Abundant Life in the Spirit

1 Tim 4:9-10 "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe."
I think it was Thoreau who said that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For a man or woman of God this is not the case because of the hope that we have in Christ as He points us to the Father through the ministering of the Holy Spirit.
It is because of this hope that we can endure what trials and tribulations may come.  Not that our trials are removed, because it is through them that we grow and mature, but we know that they are but a temporary affliction.
2 Cor 4:17-18 "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Light and momentary are said tongue and cheek, because anyone who knows Paul's life knows the endless hardships that he endured. For him though, it is all a matter of perspective. Yes, in the flesh and in the now our pain is real and enduring, but compared to an eternity of fellowship and glory in heaven it pales in comparison.
I remember flying over some mountains that I had driven through before. While driving them it was breath taking how high and majestic they were and how much effort and strain it put on the motor to climb them. But then the view was remarkably different flying over them at 30,000 feet. They just didn't seem that big anymore.
Of course, it would be little solace if our hope was all in the future.  We serve a living God and as such He sends His Spirit to walk with us, strengthen us and empower us to overcome any obstacle that the enemy might put in our way.
1 Cor 10:13 "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man . And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it."
Going back to Thoreau, a Christian has this promise:
John 10:10 "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (NKJV)
An abundant life is not a life spent waiting for the future, it is a life fully engaged, laboring and striving to make the hope of glory known to all.

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