When I was younger, I was an avid reader, and one series I enjoyed was Choose Your Own Adventure books. It is an interactive book series that allows the reader to choose the outcome of the story. At the end of every chapter, the reader is given two page numbers that correlate to different sections of the story. One page number might take you to a section where you uncover an important clue. It also might take you to a section where you die tragically. For this reason I had the bad habit of turning to both pages and choosing the best outcome!
As I think about our lives as believers, I find them to be similar to these Choose Your Own Adventure books. Each morning we wake up looking for a new adventure; all our actions are motivated by a goal to reach a specific destination. The way we allocate our time, spend our money, and choose the activities we engage in and avoid all move toward one place — an abundant life.
Counterfeit Gospels
The gospel message of Scripture empowers us to experience freedom by faith in Christ. However, in our current culture, Jesus is not the only one proclaiming a gospel message. Our world is full of “false gospels,” or messages about alternate ways we can experience abundant life.
The culture encourages us to find ultimate fulfillment in our jobs, possessions, or relationships. Some of us believe that having the perfect career or financial success will satisfy this longing for us. We are subtly encouraged to idolize these things through carefully curated social media posts and YouTube videos that feature perfectly decorated homes or stories of the top Amazon products we need to buy.
For others, we fight to adhere to beauty standards that are impossible to meet or work tirelessly to reach a high level of likes and follows. As we scroll past pictures of flawless fitness influencers and life coaches who can help us go viral, we are slowly formed to believe that perfection and quick success are the markers of an abundant life.
Sadly, however, over time we will realize that these things don’t fulfill the promises they make. Rather than provide us with abundance, they leave us anxious, financially burdened, overworked, and lonely. As we begin to see the residue the worship of these idols leaves on our lives, we are reminded that the things of this world cannot fully satisfy our deepest longings. The abundant life we seek can only be found in God.
The Better Way
As believers, we must be aware of how our environment is shaping us. Whether it is a social media post, our news feed, or a conversation with a friend or family member, we are constantly being presented with options for how to live. If we are not careful, we will use our time, money, and affections to pursue a false gospel, walking toward a destination we will never reach.
Thankfully, there is a better way. When we immerse ourselves in Scripture, we’re reminded of what is true, right, and beautiful. We’re reminded of what it means to be fully human and how to find joy and satisfaction in this world and the world to come. The more we say yes to the things of God, the more we’re able to experience life as it was designed to be lived — as God’s image- bearers, living for His glory and the good of others.
As you navigate all the voices that seek to influence you, remember there is only one true gospel. For it is only when we live according to Jesus’ message of good news that we are set free from the burden of sin and freed up to experience an abundant life full of love and joy.
This article originally appeared in the March 2025 issue of Mature Living Magazine.
Read more from Elizabeth Woodson in her new Bible study, Live Free: An 8-Session Study of Galatians. In this study, Elizabeth reveals that the struggle to fully embrace our freedom in Christ is not a new problem. Walking verse-by-verse through Paul’s letter, Elizabeth highlights how this letter teaches us that in the gospel alone do we gain what we desire—freedom from sin and freedom to experience true peace, living the abundant life Jesus offers.
