Life-Giver

What does life mean to you? Is it a mere existence? Is life the pursuit of happiness? Is it loving someone, marrying them, and spending your life together? Is life climbing the corporate ladder? Is it living abundantly in love, joy, and peace?

We all share some common elements in our definition of life, and we have some differences. We have goals we desire to achieve. We have a plan in our head for our life. We may even be asked what we want to do with our life.

We typically define life as the years we spend on this earth. Our thoughts of life often focus on the day-to-day. Sure, we plan for next week, next month, next year, and perhaps the next five years. Unfortunately, we don’t do much planning for eternity. Nor do we spend much energy focusing on the One who gives us eternal life.

Jesus states in today’s passage that not only does the Father raise the dead to life, but He also gives life. He is not talking only about creating new life in the womb but eternal life for those who choose to follow Him. He is talking about giving life with the ability to eat, drink, and breathe so that we life this earthly life. He is talking about giving us an eternal life with Him. Jesus is talking about life in all its forms, both earthly and heavenly.

Isn’t it amazing that we have a Savior who did not only come to be a sacrifice for our sins, but also give us the life we desire? We have been gifted with life. We have been given a life we do not and cannot deserve. Yet through God’s grace, we have life.

I pray we all understand that God, the Father and the Son, give us life. I pray we choose to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. I pray each one of us choose to live the life God desires for us. Accept life from Jesus. Choose to focus on the Life-Giver. Be thankful for the life He has given you. Live the life He desires for you.

John 5:21 “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”

Imperishable

Have you seen rotten fruit or vegetables? Have you smelled that rancid smell? Have you struggled to keep them from becoming rotten? If there was a magical way you could learn to keep them fresh, would you?

If you have been an adult for a few years, chances are you have seen fruit or vegetables that have gone bad, they have rotted. You may have even seen mold growing on them, especially if it is a sweet fruit. Cleaning up the mess they make is not a favorite chore.

We know the fresh fruits and vegetables we purchase to prepare for our meals won’t last forever. In some cases, after a few days they begin to deteriorate, and we know we must cook them soon or we lose the opportunity. In other words, those fruits and vegetables are perishables.

Though we don’t like to admit it, we are perishable, too. Our shelf life may be longer than fresh apples, but we are perishable nonetheless. Yet, we are also imperishable if we have been purified by the blood of Jesus Christ. Putting our faith in Jesus makes us imperishable, even if the body we currently have is perishable. It seems counterintuitive. How can something perishable become imperishable? Only by God’s will and His enduring word.

What are we to do as imperishable people? Love. We are to love one another, not with a lighthearted love, but a deep love that comes from within our heart. We are to love with the same love God has shown us. Learning to love as God loves is a process. We grow in our love for one another as we grow in our faith. The stronger our faith, the deeper our love.

I pray we all choose to become imperishable. I pray we live in the love God has for us. I pray each one of us grow a deep love for one another, just as God loves us. Become imperishable through God’s word. Grow your faith in Jesus. Feel God’s love for you. Show God’s love to one another.

1 Peter 1:22-23 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

Seeds

What do you know about farming? Do you know the seed is far different than the plant that grows? Have you ever planted a crop of corn or beans? Have you watered and fed a seed or young plant in order to help it grow into maturity?

Planting seeds has been an ongoing task since the beginning of human history. The seed is often small in comparison to the plant and the fruit it produces. The seed is also typically considerably different than the plant.

If you have planted a garden with a variety of vegetables or flowers, you know the difference in the seeds. The corn seed is dramatically different from the petunia seed. The bean seed is different from the sunflower seed. Typically, each plant then produces both fruit and seeds. The fruit is enjoyed, either eaten as food or seen as beauty; the seeds produced are planted again the next year. But the seed itself must die to create the abundace.

Jesus came to be the seed of God. When He died for the forgiveness of our sins, He produced a large crop of new seeds. Those seeds are His followers. Each of those seeds continue to be planted and have the opportunity to produce additional seeds. Are we being productive seeds that produce fruit and new seeds?

Jesus also changed when He died. He changed from a physical body to a spiritual, perfect body. We also will be changed when we die. The spiritual body isn’t an ephemeral, ghostly body, but a physical body. However, it is a different physical body than the one we know today. Do we know what our new body will be like? No, not really. We do know we will be like Jesus.

I pray we all bear good fruit from this life. I pray we produce new seeds with the life we have been given. I pray each one of us look forward to the new body we will have upon our death. Produce good fruit. Produce more seeds. Look to perfection. Look to being like Jesus.

John 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

First Fruit

Have you spent much time thinking about the resurrection? Have you ever questioned if the resurrection is real? What do you think it will be like to be raised from the dead? Are you looking forward to it?

Think about the resurrection for just a moment. Someone dies. They come back to life! By our human rationale, that sounds absurd. I mean, how many of us have met someone who has died and came back to life?

Yet, that is the very hinge of our Christian faith. We believe that Jesus was crucified on a cross, shedding His blood for the forgiveness of sins. He was buried in a tomb. On the third day He rose to life and was seen by more than five-hundred people over the course of a few weeks.

Not only do we believe Jesus was resurrected, but we believe we will be resurrected as well. We believe when we die, we will be raised to live with Him. Yet, I’m not sure many of us are truly looking forward to it. It is almost as though we aren’t sure it is real. It is as if we question the resurrection.

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul states that Jesus appeared to more than five-hundred people at the same time after He was resurrected. We know from putting together multiple passages from Scripture that Jesus appeared to people over the course of about forty days after He was resurrected. These all come from eyewitness accounts.

So, why do we question the resurrection? Is it because we have not seen it? We must trust God to fulfill His promises. He has fulfilled His promises and will continue to fulfill them, including resurrecting each of us. As Paul states in today’s passage, Jesus was the first, but He is not the last to be resurrected. More than we can count will join Him in the resurrection.

I pray we all spend a little time thinking about the resurrection. I pray we trust God to do as He has promised. I pray each one of us will look forward to the resurrection with great anticipation. Trust God’s promises. Trust in the resurrection. Know you will spend eternity with God. Know that Jesus was the first.

1 Corinthians 15:20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

A Message To Deliver

What would be your reaction if you were visited by an angel? Would you be overwhelmed with awe? Would you remember what was said to you? What if the angel had a specific message for you from Jesus? Would that be memorable?

An angel gave a message to the women who went to visit the tomb. Mary Magdalene and another Mary likely went out of grief. Perhaps they went out of disbelief, hoping that something dramatic would happen. It did.

As the two Mary’s approached the tomb, a tomb that was being guarded by soldiers, a violent earthquake rumbled. It announced the coming of an angel, who then rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. The soldiers were shaking in their boots and fainted. As Matthew records, they became like dead men. It is little wonder. We are told the angel appeared like lightning. In other words, he was shining brilliantly, perhaps to the point of blinding.

I can imagine the two Mary’s falling to their knees, shielding their eyes, and being in awe of what was happening. Then, to top it all off, the angel speaks to them. He knew why they were there. He knew they came looking for Jesus. But he has wonderful news for them, Jesus is not there. He is risen! I’m sure they were both overjoyed and in shock.

Not only did the angel give them good news, but he gave them a message they were to deliver. They were to tell Jesus’ disciples that He had risen and would meet them in Galilee. How would you react to such an occurrence? After standing there with our mouth open, looking completely dumbfounded, I would hope we would deliver the message as these two women did. We can still deliver the angel’s message today.

I pray we all listen for messages from God. I pray we are both in awe of messages delivered and the method by which they are delivered. I pray each one of us continue to tell others Jesus has risen and lives today. Be in awe of God. Listen for His message. Tell others about Jesus.

Matthew 28:5-7 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

From Dark To Light

Have you ever been lost? Have you been in a place that you didn’t know how you got there nor how to get to a place you knew? Have you planned a trip so that you knew exactly how to get where you wanted to go?

At one time in my life, my job required me to travel quite a bit. At that time, we did not have GPS on our phones. So, I had to rely on paper maps and sometimes had to memorize the directions. I’ve had to stop more than once to look at the map again because I had made a wrong turn.

I’m sure there are some who are reading this who can relate to making a wrong turn and needing to look at a map again. I like having a map on my phone now. I often use the GPS when going to a new place. But there are times when the new place isn’t but a few blocks from where I’ve been before, and I merely use the map to see where the place is in relation to where I have been before.

It can be scary if we make a wrong turn and end up in a bad neighborhood. Especially so if it is dark outside. We want to quickly get out of that area. Sometimes, we will make a quick stop to pull out the map to see how we can get ourselves out of there. Other times, we simply keep driving and hoping we find the way out.

This happens in life situations as well. We may make a bad decision and find ourselves in a dark place. We may seek out advice to help put us on the right track again. At other times, we don’t, simply continuing down the path hoping to find our way out or not even looking for a way out.

Jesus came to seek anyone in such a situation. He came to seek and save the lost. He is willing to take their hand and guide them out. It may be a short trip to get back on the right path. It may take a while to exit the dark path and return to the path of light.

I pray we all choose to seek help when in a dark place. I pray we look to Jesus to guide us back to the light. I pray each one of us are willing to lend a hand in bringing someone to the light. Look for Jesus when you are lost. Seek good advice. Take Jesus’ hand. Follow Him. Lend a helping hand. Be there for others.

Luke 19:9-10 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Glory Versus Futility

What does it mean to become futile? Are your efforts futile? How does someone who is wise become a fool? Why would anyone exchange glory for foolishness? Why give up God for idol worship?

We may believe turning to idol worship is foolish. And it is. We may believe giving up glory for foolishness is outlandish. And it is. But have we done so ourselves? A tough question only we can answer for ourselves.

As we believe in sharing in the glory of God, we must understand what the cost is. The price is both minimal and exorbitant. It all depends on your perspective. The cost is exorbitant if our perspective is the same the world. If we prefer a grand house, luxury vehicle, and name recognition over God, the price is extremely high. If we allow those things to be our idols and we put them ahead of God, His glory is out of reach. This is not to say those things are bad themselves. They are only bad if they own us, they become our idols.

However, if we are not concerned with worldly possessions, but prefer God over anything the world can offer, the price is minimal. When putting God’s plan ahead of our own, following where He is leading, we share in His glory.

If we have known God and give up His glory for chasing worldly idols, our thinking has become futile. Can you imagine? We become useless. We fail to achieve a good result. Our thinking becomes unimportant. Why would we give up the glory of God to become useless? We are tricked by Satan’s schemes and chase after worldly desires. The shiny object we can achieve today replaces our focus on the ultimate glory we are granted by staying focused on God.

I pray we all hold on to our faith in God. I pray we refuse to trade our glory in God for the futility of the world. I pray each one of us change our perspective to be the same as God’s. Do not give up. Hold on to God. Look forward to God’s glory. Worship God alone. Put Him first.

Romans 1:21-23 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

Reconciliation and Perfection

Have you ever considered yourself to be an enemy of God? Was there a time when you were not part of God’s family? Have you since been reconciled to Him? Do you want to be saved from God’s wrath?

We live in a broken world. When we choose to ignore God’s invitation, we are an enemy of His. If we are not reconciled to Him, we will experience His wrath. Reconciliation is offered to every human being by our gracious God.

To be reconciled, we must be justified. Justification by human standards requires us to provide proof, a legal argument, or medical reason to mention just a few options. It is often frustrating to gather the evidence needed to be justified.

We have been provided justification freely by Jesus’ sacrifice. What makes it tough for us is we must admit we are lost, be willing to accept the gift, and be willing to follow Him. Giving up our pride and selfish ways are not easy. Yet, that is the only way we can truthfully accept the justification offered and be reconciled.

For many of us, it is a work in progress. We have made the initial decision. We have accepted reconciliation. And we continue to progress toward being who God wants us to be. It does not mean we must earn the reconciliation. It does mean we continue to move toward the perfection God wants for us.

I pray we all give up our pride and selfishness to accept justification. I pray we decide to be reconciled to God. I pray each one of us continues to move toward the perfection God desires for us. Accept God’s gift of justification. Be reconciled to God. Escape His wrath. Give up your desires. Move toward perfection. 

Romans 5:9-10 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!

Open Your Mind

What do you know about God? Do you know who He is? Do you think He cares for the living? Do you think He cares for the dead? Do you know what Jesus says about who God is? Do you want to know?

Many people have their own idea of who God is. Often, He is created in their own image rather than them being created in His image. In other words, they think of Him as what they have heard from someone else or using their own imagination.

Because many people want God to be who they want Him to be, they fail to see Him for who He is. They have a closed mind. They limit God. They limit themselves. They fail to realize that by opening their mind to the possibility of God being far greater than they think, they lose out on their best life.

If I tell you that God is only the God of the living, how do you react to that? The truth of the matter is, He is the God of the living. But that isn’t bad news. In fact, it is wonderful news! That means we never die. Take a look at today’s passage. When Jesus quotes God as being the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and saying that God is the God of living, we can take comfort in knowing we never die. Why do I say that?

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had long since left this world before Jesus walked on it. Their mortal bodies had given out. But they were and are living with God. Jesus gives this example in response to a question about how resurrection works. He states we will be different than we are in this life. We don’t know exactly how that will work, but we do know we will be different and will be living with God.

I pray we all open our minds to God being far greater than we give Him credit for. I pray we listen to Jesus. I pray each one of us believes we will never die but live with God forever. Open your mind to who God is. Believe Jesus’ words. Know you will never die. 

Matthew 22:29-32 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.”

Living Forever

What do you believe about the resurrection? Do you believe you will be raised after dying? Do you believe it means the body you currently have will be raised? Do you believe you will never die? Do you take Jesus at His word?

There are a variety of beliefs about the resurrection. Some believe there will be a resurrection of their current body at some future date. They believe until then they will go into a holding place. Upon resurrection, they believe they will go to heaven.

Others believe they never die. Oh, they believe their physical body dies, but their spirit lives on. They believe they go to be with Jesus in heaven immediately upon the death of their physical body. They believe they will be given different, perfect, spiritual bodies as Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:42-43.

When Lazarus died, his sisters were distressed. They believed that he would not have died had Jesus been there. They believe Jesus would have healed him. When Jesus shows up, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days, they were both glad to see Him and likely a little bitter that He had waited so long to come.

Jesus made a statement to Martha, saying that Lazarus would rise again. Martha said she believed he would in the resurrection. Jesus then tells her that He is the resurrection. What does Jesus mean by this? We find later in Scripture (Revelation 1:4) that Jesus is referenced as the firstborn from the dead, which means He was the first to be resurrected. As we read through Revelation, we find there is a continual resurrection of Jesus’ followers. So, Jesus was telling Martha we continue living, even if our physical bodies die. Do you believe you will never die? Jesus has said that is the case, if we believe in Him.

I pray we all choose to believe Jesus. I pray we choose to believe we will be given perfect bodies. I pray each one of us believes we will continue living, even after our physical bodies die. Believe Jesus. Take Him at His word. Believe you will be given a perfect body. Believe you will live forever.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”