“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” – John 10:10
There is a common misconception when it comes to living the Christian life. The world’s perception, and the common belief of many nonbelievers, is that when you give your life to Jesus, you lose the “good parts” of your life. They think that you are no longer allowed to have fun and that everything is about sacrificing for your Savior.
Now, that last part is true. There are sacrifices you have to make as a believer. There are things that you do before you give your life to Christ that He expects you to give up once you turn your life over to Him. But that does not mean you miss out on the good parts of life.
It is actually the exact opposite. All throughout Scripture we see how great the Christian life is designed to be. John 10:10 says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.”
Deuteronomy 28:12 says, “The Lord will open to you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. And you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.”
Then James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”
See, it is exactly the opposite of what the world thinks. By sinning, you are shortchanging all that God wants to bless you with. It is the devil who wants you to partake in the worldly things that seem “good.” But as John reminds us, the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.
The enemy is deceiving you. But God came so that you may have life and have it ABUNDANTLY. The Christian life is one of abundance. God wants to bless you! But first, you must be obedient to Him!