Life

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The Source of Life

God created this beautiful universe (Genesis 1:1) and He is the source of all life. (Acts 17:25) He created everything in His extravagant love with the purpose of blessing His final creation– humanity. Adam and Eve were the first humans. They walked and talked with God in the amazing garden of Eden and experienced perfect communion with the Lord. God was their Creator and Father, and life flourished in them uninterruptedly because of their relationship with Him.

But one day Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, knowing their decision would cause them to die. Their error brought a self-imposed sentence of death for themselves and the their future offspring. They were separated from the source of life– from God.

But because of God’s great love for them, He offered Adam and Eve mercy and grace through a picture of the cross of Jesus– an animal sacrifice. They received God’s gift of love, and their relationship with Life Himself was restored! (Genesis 3:1-21) Evidence that they continued this relationship with God and testified of their faith can be read about in the story of their sons, Cain and Able. (Genesis 4:1-12)

Resurrection Life Through Jesus Christ

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASB

The Bible says that Jesus, the Lamb of God, was slain before the foundation of the world. (Revelation 13:8) This is because God’s promises are truth. They are as sure as done, even before they transpire in the natural realm on earth. So, God knew mankind would sin and because He loved us, He had a plan to save us from death and bring us back to Himself– to eternal life. That life is attained by faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6 NKJV

Knowing God is Eternal Life

Jesus prayed the following to the Father about all the people that would believe in Him after His death and resurrection:

And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. John 17:3 NLT

It is through an ongoing intimate relationship with God that we have eternal life because He is life. Every day we make decisions that determine whether we will continue to remain in Jesus, become apathetic or become offended by His Words. If we remain in Him, He produces life through us like fruit. (John 15:4-9)

The first time we acknowledge Jesus and express our faith in Him is only the beginning. We are born again in that moment and we have our lifetime on earth to know the Lord and allow His life to flow out to others. God wants to journey with us for eternity, and that eternity begins now!

The Law / The Spirit

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. Romans 8:1-5 NIV

Jesus was punished for us! He took all guilt, shame and disgrace upon Himself so we can live free from the law that condemns. Instead of yielding to our earthly, natural desires (the flesh) like we used to do when we were dead, we now live according to the Holy Spirit who produces life. 

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 1 John 3:14 NASB

Our fight is not against people; it is against the kingdom of darkness. (Ephesians 6:12) Love and forgive people as God has loved and forgiven us all! Follow God’s Spirit into life!

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. Galatians 6:8 NKJV

Choose Life

…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life… Deuteronomy 30b:19-20a NIV

We get to choose life and blessings! That’s not to say that we won’t have troubles in the world. But we reap what we sow. Choosing life over death means choosing a relationship with the Giver of Life! Jesus gives us life even in a very troubled world! We can trust the Lord!

Jesus is the Bread of Life

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35. NIV

People eventually die of starvation if they do not have food. Jesus is our bread of life, but we must come to Him and eat of Him to have life both now and forever. He is referring to our spiritual life and also the life of our soul and body.

The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Romans 8:11 NLT

The Word

God’s Word is Living Bread. (Matthew 4:4) We can come to Jesus and eat of His bread through prayerfully reading His Word. What we consume is who we become. If we choose to “eat” or consume sin, even attitudes like jealousy or offense, we are inviting death back into our lives. (Romans 6:23) But God’s Word, taken into our hearts are life and health to our body, soul and spirit. (Proverbs 4:20-23)

The Flesh

Jesus said that His flesh was living bread. (John 6:51) Believing in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is a spiritual way of eating the bread of life. Our hearts must always stay tender and thankful to Jesus for the ridicule, beatings, torture and death He humbly submitted to so all of us can receive eternal life! Life is in the Blood of Jesus! (Leviticus 17:11) We are totally dependent upon Jesus, our Bread of Life!

Jesus is Living Water

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He said in reference to the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37-39 NASB

We cannot live without water, and in the same way, we cannot live without God’s Spirit. The moment we hear the Good News of Jesus and believe it enough to follow Jesus with our lives, the Holy Spirit comes in with the life-giving power of God, like a living river. We are cleansed from sin and death, and are given eternal life through God’s Spirit.

It is our responsibility to continue to drink of the Holy Spirit, not of evil spirits. For now, we still live on the earth where evil spirits still roam around. But we don’t have to fear them or participate with them. They do their evil work by lying to people just like they lied to Adam and Eve in the beginning. This is called temptation. Temptation is like a subtle whisper. It may come through the words and actions of other people or by allowing the chaos around us to plant fear inside. Distractions as we try to draw closer to God can also be a temptation. But God says we are more than conquerers (Romans 8:34-39) against the power of temptation. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Drink Only Living Water

If a thought does not lead you in the direction of life, as defined by God’s Word, it is evil. Do not drink of that thought! Reject it. Drink only of the Holy Spirit who brings life! Spend time with the Lord and allow Him to show you who you are as a son or daughter of God. The Lord is patient with you as you grow, but do not neglect the Holy Spirit. Pay close attention to Him. He is the power within you to live victoriously!

Alive in the Heavenly Realms With Christ

Therefore, if you have been raised with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ (who is your life) appears, then you too will be revealed in glory with him. So put to death whatever in your nature belongs to the earth: sexual immorality, impurity, shameful passion, evil desire, and greed which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. You also lived your lives in this way at one time, when you used to live among them. But now, put off all such things as anger, rage, malice, slander, abusive language from your mouth. Colossians 3:1-8 NET

We have died to our sin and are hidden in Christ who is our life! Jesus has rescued us from death and brought us to the Father in the realm of the Spirit. What Jesus wants is what we want! So, in our journey with God, we must pursue Him and surrender anything inside our hearts that does not reflect the life He has given us. Exchange sin for the righteousness of Christ, fear for God’s love, anxiety for a peace that transcends all understanding… The Holy Spirit will guide us and over time, the atmosphere of our hearts will change. There is no reason to be tethered to the temptations of this world. We are invited to be seated with God in the heavenly realms and live. As we come to know Jesus by the Spirit, our old earthly desires are no longer part of who we are. We have found the source of life and choose to die to our old selves so we can be seated with Him and live!

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20 NKJV