Have you ever used an object for something completely different than what it was made for (like using a shoe to hammer a nail, or a flat-screen TV as a sled)? What happens when you don't know the true purpose of a thing?
Jesus did not come to earth to give us a miserable list of rules or to test us with suffering. He came to perfectly reveal the Father's love, destroy the works of the devil, and give us an abundant, victorious life.
If you do not know the purpose of a thing, you will abuse it or lose its benefit. For centuries, religion has confused the purpose of Jesus. Many people believe Jesus came so we could "suffer humbly," or that God uses sickness and tragedy to teach us lessons. This is completely false! Jesus made His purpose very clear: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (- John 10:10). This is the ultimate "plumb line" for understanding God: if it's stealing, killing, or destroying, it's the enemy. If it brings abundant life, it's God.
Jesus came to call sinners to repentance (- Matt 9:13). Sometimes "repentance" sounds like an angry, religious word, but it actually just means waking up and changing your mind! Think of the Prodigal Son. He messed up his life completely and ended up feeding pigs. But then, he "came to himself" (the light clicked on), he made a decision, and he went running home to his Father (- Luke 15:17-20). Repentance is simply getting out of the darkness and running toward the Light.
People often think God the Father is angry, mysterious, or throwing lightning bolts down at us. But Jesus perfectly revealed what the Father is actually like. When one of His friends asked to see the Father, Jesus replied, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (- John 14:9). What did Jesus do? He went around doing good and healing everyone who was oppressed (- Acts 10:38). If you want to know what God the Father is like, just look at Jesus!
The Bible tells us exactly why Jesus showed up: "For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil" (- 1 John 3:8). Sickness, depression, fear, and premature death are not "lessons from God"—they are works of the enemy. God is not working with the devil; He came to destroy the devil's work in your life.
Jesus didn't just come to perform miracles and leave us helpless. He came to reproduce Himself in you! Before He left, Jesus made an incredible promise: "He who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do" (- John 14:12). He has sent you into the world fully equipped with His Spirit to bring that same abundant life to your friends, your family, and your school.
Jesus came to give me abundant life and completely destroy the works of the enemy in my life.
This week, when something bad happens, I will refuse to blame God. Instead, I will declare: "Jesus came to give me abundant life, and the enemy has no place here!"