Winners // Nós somos os vencedores

  The death of my cousin made me think about a few things. Yes, it was a sad thing. So unexpected. It got us all by surprise, which hurt. He was such a nice, joyful, and lively guy or man. He will certainly be missed. What we have here but the present. My mom and my other cousin spoke at the funeral. Yes, we have nothing here. It makes no sense at all to get attached to things of this world when at any moment we might leave it. Our days are numbered, but we don’t know how many we were given. How are you living your days? Sometimes we take it for granted because we are young or have health and may think that we have a whole life ahead of us. But do we really? Some live their lives as if all they have to do is party. As if parties were the most important thing in the world. Fun is part of life, so are sadness, problems and relationships, and hard times. Are we going to take something from this world when we die? I am pretty sure we a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Not for the tender hearts //Nao para os coraçoes sensíveis

  Have you ever felt like you haven’t fully overcome some trauma? That all of a sudden, you feel that shame rising, and the only thing you can think of is “to hide”. Oh well, I hope not. I wish this were only my experience. But I know it is not. There are so many things that we suffer once or for a period of time over and over that make us uncomfortable and small. I have to tell you, this world is not for tender hearts. This world is tough, and the people are cruel, knowing and unknowing. People often think they are doing their best, they do what they think is good and the right thing to do. They think they are helping just because they wish they could be of some help. Even without knowing what exactly the problem is. Because of that, we often hurt people without knowing or even wanting to. And to make matters worse, we don’t understand and get ourselves hurt, too. We think the other is being way too sensitive. We instantly go into defensi...
Post a Comment
Read more