One of my mentors/friends, Jack, recommended I read a book, Loving Jesus by Mark Powell. I’m reading it now, along with several others, and have been reflecting on some of the early part of this book this morning. Here’s what I feel the Spirit leading me to share from what I’ve gleaned thus far.

God didn’t just speak about love, He showed it. 1 John 4:9 tells us that the love of God was demonstrated in a tangible, personal way: by sending His one and only Son, Jesus, into the world so that we might live through Him.

This isn’t so we can just merely exist. It’s not just getting by. It’s real life… life with purpose, joy, and deep relationship. I say this all the time, I know. This is how I live my life now, but it wasn’t always this way. When we have this deep relationship with Jesus, we want everyone to have it (yes, because of salvation and eternal life, of course) but also because we do not see any other way to live life here and now on earth without Him.

When Jesus said in John 10:10 that He came so we “may have life, and have it to the full,” He was inviting us into something radical… not a religion, not a set of rules, not even a moral upgrade. He was offering relationship, a connection so intimate that our lives are no longer lived for Him in our own strength, but through Him by His grace.

Living in relationship with Jesus means we don’t have to strive to be enough. We rest in the truth that His love has already made us worthy. It means walking daily in step with the One who knows us completely and still chooses us. It means trusting His voice over the lies of the enemy who tries to steal our peace, kill our hope, and destroy our identity.

Jesus came to replace emptiness with abundance, fear with love, and separation with closeness. When we live through Him, we begin to experience the fullness He promised… not necessarily a life without hardship, but a life overflowing with His presence, purpose, and peace.

Are you living through Jesus today or trying to do life on your own?