Abundant Life

I Corinthians 15:45 - So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 

I Corinthians 15:22 - For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

Did you know that we are all destined to die? That's right. And its all because of one man's sin. It may not seem fair but we are all under the curse of sin and death because of one man and woman and their wrong choices. But that isn't the end of the story. There is a way to trade this curse of death for the blessing of life. How? By being born again in Jesus Christ. 

The first Adam (the one in Eden) was made a living being. He was alive but because of his sin he took death unto himself and passed death on to his descendants. (That's you and me.) The second Adam is Jesus Christ. He not only was made a living being but a life-giving spirit. The difference between the first and second Adam is this. While the first Adam traded life for death the second Adam gave his life to conquer death. The first Adam was alive but once he lost life he could not regain it. He was destined to die. But the second Adam gave his life and shed his blood to conquer death once and for all. So even though all must die because of Adam's sin, in Jesus Christ all can be made a alive because of his righteousness. Jesus Christ not only has life himself but he has the power and authority to grant eternal life to others. That is why he is a LIFE-GIVING spirit. 

Do you feel like the curse of sin and death is on your life? Nothing seem to go right? You've made all the wrong choices? Perhaps you've been diagnosed with a terrible disease or know someone who has. You can find life in Jesus for he is a life-giving spirit. He came that we could have life, and not just any life, but life more abundantly (John 10:10). All the life you need is available in Jesus.

For as many as received him to them gave he power to become the children of God. John 1:12.

Living Abundantly,

Sullivan Jones 

What does life consist of?

Luke 12:15 - Man's life does not consist of the abundance of things that he possesses. 

May I ask you a question?  If life is not made up of possessions, just what is it made up of?

I believe there are several answers. Relationships with family and friends should be near the top. What good are the possessions if there is no one to share them with?  Career is also important. All of us have to work. If you are going to spend all your time doing something why not get the skills to do a job you enjoy. It will make life much more enjoyable. Where we live and how we live are all important. But they still don't provide the most important ingredient to life.

Jesus said he came to give us life. Not just any life, but life more abundantly? He said that if we believe in him then rivers of living water would flow out of our inner most beings. This was a prophecy of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. This is the truly abundant life. A life without the Spirit of God is empty and will always lack meaning. A life filled with the Spirit of God will overflow with joy. Yes, there will still be heartaches; There always are. Financial problems and sickness still cause us stress, even as Christians. But the Christian who is filled with God's spirit knows that this present life is not all there is. There is a spiritual realm to which I can enter everyday in prayer that makes life truly worth living.

Just what does true life consist of? What is the main ingredient? It is a relationship with Jesus Christ. When one has Jesus, everything else is secondary. It is nice to have things in this life. I would rather have money than be without out it. It makes life easier to have a little extra cash in one's pockets.  But at the end of the day the only thing of lasting value in my life is my relationship with Jesus. He has blessed me with a good job, a good home, and many friends. May I never forget that without him everything else is meaningless! He is the meaning of life because he is life itself.

Loving Jesus,

Sullivan Jones 

Living Water

Proverbs 27:20 - Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. 

Isn't it amazing how unsatisfied we are? It is in the nature of life. We eat breakfast at six or seven a.m. and by noon we are "starving." The natural man must eat to keep up his nourishment. And no matter how many days we do eat, we will always want something else to eat pretty soon.

As the natural, so is the spiritual. We are never satisfied because the things of this world can not satisfy the innermost needs of a man's heart and soul. Most of us live in houses that are much nicer than anything the rest of the world has. We don't truly know what it is like to be hungry. We can get at least some healthcare if we are sick. Yet for all that we are not satisfied. If we could go shopping with unlimited funds and take as many vacations a year as we wanted to take, we would still be unsatisfied. Why? Because the eyes of man are not satisfied. They will always want more.

The only true way to be satisfied is in Jesus. He told the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well that he could give her living water that would quench her thirst forever. It is interesting to note that after this one encounter with Jesus she left her water pot and went back to tell her friends and family about this living water. She had found something else to satisfy her thirst. Oh, I'm sure she eventually needed water again. She was, after all, human. But Jesus wasn't speaking of the natural man. He was speaking of the spiritual man. The one who can only be satisfied with a drink from the cup of Jesus Christ.

Is there emptiness in your life? Do you find that, no matter what you have, it is never enough? Are you anxious, afraid, or depressed? Do you always desire more? Have a longing for something you can't name? If so, you need a long drink from the spiritual well of Jacob, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God. It is only HE that can satisfy your soul. Ask him today for a drink of that living water. Once you taste it you will never be the same. But be forewarned; This water is addictive. Once you drink of it, nothing else will ever again satisfy your thirst. You will have to come again and again to the well of salvation. It is the only source of living water.

Yours in Christ's Service,

Sullivan Jones