New Series: Broken Pieces & Abundant Life

“I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them.Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved.They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”  

John 10:7b-10 NLT

Ever try to get somewhere that you need to be, but you just can’t seem to make it there? It’s not as if all creation is plotting against you, but it’s almost as if something or someone is. 

You are not alone.

There are too many times that life threatens to take us away from Jesus instead of to the heart of him. The pieces of us feel dismantled, broken, and shattered and in the wake we find ourselves asking where our Father, defender, protector or help is. While any these questions have the potential to drive us into the heart of God, they often drive us from him. This is never what he intended. His heart and purpose all along was for us to have eternal and lasting relationship with him. Our broken pieces are actually invitation to come to the Healer and Restorer of all life.

I’ve seen over and over again, in my life and others, that the fallout of living in a broken world takes time to work and walk through. The whole of our life, broken places and fragmented shards, can actually be the doorway to walk more closely with our Savior than ever before. 

I love how author John Eldredge says it “we were born into a love story set in the middle of a war.” It seems as if one side is trying to woo us, while the other conspires to take us out. 

What if the whole point of walking with God in the garden is the origin story pointing us to find our way back home?  Jesus wasn’t lying when he said he wanted to give us life and life abundantly, but he’s kind enough to honor his word. We aren’t going to find life outside of him. If he came to be the one to give us abundant life, then he also deserves to be the only place we can find it. The tricky thing is that we have an enemy that wants to destroy that connection in whatever way possible and will do anything and everything  to distract and destroy it. That includes lying to us, and making us believe our Savior doesn’t really save. It couldn’t be farther from the truth.  

As we start a new series over the next couple of weeks, I want you to ask yourself some honest questions: Who are you going to listen to, and what are we going to do with what you’ve heard? Are we going to let the enemy, the broken pieces, or the voice of our Father be the voice we listen to? Because one has come to steal, kill and destroy, and I think we are only beginning to understand what life, and life abundantly is all about. 

May Jesus, and Jesus alone have the final say.  

Would you pray with me as we start this new series?

Jesus, your intention from the beginning is that we would walk in intimacy with you. We acknowledge that our broken pieces often lead us from you, and not toward you, but also acknowledge that we all have broken pieces, and places that are waiting for the touch of your redeeming hands. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Holy Father. Come Spirit of the Living God. We invite you into our broken pieces, and we invite your life-giving, resurrection power. Restore our intimacy with you. We acknowledge our humble need and dependence on you. You alone can cleanse, heal and restore what has been broken and shattered in us. Jesus we invite you to do a great, and beautiful restoration work in us. And we ask that right here, and now, you help us to draw near to you, as you draw near to us, and help us to hold on for dear life. The only place we will find abundant life, is in you, and you alone. Amen.

With so much love,

Joy