Life to the Full—Now and Forever

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. ” John 10:10

When I first became a Jesus follower I was very happy to know I now had eternal life. Confessing my sin and inviting Jesus to forgive me of all my sin was an amazing experience and, along with this decision, came a guarantee of living forever with him. When I stop to think about this future, my heart is warmed by the prospect of living in a place ruled by God. It will be a place of peace, harmony and amazing worship. 

However, I am not convinced the same message about eternal life is as attractive as it once was. By saying this I do not mean to diminish the reality of eternal life or the assurance of eternal life for every believer. I just think, in the current age, most people are more concerned about a faith that impacts life today rather than at some distant time. No doubt eternal life is an amazing result of being a Jesus follower, but if people are more concerned about their lives and living conditions today how do we get them to consider the wonderful promise of eternal life? 

We need a different staring point for the Gospel message and I believe that John 10:10 has the answer.

 "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 

In context Jesus is speaking about a very current issue. He is teaching about shepherds and their care for sheep. The sheep listen to the shepherd. They trust the shepherd. They follow the shepherd. In other words, the sheep live their best life now if they align their lives with the shepherd who cares so much for them that he would lay down his own life to save them. 

When Jesus says:  "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full," he is stating, it is possible to have an amazing life now with the guarantee of an even better life in the future. 

An amazing aspect of the Gospel is that it offers eternal life staring now with immediate benefits that impact our lives today. The promise of an abundant life is not only for the future but also for the current day. When Jesus moves into our lives he offers to fill us with his presence resulting in "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." (Galatians 5:22). 

A message of love to someone who feels unloved is a powerful message. A message that comes with the promise of peace and joy now is a powerful reason to become a Jesus follower. The culture has changed. People who don't yet follow Jesus do not have any reason to hope for heaven when they are trying to survive today. For this reason we invite people to join a discipleship group where they are exposed to Jesus where they learn and experience what it means to be a Jesus follower and how this will impact their daily life in the here and now with an eternal benefit as well.