I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV).

In the book, Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America, Kalle Lasn says: “American culture is no longer created by the people … A free, authentic life is no longer possible in America today. We are being manipulated in the most insidious way. Our emotions, personalities and core values are under siege from media and cultural forces too complex to decode. A continuous product message has woven itself into the very fabric of our existence. Most North Americans now live designer lives – sleep, eat, sit in car, work, shop, watch TV, sleep again. I doubt there’s more than a handful of free, spontaneous minutes anywhere in that cycle. We ourselves have been branded.”

Have we been branded? Have we been unwittingly recruited into roles and behaviour patterns we never chose?        Let’s stand outside of our lives for just a moment. What do we see when we look in? If we’re honest, I think we’ll agree that we’ve bought into economic consumerism in a big way. We rush from the shopping mall to the computer game. We wear clothes from Gap and take our holidays in Disney World. Dreaming the same dreams, we strive for wealth, power, fame, plenty of sex and exciting recreational opportunities. We eat greasy hamburgers, breathe polluted air, drink contaminated water, and read newspapers that reinforce our lifestyles. In a word – we’re the McCulture generation. We’re an instant, throw-away society. Consumed with things – our lives are market driven and profit led.

Life. Jesus has come so that we might have life. Not the McCulture life. Not the nightmare of economic consumerism. Jesus offers an alternative. Jesus offers something superior. Jesus offers abundant life. “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” John 10:10 (NIV).

This is God’s Word for you today. Jesus has come to give you an addictive aliveness. He’s come to give a high that’s higher than any high from drugs. He’s come to give a fullness that’s overflowing. The Greek phrase for “have it to the full” means to have “a superabundance of a thing.” We’re not just talking abundant life. We’re talking superabundant life! This is the Good News. This is God’s Word for you today. Jesus’ “purpose is to give life in all its fullness” John 10:10 (NLT).