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God’s original design for human beings was to have life that was good, full, rich, satisfying, and, in a word, abundant. His good intention was quickly diverted when Adam and Eve thought that something else was better than God and his plan for their lives.

Satan deceived them because he wanted to take from them the good life which God had so lovingly and intentionally given.

And so the life of abundance was reduced to a life of brokenness. The brokenness which began with Adam and Eve spread to every person, every human relationship, and every institution on earth. Instead of thriving, because of sin, life was reduced to merely surviving.

The apostle Paul described it as spiritual deadness. “As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)

Did you catch that? Paul says that they were physically alive but spiritually dead until they were introduced to Jesus. In other words, this is not the kind of life that God meant for us to live.

The Lord Jesus understood completely what the consequences of sin had done to the human race. This is why he came. He came to restore our lives to what God had originally intended them to be. This comes through so clearly in his words found in John 10:10. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

The word that Jesus used for “abundantly” means not just enough to get by in life but “more than enough” or “super-abundant.” Unfortunately, even many believers in Jesus have not experienced the depths and heights of the abundant life in the Lord. They are still trying to survive and have not understood what it means to thrive in their life in Christ.

We want to change that reality, and the good news is that God wants it changed too! This month I will be doing a 4-part series entitled Thrive. My goal is to clearly show the path that Jesus has for us to leave behind the life of merely surviving and walk into the life he has for us that is thriving. I hope that you will join me on this journey, and even more than that, invite those in your life who need this message to join with us.