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Faith. Purpose. Relevance. |
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The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. John 10:10 Life. That loaded word. To most of humanity that word conjures a picture of an uphill struggle - a battle against the elements and the odds. It connotes hard work, conflict, disappointments, strife, etc. Job 14:1 says: Man that is born of a woman Is of few days, and full of trouble. There is a popular saying that Life is not a bed of roses; to many of us, that is an all too obvious truth. Our days are indeed full of trouble. But as Christians I strongly believe we should not be equally vulnerable to the harsh conditions of this life because the Bible talks about the name of the Lord being a strong tower; and also talks about dwelling in the secret place of the most high. Life In Its Original Sense. But the Life that I will be writing about is a different kind of Life. There are about 7 Hebrew words and 10 Greek words for Life. One of the Greek words, Zoë{pronounced dzo-ay'} which is the actual word used by Jesus in John 10:10, is defined by greekbible.com as life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, in the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last for ever. As children of the kingdom whose very existence is a threat and a nuisance to the world, it is important that we avail ourselves of what God has provided as a protection for us: His Life. ..that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly. If there is one thing that Jesus came to do, one thing that he personifies, it will be Life. I sometimes call him "the man that gives life by default". Anywhere he goes he gives life; he met a lot of dead people during his lifetime, but they just could not stay dead. That is because that is what he came to do: that we may HAVE LIFE. I know you already think I am talking of eternal life after death. Well, that too; but Divine Life is not all about absence from hell, (or Fire Insurance as Taffi L. Dollar would say), that is just the first part of what Jesus came to give us. Without Divine Life every believer would eventually be overtaken by the system because as sons of Light we are the continual target of the frustrating forces of darkness. But John 10:10 shows that the life that Christ Gives counteracts - to an overwhelming degree - the death and destruction the Devil pours unto us. That is what His life is: a resource for this planet. Got Life? Yes, Plenty. If you are a believer and have not been availing yourself of the Life that is in Christ then you are doing yourself no good. 1 John 1:1 calls Jesus the Word of Life. You have got a lot of dead things around you: dead businesses, dead relationships, dead ends, children with (seemingly) dead brains; Friend, do you not think it is about time you spoke the Word of Life into those dead things? Jesus says the words that I speak unto you, [they] are spirit, and [they] are LIFE. (John 6:68) Are you going through an emotional turmoil right now? Are you sinking under the weight of your present circumstances? Do you get the impression that there is a curse over your life? Do you feel an atmosphere of doom and gloom, despair and defeat around you? I have got a suggestion: try Life. And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit, (1 Cor 15: 45). And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son (1Jn 5:11) More Than Enough Friend, I am not talking about a Divine touch or divine healing, but Divine Life - the former is a single, one time episode of Divine manifestation, the later refers to a continual, daily outflow of Divine energy right from the throne of God to your spirit. It spreads through your soul, immersing your body and inundating your circumstances and circumstances. It helps you face contrary situations calmly and inures you from the poison darts of the Evil one. It helps you overcome temptation that you normally find hard to handle and it does the awesome job of helping you handle the guilt that comes from a previous sin-life. It is that thing which helps you go through a heated argument and leave you wondering how come you never lost control over your temper. It does not just give you divine provision, it gives you divine prosperity. It does not just cure bacterial infections it actually kills them on contact, (ever wondered how the bible says there was not one feeble person among their tribes?) It does not just make you alive, it keeps you alive. Now that is what I call LIFE! Power For The Rest Of Us What I am talking about is not an experience you get after praying for 6 hours, or fasting for 3 days. If that was it then the purpose of the sacrifice of Christ would have been defeated. Because ha actually came that you may have Life. You do not get this by your much fasting and praying but your asking. The level of Life that is available to you is not a function of a spiritual level but a function of your receiving level. The ABCs of LIFE Let us now go to the part you have been looking out for: the how-to segment. Do you need, require and want Divine Life? Then you need four things in your heart. L is for Love 1 John 3:14 says we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death. The Life of God cannot flow through you if you have no love in your heart. Show me an unforgiving Christian who retains grudges with others and I will show you a very dead Christian. The bible says and he that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16). Need Life? Get love. For he that will love LIFE, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile -1 Peter 3:10 I is for Intimacy. That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, [and] that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he [is] thy LIFE, (Deuteronomy 30:20). It takes a man who has been in the presence of God to confidently ask Him for help in a time of trouble. Friend, there is nothing like close communion with God when it comes to enjoying divine life. I advise you spend time in prayer, (not those monotonous, ritualistic, ego-boosting thing you see people do), but real communion in worship and praise to God. F is for Faith So then faith [cometh] by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Rom. 10:17 No one can expect to receive anything from God without faith, and that faith comes from what He has said in His word. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39). E is for Establishment The word Establish means "To cause to be recognized and accepted. It means to authorize, create, decree, entrench, ground, implant, inculcate, institute, root, secure". It is not enough just to believe (i.e. mentally acknowledge) something you read in the bible. No you must confess it, voice it, proclaim it, repeat it day and night, when you are faced with contrary situations, you do not despair, rather you declare what you know GOD had said about it. And to what purpose are all these? To Establish, to Entrench, to insist in faith concerning the issue you are facing. Life's In The Word I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live (Deuteronomy 30:19) And this is the promise that he hath promised us, [even] eternal life. (1 Jn 2:25) He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (1 Jn 5:12) These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. (1 Jn 5:13) And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. (Rev 22:17) Enough said. Next month we will be talking about Giving, as opposed to receiving, Life. God Bless.
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Copyright (c) 2003 Greg's Faith Web |
