How could I have missed it?

I had no idea how much MORE there could be! I had known Christ as my Savior since I was 9 years old but I had no concept of how much more He had to offer. But in my late twenties, I soon found out.

This week when I read the Amplified Bible’s translation of the Beatitudes, those memories came flooding back, bathed in gratitude for a life wonderfully changed, a life satisfied as never before.  Since I grew up in the church, it makes me wonder how I could have missed it previously. Therefore, I want all the more to spread the news in case others don’t yet know- there is more!

What does Scripture say is available?

“Blessed [joyful, nourished by God’s goodness] are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness [those who actively seek right standing with God], for they will be [completely] satisfied.  Matthew 5:6 AMP

Having Christ save us from our sins is our new birth. Securing our eternal home in heaven with our Father is another blessing for our future. But Christ even has more for us than that- more in regard to our time on earth.

I used to think that being saved and living for Christ meant serving Him,  obeying Him. Yes, it does but there is so much more than that. He has a purpose for us to experience while we are living our lives for Him.

Here are three key concepts echoed from this Beatitude that changed my life so radically.

3 Ways we have “more” through Christ.

1) Christ offers MORE.

Christ is teaching in this Beatitude what is available for believers. He says we will be blessed- which translates joyful and nourished by God’s goodness. That is a blessing for the here and now, not just for later in heaven. As we live for Him, He offers us joy and nourishment from God Himself, from His GOODNESS!

Oh, my word! Who wouldn’t want all of that they can get?!

As much as having our sinful past redeemed and our heavenly future secured, He offers joy and goodness NOW. He is revealing that there is a transaction available to us, an intimacy He is offering. It is conditional, but it is an offer for MORE nonetheless.

Are you joyful? Do you feel drenched in God’s goodness? Nourished from the inside out?

I didn’t!

All those years ago, I had no idea I could feel that good on the inside but I do now and still enjoy that sweet intimacy with Christ. I learned that God has a plan for all believers to be personally thrilled with Him. Learning I was created for this personal, love relationship and how it could affect my heart and mind, granting me more during this life than I ever thought possible, was life-changing!

Christ came to save us, but to also become what thrills us! Share on X

Do you know about this? How, as a believer, God cares more about your love relationship with Him than anything you could ever do to serve Him? Are you aware of the inner blessedness you can have through Christ where He becomes your most favorite thing in all the world?

2) Christ is worth MORE.

Jesus teaches that being blessed with joy and nourishment from God’s goodness comes to those WHO……..actively seek right standing with God. This blessed life is conditional on our being proactive about seeking. If we hunger and thirst after the wrong things in life, we will not enjoy the benefit of being blessed.

Before, I had only been a member of my church who regularly attended and served.  I was focusing on the outward aspects of my faith while neglecting the more important inner priorities. Loving God, seeking to spend time with Him daily, and desiring to connect what I was learning from Him to bear fruit in my life opened up a new world of joy and fulfillment.

But this came at a cost. I had to organize my time and put forth effort for this to occur.

What loss there is for a believer who is not willing to seek the blessed life Christ offers! Share on X

It’s like expecting groceries to be in my pantry without going to the grocery and purchasing them. It is up to me to seek the food I need. There is plenty available to me but I have to actively pursue the provision of the food supply. I can’t just hunger and hope to be fed. By pursuing the nourishment I need, that is how I will enjoy the blessing of health.

I learned that Christ is indeed worth the effort of the “more” He offers. We can’t be lazy and expect the blessed life to fall into our laps. If we want to experience joy and nourishment from God’s goodness, then we need to hunger and thirst for it enough to seek after it.

3) Christ can provide MORE.

Knowing I should consistently read my Bible and spend time with Christ is easier said than done. I failed time and again to have the willpower to do what I knew I should be doing. I could do it out of duty for a while, but then I would slack off again because honestly, it really wasn’t that enjoyable to me.

But then I learned the key to what I wanted to achieve- Christ Himself provides the “more” I needed to grow in my faith. If I wanted to become more consistent and faithful to Him, I need only to pray for what I wanted.

So I partnered prayer WITH the practice. I began to pray for a passion for God and His Word as I scheduled/maintained my spiritual habits. Then, before long, I found that I actually enjoyed having my time with the Lord. Soon, my enjoyment developed into something even more- passion! I loved my time reading my Bible and praying!

You can guess how my consistency was impacted- it drastically improved! Christ provided the devotion I needed to hunger and thirst for Him consistently. Where duty could only motivate me so far, devotion fueled me all the way to reaching the complete satisfaction I had only seen from afar. I wasn’t just satisfied, I was fulfilled to overflowing!

Devotion for God and His Word can be ours. We need only to ask for it. Share on X

What does this mean for you?

Are you experiencing the blessed life Christ came to give you? Do you feel joyful and nourished from God’s goodness? Are you actively seeking right standing with the Lord?

 I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]. John 10:10 AMP

Christ came to save us from punishment for our sins but that’s not all. He came to grant us MORE- an overflowing life rooted and flourishing in Him!

There we find the complete satisfaction this world can only dream of offering. Through Christ, it is our reality!