I have come that they may have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
The abundant life is a spiritual witness to the love of God. It is not determined by human circumstance. It is directed by the Holy Spirit. In order to live the abundant life, one must believe that Jesus is the Christ. While some may argue that there is more than one way to obtain eternal life, I confess that I only know one way...Jesus! According to John 3:15, Jesus states that whosoever believes in Him "shall not perish but have eternal life."
Abundant life is more than victory over physical death. It is living victoriously over human conditions: poverty, illnesses, death, etc. In our current daily deportment, Christians walk by faith, not by sight. Therefore, our situations, though difficult at times, cannot defeat us because we believe God is always bringing us through.
We encouraged our children to live the abundant life. Ciona is the youngest of my biological children. The lady is a theologian, who never attended seminary. Her street life was limited to giving out bread to the homeless with Lanecia, her older sister, and myself on the streets of Greenville, SC. However, I would not label it "street theology." Akin to the radical theology of love highlighted in the living of Martin Luther King, Jr, I call Ciona a theologian of the heart.
At the age of six years, she wanted to have a ministry to persons with HIV/AIDS; she challenged me as to why I was not a pastor in a church with Blacks and Whites (all God's people); and she vowed to give all beyond her needs to the poor. Tears pouring from her face at the age of 29 years, she still calls for her cognitive processing father to remember the emotions of the heart. "People," she says, "should be respected for what they feel. There is no place for discounting and devaluing the emotions felt in children. Parents need to awaken to thinking about what it may feel like to tell a child you do not care about their feelings. God is not telling us to 'just get over it'. God cares too much to say place your mind over your heart and get on with it. God offers us grace to merge the feelings of the heart with the wisdom of the mind, so that we keep the faith while hoping in the future good. It is with this faith that we work on through the tears with our eyes on the prize."
I confess, in my mind, I only know Jesus as the way, the truth, and the light. However, in my heart, I want to be like Jesus. I want to live life in such abundance that I give as the Good Samaritan or the woman at the well or Peter and Paul, or Muhummad Ali or Malcolm X or Alex English, etc. I want to give as Jesus gave, my life for the life of all. My mind says, "hell no", but my heart transforms my mind into a heavenly chorus that sings: "Lord, I want to be like Jesus, in my heart." Medger Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr, James Chaney, and many more gave their lives for us. "Lord, I want to be like Jesus, in my heart." Jesse L. Jackson, Sr., Al Sharpton, President Barack H. Obama, and more place their lives on the line for us. Lord, I want to be like Ciona, who is filled with a heart of abundant love, like Jesus. Let me give abundantly.
Prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, help me to live the abundant life through abundant love. Amen.
2 comments:
A lot of preachers' kids are rebellious against the church and God because their parents were so strict when they were growing up. Some that I know personally even get into serious trouble and turn away from the church completely. Sounds like you did a good job with your daughter.
Laptop Theologian, I just want to know how we can learn abundant living when our parents aren't encouraging like you and when we come from dysfunction and abuse. We can accept Christ but sometimes it's so darn hard to live into it especially when those around us are so mean spirited. You said that we shoud live past our circumstances but how do we do that? If someone slaps me on the cheek, I'm going to hit them back! This isn't Jesus' day. They hit Jesus once and when he didn't hit back, they walked away.
In this day if you let them hit you once, they'll hit you again. I've had enough pain in my life - I don't plan to take any more!
What do you do, preacher, when someone hits you? I mean, honestly. If you were walking down the streets of NY, let's say, and someone hit you, you wouldn't hit them back? Come on! Be honest!
Abundant living, yes, but some days it's harder than others!
It is not easy to turn the other cheek. In reality it is deeper than a street fight. It is about the fight within between right and wrong. When someone has done us wrong, do we return the wrong done unto us or do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Yesterday on the street of New York City, I could have hit back, and today may be I would. However, in my reality I do not know what mood I may be in and at what time. It is my hope that in any given situation, I may find a place of peace with justice. MOre to come in another blog of child rearing, especially preacher's kids.
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