"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3

The meditation focus for 2008 is on Sharing God's Gifts for More Abundant Living that Jesus promises to those who follow Him.

Introduction to
God's Gifts for More Abundant Living!

"I have come that they may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly." John 10:10.

The focus of this series of meditations is on God and Jesus Christ, and what they do for us. The intent is to share simple lessons from the Bible that build faith and that will lead people to know and understand God, what He is like, how much He loves us, and what He does for us.

God's gifts for abundant living are the values that He shares with us, values of love, joy, peace, hope, health, healing and so much more. We receive His values from the instructions He shares with us in the Bible. Jesus and Moses both proclaimed that "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Matt. 4:4; Deut. 8:3.

Many people seem to believe that you can not really know God; however, that's not what the Lord tells us. Throughout the Bible God shares information about Himself.

"Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches. But let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me. That I am the Lord, who exercises loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,' says the Lord." Jeremiah 9:23, 24.

The God of Heaven will make Himself known to all who really want to know Him.

"This is life eternal that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." John 17:3.

God showers His many gifts on all of mankind. However, not everyone is so inclined to know Him. And that's too bad, because they are only short- changing themselves.

His most valuable gifts are for those who really seek to know Him and to search Him out. Solomon wrote, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter." Prov. 25:2.

Jesus likened the kingdom of heaven to a "treasure hidden in a field which a man found and hid" then he went and sold all that he had in order to buy the field so that the treasure could be his. Matt. 13:44.

Jesus tells us, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt. 6:21. Our heart will follow where we think the treasure is.

Not everyone's treasure is the kingdom of heaven. For those who's treasure is the kingdom of heaven, God and Jesus have given us a map, a treasure map, on how to get there.

God, through Jesus, has shared His values with us. And if we chose to live by His values, and accept Him and respect Him for who He is, He has made every provision for us to be adopted into His family.

His values are the principles of life. We often do not recognize that God's gifts, His values, are the essence of life. They protect us, and provide so much more fulfillment for us in this life, and prepare us for the life to come.

These gifts our Creator shares with us freely. It is up to us whether we accept them or not. I like to call them God's gifts of love, joy, peace, hope, health, healing, inspiration and so much more! God's gifts are free for the taking. It is up to us to search them out and decide on whether to accept them or to reject them.

It is through Jesus that these gifts have been made available to every child born into the human race.