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Abundant Living
W
HY
oo
sorne religious people
feel that their religious life
must be one of giving up all
the fun and enjoyment of
living- that in order to please God, they
must endure a life of morbid gloom?
For that matter why do sorne nonreligious
people feel that to become a Christian would
mean a life of living painful penance?
As a hoy 1 was hrought up in a respectahle
Protestant church of traditional Christianity. 1
never did know very much, as a hoy, ahout what
the church helieved- but 1 did know that it
regarded sin as violating their many don'ts-don't
smoke, don't dance, don't play cards, don't go to
the theater, don't drink a drop of wine, don't do
this, don't do that!
A world-famous philosopher, editor and lecturer
whom 1 knew said he had no desire to live a life
of Christian repression. " 1 desire," he said, "to be
radiant, cheerfu l, friendly- to meet people with a
smile." He was a highly educated man-but he
was a bibl ical ill iterate!
Where do people get all these distorted ideas
about the religion of Jesus Christ? Certainly not
out of the Bible.
They know nothing of the Jesus of the Bible,
who said, " 1 am come that they might have
LIFE,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
Somehow a lot of people have received a lot of
weird and false ideas about J esus Christ- 1 mean
the Jesus of YOUR BIBLE. Actually, 1 think almost
no one knows what the Bihle says about him.
lt
seems most people think sin is the thing that
is best for us, but which a stern, wrathful God
denies us. Sorne years ago a little book was selling
big on Hollywood newsstands. l t was titled
How
to Sin in Hollywood.
Why don' t people know that God our Creator has
never forbidden us a single thing that is good for
June
1983
us-never said "don't" ahout a single thing except
that which is going to harm us to our own hurt.
What God does command us not to do are the very
things that bring on unhappiness, frustration, pain,
suffering and al ife of morbid gloom.
Let's get this matter straight. The real Jesus
Christ said he carne to bring us happiness and joy!
J esus said, " 1 am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly."
And he carne that we might enjoy full, abundant
life ETERNALLY. God Almighty intended the real
Christian life to be happy. J esus said, "My joy 1
leave with you. "
There is a way of life that causes peace, happiness
and joy. God the great Creator set that way asan
"I am come
t hat they
might have life,
and that they
might have
it more
abundantly"
(Jobo 10:10).
inexorable law-an invisible spirituallaw- to produce
peace, happiness, joy, abundance! There is a cause for
every effect. In this unhappy confused world we have
discontentment, unhappiness, wretchedness,
suffering. The world is full of that. lt should be full of
peace, happiness and joy. There's a cause. People
don't like God's law. That law is the cause of peace
and everything desirable and good. People want
everything that is good and
(Continued on page 40)