The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. John 10:10 NLT
There is a direct connection between the health of our lives and the health of our faith. You will hear many different explanations of why Jesus came. Some will say He came to save us from our sins. Others say He came so that we could go to heaven when we die. Certainly, Jesus’ coming did both of those things, but neither of them are His explanation. He said clearly to Pilate and in other places that He came as King, and that His Kingdom is not of this world. It is a Kingdom that will never end, and it is a Kingdom over ALL. He declared that He came to set up His Kingdom as Lord and Christ (Messiah), and that in and through His Kingdom, His purpose was to give us a full and satisfying life. Full and satisfying NOW … just as in heaven someday.
There are some degrees of health you can achieve by sheer willpower. But true health – mind, body, and spirit – is impossible without faith. You must have faith in Jesus, who He is, and what He came to do. When you have that faith, you will find yourself having the greatest, most consistent motivation you can imagine. Your motivation will come from knowing that you are working with God to fulfill and live out everything Jesus came to give you.
That’s because, even though God rewards this life in His own spectacular ways, when you know Him and trust Him that thoroughly, you quit thinking about rewards. You live this way because your life IS the most significant reward. A girl told me not long ago about her running: “I started running because I wanted to lose weight and get in shape. But that has nothing to do with it anymore. This is me. I love the fit, healthy me. I don’t have a desire to live any other way. If I don’t lose another pound, if I don’t see another benefit, my soul and spirit are alive. This is my best me.”
Wow! I want that in every area of my life. It’s a joy to know that if not another single good thing happens to me, I am satisfied because I am who He created me to be. God’s way of working is that He gives us both the desire and the power to do what pleases Him (Philippians 2:13), and our health in all ways does that. The very fact that you WANT to be awakened and live the adventure is a witness that God is already working. He has given you that desire and He will give you the power to do it.
- Awaken to the abundant and adventurous life! That’s what God wants for you. Join in … don’t be a sideliner and just watch the parade of happy and healthy winners go by.