Learning to Lovewell: W3 - THU
The Joy of a Good Life
John 10:10 (NLT) “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
I was once in Rome's Termini station, overwhelmed and trying to figure out which platform I needed, when a man in an official-looking vest approached with a warm smile and offered to help with my luggage. Something felt off—maybe the way his eyes kept darting to my bag—so I declined and walked away. Later I went to the source of all knowledge, google, and learned about a pickpocket gang that works the area: they look official, seem helpful, get close, and relieve you of your wallet while you're distracted.
We learn to be suspicious of people who offer us something good. We've been burned enough to know that free help usually comes with a hidden cost. So when Jesus says He came to give us abundant life, we might be forgiven for thinking, "Right, but what's the catch?"
Jesus is crystal clear about His purpose: He came to give you life, not just existence, but abundant, rich, satisfying life, the kind that makes you wake up grateful, where joy isn't just an occasional visitor but a regular companion. This is what friendship with God looks like, not drudgery, not duty, not a burden you carry or a standard you can never reach, but life as it was meant to be lived, connected to the source of everything good.
Too many of us have settled for a version of Christianity that's all about avoiding hell or checking religious boxes. We've made following Jesus about what we can't do rather than what we get to experience. We've turned the gospel into bad news with a promise of future rescue rather than good news that transforms everything right now.
But Jesus says, "I came to give you the good life." Real friendship with Him isn't about losing yourself; it's about finding yourself, discovering what you were always meant to be and who you were always created to become. Think about the difference between religious obligation and authentic relationship. Obligation feels like wading through a bog in molasses, heavy, exhausting, sinking with every step. But relationship? It's like finally breathing freely after holding your breath underwater. It energizes, restores, makes you feel known and loved and free to be yourself. This is what God offers, not a system of rules that weighs you down, but a relationship that lifts you up, not a transaction where you trade behavior for approval, but a friendship where love flows freely and transformation happens naturally.
The "rich and satisfying life" Jesus promises doesn't mean life without problems. It means life with Someone who walks through problems with you, where you're not alone, not abandoned, not left to figure everything out by yourself, life connected to love, peace, joy, and hope even when circumstances are hard.
This is the good news: the God who created you wants friendship with you, and that friendship is the pathway to the life you've always wanted, not someday, not after you finally get everything right, but today, right now, just as you are.
John 10:10 (NLT) “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”
I was once in Rome's Termini station, overwhelmed and trying to figure out which platform I needed, when a man in an official-looking vest approached with a warm smile and offered to help with my luggage. Something felt off—maybe the way his eyes kept darting to my bag—so I declined and walked away. Later I went to the source of all knowledge, google, and learned about a pickpocket gang that works the area: they look official, seem helpful, get close, and relieve you of your wallet while you're distracted.
We learn to be suspicious of people who offer us something good. We've been burned enough to know that free help usually comes with a hidden cost. So when Jesus says He came to give us abundant life, we might be forgiven for thinking, "Right, but what's the catch?"
Jesus is crystal clear about His purpose: He came to give you life, not just existence, but abundant, rich, satisfying life, the kind that makes you wake up grateful, where joy isn't just an occasional visitor but a regular companion. This is what friendship with God looks like, not drudgery, not duty, not a burden you carry or a standard you can never reach, but life as it was meant to be lived, connected to the source of everything good.
Too many of us have settled for a version of Christianity that's all about avoiding hell or checking religious boxes. We've made following Jesus about what we can't do rather than what we get to experience. We've turned the gospel into bad news with a promise of future rescue rather than good news that transforms everything right now.
But Jesus says, "I came to give you the good life." Real friendship with Him isn't about losing yourself; it's about finding yourself, discovering what you were always meant to be and who you were always created to become. Think about the difference between religious obligation and authentic relationship. Obligation feels like wading through a bog in molasses, heavy, exhausting, sinking with every step. But relationship? It's like finally breathing freely after holding your breath underwater. It energizes, restores, makes you feel known and loved and free to be yourself. This is what God offers, not a system of rules that weighs you down, but a relationship that lifts you up, not a transaction where you trade behavior for approval, but a friendship where love flows freely and transformation happens naturally.
The "rich and satisfying life" Jesus promises doesn't mean life without problems. It means life with Someone who walks through problems with you, where you're not alone, not abandoned, not left to figure everything out by yourself, life connected to love, peace, joy, and hope even when circumstances are hard.
This is the good news: the God who created you wants friendship with you, and that friendship is the pathway to the life you've always wanted, not someday, not after you finally get everything right, but today, right now, just as you are.
- How has your picture of the Christian life been shaped by duty rather than delight?
- What would the “good life” Jesus promises look like for you practically?
- What’s one step you could take today toward experiencing more of the abundant life Jesus offers?
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