A Life Full of God

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10) Despite the popularity of this verse, Christ did not come to make you happy. Having life to the full does not mean the American dream. It is not a nice house, 2 cars in the garage, 2.7 kids, a barbeque, and a flag in your front yard. It has been said that "the safest place for you to be is in the center of God's will for your life." That is either misconstrued or misinterpreted. The safest place for your soul is the center of God's will for your life. This is not a physical statement. Look at Paul in the New Testament. If anyone was in the center of God's will for their life, it was Paul. And yes, Paul did have life to the full. look at 2 Corinthians 11. This is what Paul tells us of his life.
"I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." That is certainly a full life. But it wasn't good. If you have seen The Passion, you saw Jesus get whipped with the cat-o-nine-tails. He got whipped over and over and got raw and bloody. Paul was whipped like that... 5 times. They say that 40 lashes can kill a man, hence the "40 lashes minus one." He was on the edge of death. Same with stoning. Stoning usually killed men. Paul should know, he ordered Stephen to be stoned. Paul was stoned once, and he lived. Despite all of this, he can still tell us in Phillipians 4:11 "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances."
Are you understanding this? Paul looked death in the face time and time again, and yet he says he learned to be content, whatever the circmstances. This is a life to the full, as Jesus told us about in John 10:10. I'm not saying that you're going to go through these kinds of trials and tribulations. But you might. Luke 21:17 says that "All men will hate you because of me." Jesus was hated and persecuted. Do you think you're better than Jesus? Jesus came to give us life, and give it to the full, but not in the way that churches teach us. Our lives should be full of God. So full of God, in fact, that it pours out of our mouths, feet, and fingertips. And people are going to be offended. Christianity is offensive. People call it small-minded. It is. So is Math. 2+2=4. There is only one correct answer for that question. If you don't believe it, if you don't agree with it, it makes no difference. It's still a fact. It's still the truth. Truth hinges neither on belief, nor knowledge. Truth just is. And the truth is, your life is not meant to be spectacular. It's meant to be a life lived for Christ. And when you die and get to heaven, hopefully you'll hear "Well done, my good and faithful servant."