THRIVE! Thrive? Alright, I will thrive. But what does that really mean? After all, we just dubbed the Men’s Bible
Study time with that title. It’s just a
name, right? And what’s in a name, after
all? Well, if you haven’t guessed by now
… I LOVE NAMES! I love putting a name on
a ministry – not just so it sounds catchy or cool, although, yes … I want
people to be drawn to the ministry. And
if the name helps – then all the better!
Empty words are meaningless, but with an understood meaning, they are
powerful! It’s the same with names. So checking out the official definition of
“thrive” in the dictionary, I can clarify its meaning for you. To thrive means to prosper, to succeed, to
flourish, to increase, to advance. The
meaning could apply to many areas of our lives, but today I’d like to apply it
to our walk with God. We can liken our
daily relationship with God to a green plant.
When we care for a plant of ours, we want it to thrive, right? We do not want that plant to just wilt,
shrivel, dry up, and die. We want it to flourish,
to increase in size, to shine with health and beauty, and to flourish even
more. There’s something to be said for
anything that exudes health and life in full measure. Someone has said, “What is it about your life
that would cause people to stop and take notice?” God’s Word even has something to say about
how He has designed us to live our lives as His children. In John 10:10, Jesus is telling us that, “The
thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have
life, and have it to the full.” Sounds
kind of like the dying plant versus the thriving plant, right? Only we are talking about our life in Christ
and how we live it! The footnote on that
verse explains that the thief’s interest is in himself, but Christ’s interest
is in his sheep – (that’s us!), who He enables to have life to the full. Alright, let’s check out this “full”
business. Most of us have full lives,
alright – but mostly because of our schedules and running here and there – and
most likely meeting ourselves coming or going!!! That is not what Jesus meant! To thrive, we must be full! And we must be rooted. We are told in Colossians 1:6-7, “So then,
just as you received Jesus Christ as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and
built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing
with thankfulness.” This is a
declaration that we are complete in Christ.
When we are complete, we can thrive.
We are nurtured from where we are rooted; this allows us to flourish –
and not just a little – but a lot. Until
we live full. And it’s our attitude of
gratitude for Christ – and to Christ, that causes us to not just live full, but
so full that our lives overflow with Him.
Do you see a pattern for living emerging that would actually cause
people to stop and take notice of us?
But more than us … Christ IN us?
You see, it’s easy to agree that what the world sees around them is
empty people, lacking in any or all areas of life: physically, spiritually, mentally,
emotionally, financially – and the list can go on and on. Wouldn’t you agree that for the church to
emerge as a people thriving and full of God, the world would sit up and take
notice? Maybe even question what we have
and how we got it? And our answer will
be, simply put, that powerful Name:
JESUS! There we are, back to
names again! Jesus, He is the One who
enables us to live filled, complete, and abundant. The meaning of Jesus’ name is tied to His
purpose: Jesus saves! He is called by many names: Son of God, Son of Man, the Word, Savior,
Christ, Redeemer, Lamb of God, Teacher, Author of life, Alpha and Omega, Lion
of Judah, King of kings and Lord of lords, Lion of Judah, Bright Morning Star, Anointed One, Word of God, Holy and Righteous, Head of the Church, Immanuel, Prince of Peace,
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, and a host of others. Don’t you love that His names tell us WHO He
is? They are descriptive of His
character and His attributes! If others
had the task of giving us additional names, I wonder what they would call
us. More importantly, what does God name
us? Does He include “Thriving one” in
His list for us? “Living full”? “Complete in Christ?” Put YOUR name in front of each of these names
I’ve just included for you here. How do
these names sound? Even, “Flourishing
one!” Father God, may people notice us
because of how we live with You in us!
That’s our purpose: living saved,
victorious, thriving, filled-to-overflowing lives that will draw others to
Christ and honor and glorify our Lord!
This week, dig into the soil of God’s Word, get your roots firmly
planted, drink from His well, witness the growth, begin flourishing and
thriving ~ and let God use His amazing “green thumb” skills on you! Happy gardening, God!
REMEMBER . .
.
God’s Word even gives us a promise that we can
thrive:
“The Lord
will guide you always;
He will
satisfy your needs …
You will be
like a well-watered garden,
Like a spring
whose waters never fail.”
~ Isaiah
58:11
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
