Jesus Christ Is The Life

Daily Reading Plan: Romans 8:26-27
 
Has your heart ever had a prayer that you were desperate to lift up -- not a casual request, but maybe a gut-wrenching, aching-heart entreaty – but the words just wouldn’t come?  Be comforted by the words of this Scripture – you have an intercessor – the Holy Spirit – who knows you, who knows your heart, and knows exactly how to articulate your prayer. In these times, keep praying and let the Holy Spirit communicate for you when you longer have the words yourself.  In the midst of your inability, relax in His ability.
 
Jesus Christ Is The Life
 
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Haven’t we all asked ourselves what the meaning of life is all about? Why were we created, and why are we here now? Since most people believe in some kind of “higher power,” we understand there must be a reason we’re here; but the possible reasons that have been suggested are quite varied.

The Bible, however, gives us some clear answers. First, we know that life is essentially linear. That is, we first came into existence when we were conceived in our mother’s womb. We grow, we age, and our mortal bodies will eventually die. But death is not the end of the story. Once we die, our spirits survive and await reunification with an immortal body that will last forever.

There will also be a great day of judgment that will separate those who are assigned to suffer conscious torment in hell forever from those who are assigned to eternally live in intimate peace and fellowship with God along with all His people and the heavenly hosts.

Because life follows a linear path, it is not circular. It has a distinct destination for those who belong to God and for those who don’t. There are no second chances to get it right once we die. “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). In the story about the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus taught that once our eternal destination is established, whether heaven or hell, it cannot be altered.

“…between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us” (Luke 16:26).

Neither is there a place where we can go for an indefinite period of time to suffer for a lack of our own merit before we may enter heaven -- because, by God’s design, we have no ability to offer merit in the first place. Jesus Christ is our merit. He accomplished for us everything we had no ability to do for ourselves. That is why God’s grace is called grace—by definition, it cannot be deserved.

So, we are left only one good choice. If you haven’t done so already, embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord and your Redeemer while you still have the opportunity to do so. Jesus claimed to be the life. Not only is He co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, but He is the source and reason for our eternal life. In a manifestation of His glory, God the Father chose a particular redeemed people to give to His Son, as an expression of His love for Him.

Neglecting God’s purpose for your life will only serve to reveal His displeasure of you, but choosing life in Christ will reveal His incalculable mercy and grace.
 
By Jim Connell