From the many instances in the gospels’ accounts of Jesus’ life where He states the reason for His coming, one stands out far above the rest. In it He makes it absolutely clear why He came – He could not have made it any clearer or any more direct:

…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

The reason for Christ’s coming into the world was not just to secure life but usher people into an experience of it in all its abundance.

The fact that those of us who profess the faith are not experiencing this kind of abundance and overflow of life right now does not nullify His declaration.  We may have failed to enter into the experience but that does not make Christ a liar. It was a factual statement, an absolute truth, the Lord Jesus communicated when making this declaration.

He came so that those who chose to trust in Him would experience an overflowing and bountiful life. All the other things that Christ came to do were to achieve this one goal of bringing us back into this unstoppable life of overflowing and abundance, oozing with happiness, joy, peace, purpose, contentment, confidence, assurance, fulfillment and satisfaction in Him.

This life Jesus talked about is indeed possible but only as a result or overflow of a personal relationship with the Creator. Bringing us back to the abundant life we were created to enjoy is only be possible with the restoration of an unimpeded relationship with our Creator. No relationship, no life.

It is out of the richness and overflow of this relationship that we enter into the experience of the abundant life in all other areas of our lives. The quality of that personal relationship is the single most important factor that will determine the extent of abundant life we get to experience – nothing else. It is not the number of friends we have or the amount of wealth we acquire that determines the extent of abundance we experience. In Luke 12:15 Christ Himself warned that life is not about the abundance of material possessions. Instead, He set us an example in this respect while he was on earth: He lived fully and accomplished God’s purpose wholly out of the richness and abundance of His communion (relationship) with the Father.

And the bedrock of your relationship with the Father remains your Daily Devotion, the quality time you set aside daily to meaningfully connect with Christ through a dedicated time of prayer and reflective reading of His word. It is out of the overflow of that relationship we enter into the experience of the abundant life Jesus came to give.

Your personal relationship with God (expressed primarily in your daily walk with Him) should be at the heart and centre of your entire life.  By all means, go about all your other activities and responsibilities conscientiously and dutifully. Nonetheless, let these revolve and rotate around your personal fellowship and daily connection with Christ.  Make the rest of your life rotate and revolve around your personal walk and relationship with the Lord; make your relationship with Christ the driving force and the engine of your entire life.

It is when we get serious in our personal walk with God through Christ, that we begin to truly reap the benefit of Christ’s coming into the world and are able to genuinely celebrate it at this time.

Happy Christmas!