Posted on August 10, 2021 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
When I ask a fellow believer, “How’s it going?”, too often I get the proverbial “I’m getting by”. Many times, we find ourselves in survival mode. Just getting by with the mindset of existing or surviving. Going to work, feeding my hunger and paying the bills. Seasons come and seasons go and if I’m not careful I find myself simply maintaining.
Our search for satisfaction can lead us into many different areas. Some are very responsible and seek satisfaction by beingprepared up or financially secure. Others will forego responsibility and live life to the fullest, taking irresponsible risks and hoping everything works out. If we aren’t intentional about where we receive satisfaction, we can end up staring at a successful portfolio or reminiscing of past adventures staring at pictures as a subtle reminder.
The Bible teaches that God wants us to “Thrive, not Survive”, to have life and live it abundantly, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly”. This can mean, “Thrive, not Survive”. It seems like a steep contrast to living abundantly how God wants us to live compared to the Thief. If we keep in the spirit of the parable, it would appear that Jesus is comparing the worldly ways to Godly ways. For centuries the Jewish nation was ruled under a heavy yoke of responsibility that led to wearisome conditions.
As Christians we know in our hearts that materialism and sensual comforts will never satisfy, and yet we are prone to wonder. Jesus is the Good Shepard; He will call and lead in the way of everlasting. If we look at destructive ways of the enemy, we see the strategy that can steal our joy. The thief comes to steal our time, he will convince us that being busy about temporal things is most important. He will kill our vision by enticing us with burdensome tasks that will one day parish. He will destroy relationships when we feed into our selfish agenda.
We have a Good Shepard that leads us unto eternal life. He also leads us in eternal works that satisfy our longing soul, and we Thrive, not Survive. We can walk knowing that we can have nice things, but these things aren’t important, being good stewards of our time and efforts will be. We will pursue the vision God gave us and not chase worldly endeavors that amount to nothing. We look to encourage one another and build relationships through the ministry of reconciliation.
Our Good Shepard gave His life, He has become our strong tower for us to run into, He will lead and guide us though the good and bad. Listen for His voice, look for His leading and start to “Thrive, not Survive”. Amen
Written by Rob Russomano: Rob Russomano is married to Terri and serves with her as full-time staff members. He is a graduate of the Colony of Mercy and is available as a speaker of the grace of God with a message of Hope for church events. You can reach him at rrussomano@americaskeswick.org
Think About This: “Every time you ask for forgiveness, you recognize that the biggest problems you face in life exist inside of you, not outside of you.” – Paul David Tripp
The Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 2| You can download our 2021 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here.
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of [a]God! Therefore the world does not know [b]us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1
Consider a retreat at America’s Keswick retreat center.
