Jesus said He came to give us life, and to "have it abundantly" (John 10:10). What is that? It's interesting; the word translated "abundantly" is perissos. Its most literal translation is actually "superabundantly." It means "exceeding abundantly above," "beyond measure." So when Paul wrote that God is "able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Eph 3:20), that "far more abundantly" was huperekperissou where the perissou is our "superabundantly" and the huper is just like our "hyper." God is able to do far beyond superabundantly what we ask or think.
Jesus came to give us "superabundant" life. Paul, borrowing from Isa 64:4, wrote, "No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Cor 2:9). So why do we limit God to what we can imagine? Why do we expect only what we can think of? Why not enjoy the superabundant life that Jesus came to give? We're living the dream, and we don't even realize it.
3 comments:
It seems the word feels even more than superabundant. We're familiar with the prefix "peri". He surrounds abundantly, engulfs it, determines its borders, is beyond the edges of abundant.
The Greek vocabulary lesson you incorporated in this message was so encouraging to me today, as was the reminder that “we are living the dream.” While I possess a relatively lively imagination, I am far too guilty of limiting God’s work to the confines of my narrow vision and failing to expect and anticipate His hyper-superabundant provisions and answers to prayer. May I remember that I serve a God “beyond measure”!
David, I really liked the imagery you suggested here!
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