Eternal Life

John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

People in the world seem to have an insatiable desire to live as long as possible. This desire for long life is never more obvious than in the setting of health care. I can’t count the times I’ve witnessed someone having another procedure to preserve their life while they continue to smoke, disregard medical advice, and eat like there is no tomorrow.

Not everyone throws caution to the wind with the hope that medical advancements can patch them up and send them along their way. Some people simply have bad genes that affects the way their bodies process fats or cholesterol, others have bodies that find another way to break down, regardless of the intervention…it just doesn’t seem fair.

Living Long

The hope that medical science can somehow preserve the body is a hope that is often times coupled with prayer.

I wonder, since God has numbered our days, does the attempts at preserving our bodies make any real difference?

Psalm 39:4 “Show me, O LORD, my end and the measure of my days. Let me know how fleeting my life is.”

The lack of understanding longevity is found in those who focus more on this life than the next. LIfe can be quite depressing if hope is drawn inwardly, gazing at our frailty rather than externally at God’s abiding presence.

Job 6:11 “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What is my future, that I should be patient?”

There are many today who have either recently witnessed the passing of a loved one or are experiencing the reality of an impending finality to life. There is sadness in finality, the realization that all that was once known is coming to a conclusion. I suppose many have regrets, promises unfulfilled or lives that could have been lived differently. The end of a life seems to come far too quickly, whether a person is 90 or 19, the reality of how short life really is doesn’t remain confined to a tally of years.

• The wisdom gained in life is often the understanding that life doesn’t consist of longevity but in the quality of the days we are given.

Quality of LIfe

For those who might still have some years left, the question of how to live well should be the focus.

Psalm 90:12 “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”

Living life with purpose is to understand our position before a just and holy God. Remembering our frailty is to remember we are to give account for our lives when they are complete and this will happen sooner than we think.

Psalm 90:11 “Who knows the power of Your anger?
For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath.”

Growing in wisdom is to grow in the knowledge of God.

Why do we fear the death of our bodies when the death of the soul is far more detrimental?

If we could only gain a better understanding of how offensive sin is before God, we would take much more care in how we live our lives. It is only on the heels of understanding God’s demand for perfection do we see ourselves in the light of our depravity.

The lost and the saved

Since everyone dies, the importance of persevering our bodies should take second fiddle to preserving our souls. Unfortunately, we cannot save ourselves, we lack the capacity for goodness and likewise perfection.

Romans 2:6-8 “He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.”

The works of righteousness do not save people, they are only the evidence of salvation. The Lord will examine our works for they will show where our hearts really are. For those who are led by the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit will be found evident in the lives of those who walk obediently to His call.

John 14:23 “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”

The lost seek after nothing of the Lord, their ways are filled continually with thoughts about themselves. Whether someone is walking in the Truth of God’s redemption or walking in the world of self righteousness, everyone is subservient to something. To be living in unrighteousness is to follow a doctrine or creed that is opposed to God’s revealed Truth. The world has many false narratives that catre to those who desire to fill their fancies with other life choices.

The world doesn’t know true life, it only has a dim view of something much greater for which they can only mimic. The spike in depression, drug abuse, and suicide are only symptoms of a philosophy that is failing. There is no life to be found in causes of this world, striving to find meaning in anything other than Christ alone leaves people destitute for hope.

It’s no wonder people have poured so many resources into social agendas such as world peace or saving the planet, since God’s plans are not at the forefront of a world agenda people must seek to keep what they think they have.

1 Timothy 6:12 “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

• God’s people have a reason to live.
• God’s people have a fight worth fighting for.
• God’s people have a future and a hope.

The testimony of the church is the confession of faith found only in the hearts of true believers and the peace that surrounds them is evident later in life.

1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

Living Life today for Tomorrow

The crazier this world becomes, the more we must narrow our focus. The distractions that attempt to divert our attention toward the things that bring anxiety and fear continually bombards society.

If we truly believe God’s Word, our lives will reflect that belief.

John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

For people to know the Life that is only in Christ they must come to the dilemma of belief. Jesus doesn’t force His people to follow, He only calls them to His grace. Shedding the philosophies of this world is a dramatic shift in mindset.

The brevity of this world is only surpassed by the brevity of life. The world will continue in it’s rebellion until the end when Jesus makes all things new.

If you want to know life, know Jesus—-there is no other way.