The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life [zōēn] and have it abundantly. John 10:10
“An ordinary simple Christian kneels down to say his prayers. He is trying to get into touch with God. But if he is a Christian he knows that what is prompting him to pray is also God: God, so to speak, inside him. But he also knows that all his real knowledge of God comes through Christ, the Man who was God — that Christ is standing beside him, helping him to pray, praying for him. You see what is happening. God is the thing to which he is praying—the goal he is trying to reach. God is also the thing inside him which is pushing him on—the motive power. God is also the road or bridge along which he is being pushed to that goal. So that the whole threefold life of the three-personal Being is actually going on in that ordinary little bedroom where an ordinary man is saying his prayers. The man is being caught up into the higher kinds of life—what I called Zoe or spiritual life: he is being pulled into God, by God, while still remaining himself.”
C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (San Francisco: Harper Collins, 2001) 163.
I chose this excerpt from Mere Christianity, a must-read, classic book, for today’s meditation because I got to visit Cañon City, Colorado, this weekend with my wife. Cañon City is the home of the highest suspension bridge in the USA (pictured above). It towers about 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River. We are celebrating 25 years of marriage this year with 25 dates and visiting the park and walking across it marked special date #15 for the year. It was also a treat to ride the train through the canyon with our neighbors, Ken and Carol Sharp, with whom we laugh, play games, and encourage each other on the spiritual journey.
This grand bridge reminds me of God’s generosity to us. He reveals Himself to us. He bridges the chasm we could never cross. He even works within us to move us toward abundant life [zōēn]. As we begin this new week, join me in thanking God for His generosity toward us. Father in heaven, we thank you that you are the bridge between us and abundant life. Teach us about you daily through your Word and by your Holy Spirit at work within us. Draw us to yourself. Cause our lives to exhibit your love and generosity so that others are drawn to you too. Hear our prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.