As we said earlier, how we define the tree of life or abundant life will effect all of our relationships. Suppose I define abundant life as the “good life” rather than as God Himself. Then I look at you and see that you have more money or more things than me, or maybe you are more famous or have more prestige than me. What is going to happen? I might be tempted to think that you have more life than me. I will envy you and want what you have. I might think if I could just have what you have, I would be full. This kind of thinking could lead to distinctions between me and you. You are “somebody” because of what you have, and I am “nobody,” because I have less. If we define the good life as things of the psuche, we open the door to lust. Our lives can become an endless quest for more—more money, more pleasure, more power, more fame. James deals with this sort of ego expansion in his writings.

Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)

On the other hand, if I define abundant life as Christ, how does that effect my relationship with you? Will I envy you? No, because God has given Himself to me and to you. We both have life. We are both somebody. When we define abundant life as Christ, we open the door for love. If Christ is my life, I can love you whether you have more than me or less than me, because God has given true abundance to us both.

Moreover, in Christ both the rich and the poor, the famous and the unknown, the successful and the not so successful can know fullness, because life is not measured by any of these things but by the possession of the kingdom of God. It is when the measure of our life is found in the psuche that we find ourselves in an endless cycle of needing more.

If we define abundant life differently than God does, it will also hinder our relationship with the Lord. If we define it as “the stuff,” and God defines it as His Son, we are going to have all sorts of misunderstandings with God.

Have you ever asked “Why doesn’t God give me what I want? Can’t He see that I am unhappy? I need this and that to be happy.” Yes, God wants you to be happy, but He knows that only Zoe will make you happy. He seeks to give you that first. Yet, if you seek the things of the psuche first, you are in danger of asking God to step down into the level of lust. As James said, He simply will not do so.

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Often the greatest material blessings come in our lives when we no longer need them. They come when we realize we don’t need a fancy car or house to be happy. We don’t need a big name to be somebody. Nor do we need a spouse that looks like the folks do on TV to be satisfied. We don’t need all these things, because we have Christ as our fullness. We don’t need anything more, because we have Him. Ironically, it is when we are content in Christ that “more” often comes, but even if it doesn’t, we still have everything.