Abundant life. . . . .

When you love someone, love will always find a way. I believe in that. I believe that two people meant to be will always find their way into each others hearts.

No matter what the world tells you, no matter what you go through. No matter what distance separates you-love is the bridge that connects you through. You got to believe in God and know that your belief will bring you to what’s true.

I love fairy tales, always did, will always do. They inspired me a lot as a kid. I loved the way the stories had the happy ending and they lived happily forever after. I love the word forever. Don’t you? Oh come on, now, don’t just stare at the word. You know we both agree, or else you would not read this far. So you see we are getting some where.

In fairy tales, there is always a happy ending. They are motivational. Always make you believe in the goodness of the heart. And the thing you always get to learn is that no matter how wicked the Queen is or the stepmother or step sisters, or whatever spells they cast, good ultimately triumphs over bad. And the reason good wins-is solely because love over-weighs the bad. Now you would just think and say ‘ah, anybody could figure that'. Hang on buddy, but there is something about love-something that is not talked about much-something that people have more or less skipped. The word is sacrifice. Do you hear much of that? I don’t think so. It’s the-I factor, these days. You be the judge.

I love simplicity. It impresses me a lot. In this day and age to meet someone who can be simple gets a Wow from me. That’s how much I love simple people. If you ask me why-the answer is simple-their minds are not twisted. They talk as to what they see. It is the simple who can love with no deception.

I am not saying that life is easy. What I remember, is some years back, I found it very difficult to cope with most things. Change was never the easiest. The hardest thing all my life was to watch people go away. So like everybody else, I did get hurt a lot and cried a lot. But God is good.

Something I have learnt – When a needle or a pin pricks our skin-our whole attention goes to that finger. We apply a bandage or maybe wash it off or apply an ointment-for just a small cut-which may not even be a cut. For a second just imagine the pain, what does it feel like? Try to hold on to that feeling.

Now imagine someone taking an Iron spike measuring 5 to 7 inches and hammers it down-through the hand-that hammers through the bone, hammers once, hammers twice, thrice, fourth and till the spike (nail) goes through to the other-side of the hand. Do you know what it feels like? Try imagining, will you?

Try imagining both the hands and then the feet.

A simple man-the Son of God-What was his crime?-Absolutely nothing-completely innocent. He was led as a Lamb to the slaughter.

People have this misconception-of the meaning of innocent-what it means-is the One who knows everything-and chooses to do the right. That is what my sweet Jesus did. Aint nobody like Him.

To choose to come to this world-to be humiliated-to be mocked-to have felt His Father-having forsaken Him-that was His most painful cry from the cross- "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?"

So if ever in life you feel left out, and that no one understands you, know this, Jesus does. He is always by your side.

Remember: We all go through trials-each and every one of us. Difference is some are big trials and some small ones. Some of us fight, and some of us give up.

I want you to remember, you are never alone. Jesus went through all this for you and me. He had the hardest trial of all. Death couldn’t handle Him, and the grave couldn’t hold Him. He triumphed! Jesus won over death! Jesus rose from the dead!

On Good Friday-the day Jesus was crucified-it looked like everything was over. On a Saturday, you and I could feel like lost causes. But the good news is-we have a Easter Sunday-Halleluiah! Jesus shows us the way! From death to victory - Good-Friday to Easter-Sunday we are the Hallelujah people and our song will always be Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Halle…… lu …….jah!

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10

Abundant Life – Living life to the fullest. Abundantly means above and beyond.

Jesus said that He came to give us life and life abundantly!  Our life was a life of keeping our heads above water, a live of survival and a life where abundantly life was only a distant dream, a possibility and a faint hope. 

We have one of three options in living our lives:

We can give up.
We can do whatever it takes to just exist or survive.
We can choose to live life abundantly – THRIVE!

Survive: to remain alive or, to continue to function.

Thrive: to flourish.

Don't Just Survive-Thrive

In Mark 10:46-52, Jesus gave us an example of a man who was named Bartimaeus. In this passage, Jesus showed us how one man's life was miraculously changed when he encountered Jesus.

Bartimaeus was blind. We also know that Bartimaeus was poor. All Bartimaeus could do was to sit along the roadside, begging. His life seemed hopeless. Bartimaeus was a man who simply survived. That is, until the day Jesus, came along. Jesus gave Bartimaeus ...a gift that would change his life forever.

Now, what can we learn from Bartimaeus? How can we move beyond merely surviving and start thriving? Once Bartimaeus discovered that Jesus was close to him, he shouted out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me." Now, what do you think triggered that request? Was he simply begging as he had always done? How did he know of Jesus' miraculous powers? How did he know that Jesus was coming? Bartimaeus sensed that he had an opportunity to get help and he acted upon the opportunity. Bartimaeus pleaded with Jesus. Little did he know that this  request would turn out to be his best request ever! Bartimaeus capitalized on the opportunity placed before him by God.

In Mark 10:17-31, A Rich Young Ruler came to Jesus with several questions about life. Jesus told the Rich Young Ruler to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me." Tragically, the young man went away sad. The answer is simple: he wanted to keep what he had, what he owned, rather than follow Jesus.

God may offer something to us; however, if we refuse to accept it, the opportunity will be missed. An opportunity must be grabbed, accepted-taken. Bartimaeus accepted the opportunity that was presented by Jesus. The Rich Young Ruler did not accept the opportunity.

If you feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit, if God is placing an opportunity before you, you have two choices. Seize the moment! Grab the opportunity! Or allow other things to stop the opportunity.
We must learn to 'Minimize the negative voices'. We judge people by what we see on the outside. To look at them, we would say that they will never amount to anything.

Bartimaeus was judged because he was blind, poor, and did not seem to fit into society. He was rejected.
However, Bartimaeus persisted. He would not give up. Mark said, "He shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me." Bartimaeus was not going to let a bunch of negative, critical bystanders rob him of his dream of sight.

We must never try to please those who would criticize us. Why? Simple. We will never be able to do so. As you are criticized, as you face the negative crowd, follow the example of Bartimaeus. Move forward despite it. Don't let it hold you back. Seize the opportunities placed before you by God. Don't be limited by the negative criticism of others.

Finally, if we are to move from striving to thriving, we must learn to EXERCISE THE FAITH AVAILABLE TO US. Notice, Bartimaeus' boldness grabbed Jesus' attention. His boldness and enthusiasm were almost impossible to miss. Let me quickly add, that we should make no mistake about it, the reason that Jesus healed Bartimaeus was not because of his boldness, but because of his faith. It was Bartimaeus' faith that triggered Jesus' healing power. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, "Go, your faith has healed you."

However, Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted. For that reason, he did not hesitate to speak to Jesus about it. But listen. Through prayer, we have this same privilege. The Lord said in Jeremiah 33:3, "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." 

Paul told us in Philippians 4:6, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Complete faith is obedient faith. Mark tells us that when Bartimaeus received his sight, he "followed Jesus along the road." 
Genuine faith cannot wait to tell others, to point others to God, to follow Jesus. Stop settling for less! Don't just survive, thrive! Thrive through Jesus Christ and your faith in Him.

 

 

What can help us to thrive spiritually?
Persecution-Trials: can help me to thrive? It brings maturity, blessing and joy. Persecution-trials force us to lean on the strength of God. We should pray that God would bring us persecution and trials so that in our weakness His strength may be made perfect. We don’t just endure; we grow. By striving to gain the most from our trials and hardships we are more than survivors-we are thrivers.

Prosperity: God wishes to prosper us. Proverbs 21:21, “He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor.” When we strive for righteousness and love, we will prosper. Our pursuit, however, shouldn’t be toward material prosperity. Life isn’t found in the abundance of our possessions, it’s found in possessing an abundant life.

Thriving: To do well; flourish. To blossom.

• If we are going to thrive then we need to keep that contact with our Heavenly Father open and active. There are spiritual blessings waiting for us through prayer.
• When we commit to study and meditate on God’s wonderful scripture, we will have God’s word to get us through a difficult situation. We will have the Word to encourage us when we’re feeling down or defeated. 

Benefits of Keeping God First

Make it your goal to have a deep, intimate relationship with God. Let Him into every area of your life. 1 Thessalonians 2:4.  As we live to please God, He promises to bless our lives and make us prosper.

When you decide to serve God with your whole heart and make Him first in your life, your soul will prosper and your joy and peace will increase.

So if you mess up, don’t be discouraged and let it hold you back; confess it and keep going. God will give you grace to do what you need to do. One day at a time. Remember for this partnership to succeed, God needs your co-operation. Together you and God are a force to reckon with!

Only Love

Jesus said that loving God and other people is the most important commandment. “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”

He added, “A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’” Matthew 22:39.

And how God wants us to express our deepest emotions and be loving to all and love everyone—more than anything else.

God loves you so much, He wants you to experience that love in the deepest part of your soul. Choose to believe the best about people rather than automatically assuming the worst.

Encourage somebody who needs someone by their side. Don’t wait until you feel like it-when someone has had a bad day-don’t go ahead and say, “I told you, so.’ What a let down that would be.

If someone does you wrong, do right with them. Give everyone an opportunity in life. Just think of it this way, wouldn’t you love if someone gave you a second chance.

Go out and love on purpose. You will be amazed at the joy it releases in your soul! Focus on learning to love as Jesus loved, and I promise, all the other fruit of the Spirit will follow.

Get a Little Closer

Have you spent time with God to tell Him how much you appreciate Him and to thank Him for all that He's done for you—not just to give Him a whole list of everything you need to be happy?

God loves you so much and He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with you. If you want to have a closer walk with Him, you’ll need to make some changes and some of them will be challenging.

To make more time with God a priority, you may have to say "no" to some people that don't want to hear "no," and you may have to cut off some things that really aren't bearing fruit in your life anymore. But the reward of growing closer to God will always be greater than the difficulties you experience to get there.

CONCLUSION: Jesus came to give us freedom from our sins. By Christ's example, we're not only taught to love our enemies, we're taught to pray for them too.

I encourage you to trust God a little bit more. Believe that whatever you do for "the least of these"—the poor, the hungry, the sick, people in prison and those who are neglected and alone—will be done for you also.

REMEMBER: God causes things to happen at exactly the right time! Our job is not to figure out when, but to make up your mind that we won't give up until we cross the finish line and are living in the outrageous blessings of God! The more you trust Jesus and keep your eyes focused on Him, the more life you'll have. Trusting God brings life. Believing brings rest. So stop trying to figure everything out, and let God be God in your life.

PRAYER: Abba, Father, this is what I ask for, this is what I need, the dream you have put in my heart, the one I see everyday, the one I know, the one I love. To human eyes it is truly impossible. Jesus You said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

I pray, Abba Father, I pray to You Jesus and I pray to You, Holy Spirit. Let your Holy Will be done. Jesus, please, help me I pray.  Keep me always faithful and obedient to You. Praise be God!

Promise Date: 14^th October, 2012. Mark 10:27 (2^nd)time.

              28^th May, 2012.     Mark 10:27 (1^st)time.

              5^th  October, 2012. Luke 1:37  (1^st Friday).