The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

As a kid our family moved around a lot and that meant the we changed schools quite often and as the new kid in school it was important to find out who was for you and who might be a bad influence. It’s the same I think when we enter new social settings or work environments, but it is even more critical on a spiritual level, don’t you agree?

Jesus makes a clear distinction in the verse above. Your spiritual enemy is intent on stealing your best life, killing your soul and destroying all that is good. On the other hand, Jesus brings life to the full.

Adam and Eve experienced that “life to the full” during their time in the Garden, but somehow they got sidetracked by the enemy of their souls.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

Genesis 3: 1-3

Notice the subtle lie – the seed of doubt the serpent planted in the mind of Eve. “Did God actually say” is the first lie that trips us up in our faith. God’s word is often at odds with the culture around us and so it is all to easy to give on something we think might be trivial, but is it?

We’ll address one common lie we’re told tomorrow. In the meantime give John 10:10 some thought. What kind of life does Jesus offer?