Ten Marks of Abundant Life

Following Jesus means we live an abundant life (John 10:10). What is an abundant life? It is life to the full. There are many ways to describe abundant life. Here are a few:

1. A life of confidence. When we follow Jesus, we can be sure he leads us in the best way. He directs us to the right decisions at the right time. We don’t stress because he leads, not us! We live with our heads up in strength and power.

2. A life of joy. There is a joy from God that is not dependent on circumstances. Jesus gives us joy in times of trouble and turmoil. He gives us joy when things are going well. Joy marks our lives as followers.

3. A life of peace. Peace is a gift from God. There is a deep inner peace that helps us through every storm of life. We gain this peace as we continually follow Jesus every moment of every day.

4. A life of power. Jesus promised his followers that they would receive power. When we begin to follow Jesus the power of his Spirit indwells us and we experience power in our words, in our thoughts and in our actions. There is much to this power and it is for God’s glory but as followers it flows through us!

5. A life of beauty. We behold the beauty of creation and realize that it was made for us by our heavenly Father. We see in the world his handiwork and appreciate it in a way we never did before – a spiritual reality in the physical world!

6. A life of fulfillment. God created special work just for us (Ephesians 2:10). Now we participate in that work every day, joining with God in his plan for mankind. In this participation we are doing our part to change the world!

7. A life of hope. We daily live in the ultimate hope of glory! Not only do we experience abundant life while following Jesus on this earth, we will experience the glory of heaven eternally. This is a hope that never perishes or fades. In fact, the more we follow, the more powerful this hope becomes.

8. A life of love. Since God is love, we follow the one who loves perfectly. Jesus leads us in love. As we follow him, we experience his love. Not only does he love us, he loves through us – a profound life changing experience! 

9. A life with God. When we follow Jesus, we experience the manifest presence of God! His presence is so real. While God does not always manifest himself in a super real way, we know that he is always with us. He never leaves us or forsakes us!

10. A life free from stress and anxiety. It is natural for us to worry a little. But when we follow Jesus, he quickly helps us get back on track. We give our worries and anxieties to him and continue in the abundant life!

When we begin to follow Jesus we begin to live the abundant life! While all our trials, troubles and testing do not go away, we have something special in our lives that far outweighs the negative. We live life to the full. We experience Abundant Life!