How do I live my life to the fullest? I live it by opening my life, the very center of my existence, to Jesus Christ by receiving the gift of salvation that he gave to me.
He said, “I’m come that you might have life and that you might have it more abundantly.”
Study these words in Greek and discover that this abundant life literally means that you will live life with a surplus. It is a super abundance of life.
When you walk with Jesus Christ, when you discover His presence in your life, you will discover that life is worth living.
Let me review with you the exciting discoveries you will make or currently are making as you learn how to live life to the fullest:
1. You discover you have tremendous purpose.
You are a human being created in the image of God. You are part of a great enterprise with God here at work on Earth. He has chosen you and He has selected you to help Him in His work.
You are no accident. From the beginning of time, the Creator and Sustainer God knew you. You have been given particular gifts by Him that will help Him help others.
2. You discover that you are not the only one who is not perfect.
That is a great relief, isn’t it? I know that you don’t want a preacher shouting at you that you are a sinner. It implies a degree of presumption on the part of that preacher that postures him or her above you in a way that you know just isn’t true.
But if I ask you, “Are you perfect?” You’ll be quick to say, “No, I never claim to be.”
With the abundant life Jesus offers you, He understands that already. He knows you can’t be perfect in your own energy and strength.
He asks you to admit it, quit pretending, take a deep breath and admit to yourself, admit to others, to your spouse, your children, your friends, your employees, etc., that you’re not perfect.
3. You discover that you can be forgiven and forgiving.
This is one of the most dramatic discoveries that a person can make. You don’t have to live with guilt. You are forgiven.
You can spend a lot of money on psychiatrists, experiencing the catharsis that comes through the ventilation of that dark-closet side of your life.
Christ provides the ultimate therapy, as He says there is nothing you’ve done that is unforgiveable, except your unwillingness to accept His forgiveness.
His words declare, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just enough and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” (1 John 1:9). You need a risen Savior and He sets you free from guilt.
You don’t have to live with resentment. You can forgive another person. The risen Christ is a reconciler.
4. You discover that you can handle death.
This involves your own death. The fact of life is that every one of us in this sanctuary is terminally ill as far as this life is concerned. You and I are only mature beings when we come to grips with the inevitability of our own deaths. This also involves a death of a loved one who loves Christ.
Why? Because Jesus Christ has taken the sting out of death. Death’s sting is not death, death’s sting is sin.
Paul wrote to the church at Corinth that Christ took the sting out of death and rendered it harmless. Jesus told the disciples the night before He went to the cross that He was going to prepare a place for those of us who have put our trust in Him.

Williams is the pastor of Bethel AME Church and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance of Liberty County.