Life Without Limits

Over the past few years I have shared a "word" on the first Sunday of the New Year with our PBC Family. My intention has been to hear something from the Lord that would shape our outlook for the coming year. It allows us to gauge what God is doing in our midst and helps us to understand how He is working in our individual lives. I have yet to see these words return to Him void. Allow me to share with you what I shared with our PBC Family because it will also shape what is shared here.

I'm not sure who gets credit for the above quote, but I love it. Over the past few weeks, every time I hear Jesus in John 10:10 say that He has come so that we may have life and life more abundantly, I hear Him say that it is life without limits. The reality for each and everyone of us to embrace is that many (if not most) of the limits we place on life are self-imposed.

During the course of our lives we will often hear what we are not or what we cannot do. What we realize is that the ones who rejected this type of thinking, are the ones who achieve and become more than they could have imagined. I believe this is the mentality that the church needs to embrace. We need to see that life in Christ is unlimited. It's life filled with joy, with peace, with abundance. It's life that doesn't need religion because we understand that religion is what you do when you don't know Christ. We also understand that in Christ we don't have to live in a poverty mindset - a mindset that constantly says, "I do not have." How is that possible? It's possible because we know that in Him, and through His divine power, that we have everything we need for life and godliness. That one nugget of truth alone can open up a life of inclusion, of sharing, and openness.

The life that Jesus speaks of in this verse is the same quality of life that He enjoyed. It's an ABSOLUTE FULLNESS of life. The abundant aspect of this life tells us that it is "over & above, MORE THAN IS NECESSARY, and is spoken of in the sense of 'beyond' normal." It's life that is exceedingly, abundantly, and supremely above. It's superior, extraordinary, and surpassing life. Do you know anyone who doesn't want that type of existence?

The question you will have to answer is whether or not you believe this type of life is real or imaginary. Is it possible that abundant life can be that good, that real, and that attainable? My belief? It's absolutely REAL, absolutely that GOOD, and absolutely that ATTAINABLE. Do you think that Jesus would make this statement if it were not true? And according to the witness of Scripture, God wouldn't make any promise that wasn't "YES & AMEN" in Christ.

Over the course of this year it is my prayer that we will understand why our lives are so good, so full of glory, so majestic, and at the same time such a mess. We will learn how to change how we think, how we speak, how we interact with others, and how we live in relationship with God. Yes, my friends, the word for this year is LIMITLESS. I'm excited for all of us to encounter this in our journey.

I trust everyone is enjoying a Happy New Year already. Exciting things are on the horizon. Have a blessed day!!!