Life is not a side topic in the Bible.

John 14:6: Jesus is the life.

Acts 5:20: The message of the church is “the message of life.”

Acts 3:15: God is the author of life.

Genesis 3:22: There was a tree of life in Eden.

Revelation 22: The river of life, the tree of life, the book of life.

Revelation 2:10: We receive the crown of life.

Life is everywhere in Scripture—and this life is always tied to our connection with God.
Which is why the thief wants to disconnect us.

So let’s bring this into our day to day life: 
What might the thief try to use to steal from you in the next few weeks?

Busyness

Shame

Condemnation

Loneliness

Distraction

Resentment

Weariness

Those things can separate us from the awareness of God’s presence.

So what can we do?

1. Guard your relationship with Jesus.

Make space for Him in worship, devotional reading, prayer, attending church and moments of quiet with Him

2. Recategorize your moments.

Ask yourself in the day to day moments, 

“Is this thief—or shepherd?”

What do I mean by this?  Many times we see an inconvienience as something trying to steal from us, but what actually is happening is that our selfish nature is being challenged, and God is giving us an oppotunity for LIFE to flow through us.  Those are shepherd moments.  For example: 

A family member needs to talk when you’re exhausted.  Ask yourself,  “Is this the thief stealing from me, or is this an opportunity for the Shepherd to have life flow through me into someone else in need?”  

Your “me time”.  These moments God wants to fill us with HIM, but many times the enemy uses these moments to fill us with things that will steal our relationship with God.  When you have down time, watch how much you scroll on your phone or watch videos.  These things don’t give us life, they steal from us.  

A neighbor asking for help

Dogs needing to be walked

Preparing food

Serving at gatherings

Are these things stealing from you?
Or is God trying to bring life through them?

Often God wants to infuse us with His life in these moments, but we misinterpret what’s happening.

3. Savor the beautiful moments.

Slow down.
Look around.

If you’re a nature person, let the falling leaves or a sunset remind you that God made that moment for your heart.

If you love sports, or games, or good food with family…
Pause and smile.
Receive His love there.

As Jesus said to Mary:
You have chosen the good thing.

In our day to day life, let’s choose the good thing.

Let’s choose LIFE—a rich and satisfying life in Jesus.