John 10:10 “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”
I was reminded of this verse when I imagined a man flying a kite. I saw the kite caught in the wind, flowing beautifully through the air. The man holding the string was delighted as he watched the kite dance around in the sky. I thought of how fitting a picture it is of our relationship with God.
The man made the kite for the purpose of flying it for his own delight. But for the kite to live fully for this purpose, it must always be connected to the man. The man holds the string of the kite, securing it to the solid ground; He is the kite’s grounding. The man directs the kite towards the proper wind, and when the three factors are obeyed—the kite in the hands of the man, the man securely grounded, and just the right wind flowing through the kite, giving it lift—the kite is living abundantly.
But what if the kite could somehow untie its string and sever its connection with the man? It will get tossed into the sky and will catch another wind, another spirit, and be like the chaff that “the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4). Caught in this other wind, the kite will soar for a time, maybe even calling itself free. But it will be in a fickle wind that, before long, steers the kite plummeting into the brambles.
We are “God’s handiwork” (Ephesians 2:10) made for His purposes. When we live according to those purposes, we “remain in [Christ’s] love” (John 15:9), which “reaches to the heavens” (Psalm 36:5). Like the man holding the kite, God holds us up with His “victorious right hand” (Isaiah 41). Christ is the man who holds us, allowing us to live abundantly in His spirit. Through Him we are grounded to the Father, and “neither death, nor life…” (Romans 8:38) will ever cause Him to let loose the string that binds us to Him. Let us be encouraged to always look to Christ, who fulfills our every need and gives us abundant life. -Eric Smith
Recent Comments