Key Passage: John 10
Devotional:
The thief is cunning. He does not burst into your life with obvious destruction. He comes subtly, weaving lies that sound true, convincing you that abundant life is found in wealth, comfort, success, and self-sufficiency. He steals joy by shifting your focus from the Shepherd to your circumstances. He kills hope by telling you that suffering is proof that God is not good. He destroys peace by making you chase after what cannot satisfy.
But Jesus, the Good Shepherd, offers something far greater. He doesn’t promise an easy life but an abundant one—one that cannot be changed by the rise and fall of earthly comforts. In John 10, Jesus contrasts Himself with the thief, pointing to the religious leaders of His day who sought control and power rather than the true care of God’s people. Yet beyond them, the thief represents the enemy of our souls—Satan himself—who has been deceiving and destroying since the beginning. His goal is clear—to pull you away from the only One who can truly give life.
Psalm 23 paints a picture of what this abundant life looks like: “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” Abundance is not about excess but about sufficiency. Jesus, our Shepherd, leads us to green pastures and still waters—not in the form of material prosperity—but in the deep rest and peace found in Him. Even in the midst of suffering, He restores our souls. The abundant life is not the absence of hardship but the presence of the Shepherd in every trial.
David, who wrote Psalm 23, knew suffering well. He was hunted, betrayed, and faced deep personal failures. Yet he declared, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” This is the abundance Jesus offers—not the elimination of valleys, but His presence in them. He prepares a table for us in the presence of our enemies, an image of His divine hand in the face of the thief.
Many believe that if life is hard, they must be doing something wrong or that God is withholding His best from them. But abundant life is not about circumstances; it is about Christ Himself. His peace is not dependent on a life free of suffering but instead, His presence amid it. His rest is not something we earn but something He provides. His goodness and mercy do not follow us only in good times but all the days of our lives. The thief steals, kills, and destroys. Jesus gives life—full, abundant, eternal.
Application Question: Where have you been tempted to define abundance by earthly measures rather than by the presence of Christ?
Further Reading: Psalm 23
Written by Jaclyn Mains
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