THE MORE ABUNDANT LIFE THROUGH GOD’S WORD
Matthew 4:4 “But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”
Hebrews 1:3 “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
Focus: The wonderful experience of the reality of the more abundant life, when we choose to live by God’s Word.
God Loves us supremely and He wants us to have ‘life more abundantly’ (John 10:10). This experience is possible, if we choose to live by God’s every Word, as indicated in the first verse. Since God said, ‘without Him we can do NOTHING’, we must understand that we NEED His Wisdom, Knowledge, and Guidance for EVERYTHING at all times. To strengthen the point, God says, ‘Lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Me and I will direct your path’ (Proverbs 3:5-7).
God’s Word is not just letters that make up words, which make up sentences; God’s Word is God Himself. The second verse tells us that His Word is Spirit and Life. The Power of God’s Spirit is in His Word, so that His Divine purpose will be fulfilled. God’s Holy Spirit is the Guarantee of the Success of the Word in our lives. Just as the Spirit ‘moved on the face of the waters’ at Creation, likewise, He ‘moves on the Word’ as we read, causing us to become attracted to God even as we receive Divine Insight for daily living (Genesis 1:1). He inspires us to receive its Message, submit to its Method, and fulfill God’s Mission for that Word in us. The Holy Spirit ‘moves’ us to Agree with God’s Intentions for the Word in our lives, which is to make us more like Him. Our lives will then reflect His Love, Joy, Peace, Longsuffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance (Galatians 5:22-23).
God’s Word is Life, therefore Virtue can be gained from it. It sustains human life even as we receive Virtue, Vitality, Values, Vision, and Victory even as we receive Revelation and Admonition from its pages. As we connect with God and consume His Word, our understanding is nourished, so that we are inclined to Accept, Appreciate, and Apply its Principles in a practical way, according to our particular situation. God wants us to know that when we choose to live according to His every Word, we will have Power to be Successful, and Virtue to be Holy, Healthy, and Happy. This is stated in our third and final verse of focus; He upholds us by the Word of His Power.
Jesus is the Perfect Example. He chose to live by every Word that was given by His Father. He enjoyed Food, Friends, and Fun, and He also Kept the Faith by Worshipping on the Sabbath day. He was Victorious over Temptation, by embracing the Values and Principles of the Word. He enjoyed sweet fellowship with God, the Father, as He read the Word and Prayed. We also can gain these same Benefits and Blessings that God longs to give us. Let us therefore heed His admonition to search the Scriptures, so that we will indeed experience the more abundant life (John 5:39).