Do you ever feel like your life is spent just trying to get by? Maybe you feel like you’re not really living, and instead, you’re simply surviving from one day to the next. That is not God’s plan for your life. God wants His people to live thriving, flourishing, blessed lives. Today, if you feel like you’ve been spinning your wheels and just trying to endure from one day to the next, learn what it means to truly flourish.
“So living water flowing through
God, we thirst for more of You
Fill our hearts and flood our souls with one desire
Just to know You and to make You known
We lift Your name on high
Shine like the sun, make darkness run and hide
We know we were made for so much more than ordinary lives
It’s time for us to more than just survive
We were made to thrive”
-Thrive by Casting Crowns 2014
Have you ever heard it said that humans are really only here to “pay taxes and die?” It’s a very popular phrase that speaks to the futility of life. Unfortunately, it’s simply not true. In the Garden of Eden, God created the first humans. He did not create Adam and Eve simply to “pay taxes and die.” In fact, death was never even part of the equation. Humanity wasn’t forced to face mortality until the first sin was committed. Instead, God wanted humans to live a thriving, flourishing, prosperous life.
His goal for us hasn’t changed. However, it is important that we understand what it means to be prosperous. You’ve probably seen some unscrupulous individuals who manipulate the word of God in the name of personal gain telling people that God wants all His people to be multimillionaires. This has led to a great divide among Christians concerning what sort of financial lives God wants us to lead.
Without going into a study on God’s views on financial prosperity, let’s clear up a couple things before we begin today’s study. God does not hate money, nor is He against His people experiencing great personal wealth. However, God does not promise that everyone who believes in Him will become financially rich. God is not anti-money, but God also doesn’t promise that you will have millions of dollars if you give your money to a particular ministry.
Instead, God’s idea of His people thriving goes far beyond what can be shown in a bank account. In fact, finances are only one area in our lives where God wants us to prosper. God wants our relationships to prosper. God wants our mental and emotional health to flourish. God’s plans for us include every good thing. Take a moment and look at what He told the prophet Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
God’s plans for us are for our good, they include our future, and they include hope. That is God’s idea of us living lives that thrive. Today, if you feel like you’re simply existing from one day to the next, it’s time that you tap into the life that God has for you. His plans for you are good, and they give us hope for the future. It’s time to stop simply surviving. Today is the day that you begin to thrive.
From Surviving to Satisfied
John 10:10 (NLT)
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
If someone asked you to rate how satisfied you are with your life on a scale of 1 to 10, where would you put yourself. According to a recent study, 73% of American adults say that they are “somewhat satisfied” with how their lives are going. Obviously, that’s better than being dissatisfied, but God does not want His people to live in a state of being somewhat satisfied.
One of the reasons that we often don’t experience full satisfaction is that we are waiting on things to be completely perfect in our lives. If you’re not familiar with gardening, let’s look at an example from that area. The sun orchid is a type of flower that only opens when it experiences complete, perfect sunlight. Orchids are a notoriously difficult type of flower to grow, and the sun orchid is even more difficult than some other species. Why? Because it requires things to be perfect before it ever opens its leaves. That means that on days when it’s “mostly sunny,” the sun orchid stays shut up.
Unfortunately, we often do the same thing. When things are not completely perfect, we assume that we cannot thrive. Unfortunately, life is rarely 100% perfect. Instead, we face some form of problems every day, meaning that we have to choose whether we will choose satisfaction or survival.
If you’re going to transition from survival to satisfaction, you will have to choose which voice you are going to listen to. The voice of the enemy constantly points out everything that is missing in your life. Conversely, the voice of God points out the things that we have going for us. Which voice will you listen to?
You’re Closer Than You Think
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NLT)
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but are not destroyed.
When trying to move from a state of survival to a state of satisfaction, we typically focus about how far away we think we are. When we think about what it would look like to be truly satisfied with life, we probably think about how much money we would need to make, where we would need to be living, what type of home we would need to own, and any number of other things that we don’t have.
The Apostle Paul knew what it was like to live a life that wasn’t perfect. In fact, Paul probably faced more hardship than any of us have ever had to encounter. However, he spoke to the fact that even though he was facing all sorts of hardships, he was not crushed, he was not driven to despair, he was not abandoned, and none of those things destroyed him.
Instead of focusing on what you don’t have, spend some time thinking about the things that you do. When you do that, you realize that you’re not as far away as flourishing as you may think you are.
You’re Not Done Yet
Philippians 1:3-6 (NLT)
Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Finally, you should understand that your present state is not your finished state. Just because things aren’t quite what you would call “satisfactory,” doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to get better. The same God who started the work that is going on inside you will see it through to completion.
Your present state, the one in which you don’t feel like you’re thriving, isn’t the final stage of your process. Instead, you’re simply on your way to satisfaction. God didn’t bring you this far to only bring you this far. Instead, He will see what He has started all the way through to completion.
A Closing Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I am tired of feeling like I am simply existing. Instead of just going through the motions and hoping that I make it through another day, help me to truly thrive. Remind me that You are at work and help me to shift my focus to the things that are good in my life. In Christ’s name, Amen.