Do you ever feel like you’re missing it? That there’s something deeper and more exciting to be discovered? Sometimes we fall into a rut and forget that Jesus died to bring us abundant life – in every sense of the phrase. On this edition of Live the Promise Susie is joined by Matt Heard. We look at the work of Jesus to save us and restore us to abundant life.

Matt defines life, true Life with a capital L as a restoration – God’s work of restoring us back to the original purpose for humanity.

“The moment you trust Christ, you’re in the same fallen world as you were beforehand – the difference now is that [God] is with you. And there is life everywhere that you can now see.”

Susie and Matt explore,

• Jesus’ mission to restore our humanity.

• How to root out false ideas of dualism in our faith.

• Why full life is found in both the physical and the spiritual aspects of being human. In Matt’s words, “My spiritual is not to be an escape from the physical but to enhance the physical.”

Matt encourages us to avoid the trap of thinking we’re closer to God if we deny aspects of our humanity in the name of being spiritual.

“How sad that we’ve picked up on that. My longings – the core longings for sign, for beauty, for truth, for intimacy – are not bad. What I do with them can be bad.”

Matt points to Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the well. “He was exposing what, for her, had been her ultimate idol and telling her it wouldn’t squelch her soul-thirst. When were Adam and Eve spiritual before the fall? When they were tending the garden, when they were enjoying a sunset, when they were loving each other… We experience His smile in the spiritual ramifications of what we’re doing all the time.”

Matt’s book is .

Key Scriptures: John 10:10; 1 John 3:14; John 4:1-42

Theme Song: Word of God Speak by MercyMe

Highlight : Carl, and the abundant life

True, abundant life