To the full
A response to Covid-19
In the Gospel of John, chapter 10 verse 10 and a half, Jesus says, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” You see, the moment we accept Jesus as Savior, we’re given a new life. It’s not one that’s free of troubles, but one where those troubles don’t carry a whole lot of weight anymore. It’s a life without borders, without limits, without end... we inherit an eternal life which starts right here and right now. There’s a lot of people who have claimed this life for themselves, and they’re saved. They’re going to see salvation. And, that my friends, is awesome. But, what Jesus is implying here is that once we’re saved there are varying degrees of fullness and enjoyment we can have between now and our last breath. The more we turn ourselves over to Him and His Spirit, the more we’ll enjoy this new life. We’ll not only have life, but have it more abundantly... have it to the full.
Now, I don’t know about you, but I get the sense sometimes that my own life is lacking a little bit in the department of “to the full”. I highly doubt it has anything to do with God not giving me what I need to have a fuller life, but more to do with the fact that I can get so caught up in the daily grind and everything that has to get done that I forget to stop and smell the roses and pay attention to all the beauty in God’s creation. So, I've got to tell you that I am really thankful that this lockdown has slowed the world down and given me the opportunity to chill out. I’ve been able to truly reflect on what matters... and for me that’s God and others. During my time alone with God lately I’ve been getting the same message over and over again. The still, small voice has been saying to me, “Brian, if you will truly put me and other people first, I will take care of the rest.” It’s not like this is anything new to me, but IT IS as if Jesus is trying to take me to a new level... something more abundant, something more “to the full”.
In our message last week at church, we talked about being strong and courageous during this time in the history of the world when it would be real easy to get stressed out and worked up over all the big what if’s. We looked at some Scripture in which Jesus tells us not to worry, and God commands us to be strong and courageous. We should listen to all that, and try our best to abide by it because it is absolutely the best way to live and get through these tough times.
But, let me just say that if you are experiencing some very real challenges and uncertainty in the middle of what is a very challenging and uncertain time, you’re not alone. It doesn’t make you an unfaithful person. Every one of us has a battle to fight right now. We all have challenges we’re facing. Some of these challenges we’re facing together, and some of them are very unique to our own personal situations and circumstances.
So, what’s your battle? What are the challenges for you right now that are hindering you from experiencing “life to the full”? Maybe this stay at home order has presented some challenges with your job, or maybe you’re out of a job. Maybe you have fallen into some financial hardships. Maybe you’re a healthcare or service worker who is having to put yourself at risk everyday so that the rest of us can get by. God forbid, maybe you or a loved one is sick and facing some serious complications due to this virus.
As the week’s go by and I see the news reports and think about all the people in my life, I can’t help but consider all the different and unique challenges people are facing right now. As I think about the challenges in my own life, it would be real easy to get stuck on the fact that I can’t go about my normal every day affairs, and that simple things like going to the store or seeing a friend have become a bit awkward and uncomfortable. But, that would be such a waste of what I feel is an incredible opportunity to reflect on what’s really important. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that my greatest challenge right now AND moving forward is to make sure that when this coronavirus quarantine lockdown stay put get back in your house stuff is all over, I don’t go back to the same old same old life that was lacking in the department of “to the full”.
As a matter of fact, I believe that it would be an absolute travesty if we as a people were to fail to learn some lessons from this virus induced season, and just go right back to living the same old tiring I've got to look out for number one, the most important thing in the world is me, don’t get in my way type of living. Because that my friends is not life. It surely isn’t life to the full.
There’s a story in the Old Testament about a group of people called the Jews, and for a long time they had struggled with turning their will and their lives over to God. About 600 years before Jesus came to the earth, God kind of let these people have what they wanted... life without His oversight. This also meant life without His provision and protection. Then another group of people called the Babylonians, a mean little virus if you will, that was actually much bigger and badder than the Jews, came in and wiped a lot of them out. Those that survived were carried off into exile to a place called Babylon... they were quarantined in Babylon. The Jews were basically stuck in time out in a place they were unfamiliar with. They weren’t able to go about their usual everyday lives. It’s almost as if God was giving them some time to learn from their mistakes and remember what really matters. Anyway, many years after they had been stuck there contemplating what their lives had become, they were given the freedom to go back to their homeland and rebuild.
So, over the course of the next several decades, three different groups of these Jews go back to the homeland to resettle and rebuild their capital of Jerusalem. The first group was led by a guy named Sheshbazzar. It seems that when they got back they began to rebuild and lay the foundations for the new Temple, but for whatever reason they were unable to complete the task. About eighteen years later work began again on the Temple by a group of people led back to Jerusalem by a guy named Zarubbabel, but again, the work got halted. It’s probably a good thing this time, because the way they were going about it was pretty weak and the new Temple would’ve ended up being much smaller and less glorious than the first one that God had Solomon build. Many more years went by and finally the building of the Temple resumed again. This is when we’re introduced to a guy named Ezra. Ezra was given boatloads of money and other resources by the King of Persia to go back to Jerusalem and tend to any unfinished business in rebuilding the Jewish way of life and restoring the Temple to its former glory.
Now, this was a really big challenge for Ezra because he found himself in charge of leading a group of about 5,000 people, including women and children, on a 4 month - 900 mile hazardous journey across mountains and deserts full of bandits and marauders and other mean people that wanted to jack their cargo.
So again, this is a huge challenge for Ezra. But, he saw the challenge as an opportunity. He turned this opportunity into a vision. His vision was bigger than to just return and go back to the way it always was before they got exiled. He saw that they could return and have something better than they ever had.
READ Ezra 8:15-36
So let me ask y’all this... can you envision your life and the world you live in being better and more “to the full” when this challenging journey we’re all on is behind us? I can, and I believe Ezra was able to see this, also. It seems as though he knew that the fulfillment of any worthwhile vision was gonna require three basic things... everyone praying, everyone giving, and everyone serving.
In verses 21-23 we see that they all humbled themselves and asked God for a safe journey. God heard their prayer, and took care of them. In verses 25-27 we see that all the people from the top to the bottom had given what they could to make this work. They donated all the gold, silver, and bronze needed for the house of God. In verses 35 & 36 we see people serving as they gave assistance to and supported all the people and the house of God.
And so the formula for these people to get through the challenges at hand, and to ensure that when they got through those challenges they were able to build something bigger and better and more ”to the full” than before, was that everyone was praying, everyone was giving, and everyone was serving.
What’s the importance of praying, giving, and serving... and, how do you see it fitting into us living better, more “to the full” lives, when we come out on the other side of this quarantine?
Jesus says I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about, “I can’t wait till this is all over and we can just go back to the way it always was.” I for one don’t want to go back to the way it always was, I’d rather progress to something better, something more “to the full”.
Jesus’s life was the ultimate expression of praying, giving, and serving. And, He did it all for us. He came down here to show us how it’s done. That’s the Gospel. That’s the Good news. I want to be more like Jesus. We will experience life to the full as we become more and more like Jesus. Jesus was a praying man, He gave everything He had, and He was a servant.
Just imagine a world where everyone is praying. Not just for themselves, but for other people, for the sick, for our leaders, for the church, for those that are lost and don’t know the power of Christ.
Just imagine a world where everyone is giving. Giving sacrificially so that the church is able to do its work, and so that the House of God is able to shine forth God’s glory to a world that so desperately needs it. There are too many churches struggling to keep their doors open simply because people don’t give the way God says to.
Just imagine a world where everyone is serving. It would completely restore a sense of morality and loyalty and love and all the things Jesus came here to establish. If you haven’t realized it yet, these are all the very things that we desperately long for... the things we truly need.
We are going through some stuff right now, but we are being looked out for by a God that is incredibly in love with each and every one of us. He wants us to have life to the full. He is screaming right now to get our attention. Let’s not let this opportunity go to waste. Let’s rise to the occasion and live up to our God given potential. Let’s be a church that does our Lord and Savior a little bit of justice. Let’s do what He did. Let’s pray, let’s give, and let’s serve just like Him. Because He is the answer to everything!
