The life that the Lord offers to us, which He refers to as “abundant life”, is not at all the life that the world offers. The offer of this world is about promises to satisfy cravings of physical pleasures, of fulfilling our desires for everything our eyes can see, and about achievements and possessions we can take pride in. Such promises (which are coming from the spirit of the age) are false and empty, as the eye cannot be satisfied thru seeing, or the ear thru hearing. Satisfaction only comes from the heart, and that from within. This inner life, in fullness and abundance, is what Jesus offers us.
The Lord's offer can seem elusive, tho, because we can engage it only by trusting and seeking the One who offers, not by seeking the satisfaction itself. In seeking after satisfaction and fulfillment of desires, we make an offering of ourselves. This is, and has always been, empty and futile. Thankfully, we can find this out early and abandon the pursuit. Ever feel like you gave yourself to a faithless lover?
The Lord has a way of cutting right thru the veiled reality that conceals so much of life. He cuts to the heart. Often, this approach can be offensive, as it pays no penance to our pride. He is not trying to negotiate a deal, but rather is trying to show us the truth. He leaves it up to us, without compulsion.
The offer that the Lord extends stands in stark contrast to others that are on the table, in so many ways. My purpose here is not to give comparisons of such things, but rather to lift up a shout! I recall something from a bus tour of San Francisco, hosted by a gentleman with a strong Russian accent. To paraphrase him, free food is often found in a mouse trap. That's the way offers from the world work.
CS Lewis seems apropos right now…
“Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters
The abundance that the world offers is seeking a place in us! It offers to make something of us, but it will make us in it's own image, an image that is passing away. We must resist this temptation, even tho it plays upon needs and yearnings that don't seem foreign, at all. They seem so natural.
Christ's offer of abundant life, by contrast, sits on the other side of His cross. The two offers could hardly appear more opposite. That's because they are.
Jesus died so that you would not be bound any longer to live for yourself, which is futility and emptiness. >>>Click here for the reference<<<