Imagine this scene with me for a moment:

It is storming outside, with huge flashes of lightning and golf-ball sized hail crashing into the earth, damaging much of what is exposed. You are caught in it, and you are caught in the huge gusts of wind that nearly knock you off your feet. Oh what you do to find shelter!

A stranger appears and invites you into their house. You accept the offer, knowing that you’d die if you were to stay outside. Without really knowing him, this stranger has become your savior. After talking to the man, you discover that this storm will not soon pass. In fact, you find that it will last forever.

On the opposite side of the house, the grass is green and the skies are blue. There are fields to run in and there are flowers to pick, and the landscape carries on forever. It is quite the contrast of the storm on the opposite side. The stranger invites you out, but after mulling over the offer, you reject it, deciding simply to just sit in the comforts of his home.

Such is the life of many believers. We were caught in the storms of life and held by Satan’s grip, but when our Savior appeared, He invited us into His kingdom, granting us freedom from the power of Satan. But what exists on the other side? Could there be more to life than just sitting in His kingdom?

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly.” What could be better than shelter from the storm? Is it true that on the other side there is life abundant?

The scene above is what comes to my mind when I think about the fruit of the Gospel. Sure it saves us from sin and brings us into the kingdom of God, but think of what else results from it.

Through Christ, we are now forgiven (Col 2:13), and we are healed (Is 53:6), and we are free (Rom 8:1-2)! Because of His life, we now have hope (1 Pe 2:13), and faith (Luke 17:6), and peace (Rom 5:1). We can do all things through Him (Phil 2:13), and we can tread Satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). We not only now have the power to declare liberty to the captives (Is 61:1), but we have also been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). And all of this, and so much more has been given as a result of the Gospel!

Jesus not only calls us to life, but He calls us to abundant life. I don’t mean to paint a picture that on the opposite side, life is easy and peaceful with no storms, because that is definitely not true. But on the opposite side there is life that is far more abundant than the life you’ll find inside. I don’t want to spend my life resting in the comfort of my own salvation. I want to live my life abundantly, going to the farthest lands that lie on the other side. So will you join me in that?

Let’s go outside and together experience the abundant life.