Jesus came to give us life abundantly (John 10:10). Abundant life is more than some abstract factor that can be measured but not experienced. In fact, abundant life is all about what you are experiencing! God doesn’t want life to just be great, He also wants it to feel great! He wants our experience on planet earth to be positive in every way: spirit, soul, and body!
Sometimes we place far too much emphasis on having. We wrongly equate having with happiness. There’s nothing wrong with having things. In fact, God wants us to prosper. He wants us to have the very best that life has to offer. The abundant life, however, is not about having as much as it is about being and feeling! Having is of no value without enjoyment, without pleasurable emotions. God desires that you prosper in your soul, and in your emotions!
A recent study on happiness has proven that happiness is not necessarily connected with money or possessions. In fact, in America, once a person earns about $30,000 per year, money is no longer a factor in their happiness. Positive emotion is an internal factor, and it’s an internal factor that’s important to God! 3 John 2 says it so clearly, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers!
Almost all theologians agree that the soul includes the mind, will, and emotions. That means the way we think, feel, and make decisions is directly related to our capacity to prosper and be in good physical health. For your soul to prosper, your emotions have to be positive, healthy, and life supporting. Negative emotions rob you of your health, while positive emotions support your health. Negative emotions lead to bad financial decisions, while positive emotions lead to good decisions.
