The Abundant Life: Finding Joy in The Everyday

“The thief comes to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” John 10:10  

This scripture speaks such invigorating encouragement to me. Of course, not the part about the enemy of our souls, but the “life abundant” part. Isn’t it wonderful news that we have access to live a life of abundance? What a beautiful promise! 

I, for one, most definitely desire a life of deep abundance – abundant joy, abundant peace, abundant relationships and abundant purpose, just to name a few.

a·bun·dance

/əˈbənd(ə)ns/

noun

1. a very large quantity of something.

If I were to ask you if you are living a life of abundance, what would your answer be? Do you feel joy in the day-to-day routines? If others who know you (and often spend time around you), were asked if you are a joyful, peaceful, content person, would you be pleased with their reply? Does your abundance of these attributes bubble up from within you? Do they positively affect those you are around, even with your own personal trials and tribulations swarming? 

My hope is that your answer is a resounding, “yes!” After all, an abundant life is the life Jesus died to give us! 

There is so much difficulty in this world. We have a very real enemy who is described in the Bible as a prowling lion. He literally roams the earth looking to steal, kill and destroy. He is after us, our families and everything we hold dear. So how can we live in abundance and find joy in the everyday, knowing this reality, and striving to guard against it? 

Let’s dig into God’s word to find the answers. 

To find joy amidst pain, peace within sorrow and fulfillment in lack (to truly live in abundance ) we have to make sure we are following a few key principles. 

Stay connected to Jesus 

The first thing we need to do to live an abundant life is make sure our relationship with Jesus is top priority. 

We must allow Jesus into our heart and Remain in Him. Just like a branch on a vine, apart from God we can do nothing. He is the one who brings joy, peace, purpose and balance into our lives. 

Jesus instructs, 

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 

If we make sure that we are connected to Jesus, seeking Him daily, we will foster a life-giving relationship full of constant communication between Him and ourselves. It will give us the tools, knowledge, discernment and encouragement we need to live the way He called us to. 

One of the most shining examples I can think of, who lives abundantly in this truth, is my Mom. I have watched her stay as closely connected to Jesus as she possibly could my whole life. She has an incredibly admirable relationship with the Lord and does nothing without bringing it before Him for direction. Her life’s road has held many trials and deep heartache, but because she remains in the vine (Christ Jesus), her life has produced much fruit. Her branch of life, connected to Jesus, is heavy with glorious grapes.

Remaining in Him is essential to a life of abundance. 

Build your life on His foundation 

Secondly, we need to build our life on Jesus and His word. Our relationship with Jesus needs to be our firm foundation. In Matthew chapter seven, Jesus teaches, 

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” Matthew 7:24-27 

When the word of God is what we build our life and trust upon, we have a joy and peace that surpasses the laws of nature. It’s a supernatural joy. A supernatural peace. And it comes in abundance, despite the storms. 

Our days and life stories are full of struggles, challenges and heartache. Yet even in the midst of all our battles we can still find true joy in Jesus. Yes – even the battles where the doctor’s report is devastating, when we have just spent our last dollar or we find ourself in unexpected grief. The word of God says, the righteous will flourish. 

David writes in the Psalms, 

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”  Psalms 92:12- 13

The storms of life will come, my friends. The winds will blow, the rains will fall but when Jesus is there, so is His peace. Despite our varying hardships we can live in abundance when we invite Jesus in. 

I remember my Dad living this truth out over and over in his life. One particular time comes to mind when he stayed long term in the hospital waiting to receive a lifesaving liver transplant. Instead of being upset, complaining or being distraught, he used his time to enthusiastically and humorously share Jesus with his nurses and doctors. He was even known to frequent other patients rooms to cheer them up. He had an abundance of love overflowing, even when he was deathly ill himself. This is how he lived his life – on the firm and unshakable foundation. Jesus!

With Jesus beside us, the ache in our heart can coexist with the joy that His presence brings. 

“Our hearts ache, but we have joy…” 2 Corinthians 6:10 

A life surrendered to Jesus will calm the longing in our spirit by the hope that His promise gives. He works all things together for good and when we rest in that truth peace pursues us.

A life built upon The Rock, Christ Jesus, will withstand any storm. We will experience joy in our circumstances and have life abundantly. 

Serve 

Another way to live a life of abundance is to serve others. Loving and caring for those around you will bring a special purpose to your life that will thrust you forward into the abundant. 

I think we have all heard it said, “It’s better to give than to receive.” However, did you know this is actually biblical?  

Luke writes, 

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” Acts 20:35 

Serving is a characteristic that Jesus Himself modeled continuously. When we take the focus off of ourselves and put it onto others, helping them with their needs, our abundance of joy is much more complete. To see the look on a person’s face when a nice gesture is given and their need is met, is truly priceless. The joy felt in our heart as we serve gives birth to the abundant life. Serving is an honor, and as we humble ourselves to meet the needs of others, in the right spirit, God elevates us. 

“…Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10: 43-45 

God has called us to serve and there is an abundance of good gifts received when we do! 

My grandpa was a tried-and-true example of this. He served in the military, he served his family, he served his church. And even in his retirement years, he diligently served the widowed and lonely. He never stopped doing all he could. He served with so much joy and humbleness in his heart – all for the glory of the Lord. His cup of joy was most certainly abundant. He was honored and respected by everyone and held a high place of esteem in our family’s eyes. 

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love. – Galatians 5:13 

Serving others for God’s glory is rewarding. A life of service to others is a life of abundance.

Trust 

How else do we discover joy in the everyday and experience life abundantly? By trusting in the Lord with all our heart. 

Jesus knows our intimate struggles. He is keenly aware of our every need. When we worry and stress, we feel our anxiety increasing and our joy, peace and contentment diminishing away. 

God is able, friends! He is making a way. We have to believe that. 

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8

Trust Him. It is impossible for the Lord to lie. He speaks promises and He will fulfill them. Trusting takes great faith and God honors those who willingly and freely trust Him.

My husband is a great man of integrity who models this kind of trust in an overwhelmingly inspiring way. He has held fast to his unwavering trust in Jesus. Despite all he has faced in life (including becoming a quadriplegic at the young age of sixteen), he has never allowed doubt of God’s faithfulness to take over. He holds firm to the promises God has given him, even after waiting many years to see the fruition of some promises. He knows God will be faithful. And his peace, joy and contentment are abundant because of it. He is a joy to be around because He has full trust that the Lord is working all things together for his good. 

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8

Trust paves the way for abundance. 

To find joy in the everyday and live life abundantly, remain connected to Jesus. Build your life on His word, serve those around you with a joyful heart and trust in the one who holds you in His hands. 

My prayer for you today, sweet friends, is that you will truly know and experience the life Jesus came to give you. Life abundantly! 

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

John 15:9-11

…”I have come that you may have life, and have it more abundantly.” – Jesus 

Amen!?

Enjoy the abundance of God’s love! 

Be blessed, friends! 

~ Stephanie