Today’s Gospel reading contains one of the verses in the Bible that every Christian should know. John 10:10 sums up the essence of the Christian life and why Jesus came: ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.‘ But what does this mean? It means that we should be filled to the brim with the fruits of the Spirit, and it is Spirit-filled lives which will make others want to become Christians. It is as simple as that.
The philosopher Jean Paul Sartre, considered to be the father of modern existentialism (a philosophy which posits that life is meaningless and empty), said once, ‘Everything has been figured out, except how to live.’ He might have been a great intellect but he sure got that one wrong. Jesus came to show us how to live. The Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes show us how to live the life in the Spirit. We can live holy, joyful and happy lives because God has given us the Spirit. So stop being a sourpuss, stop being miserable and moody, and turn back to the Lord, because he came to bring us the fullness of life and the fullness of joy.