Life Is . . . Jesus

Here’s a question for the ages: “What is the meaning of life?” Many philosophers from ages past and present have weighed in on this issue. Most describe the meaning of life from the standpoint of happiness, self-fulfillment, or fame. Others discuss our purpose (if any) for being here and how we can enhance our own wellbeing – as well as helping to improve the existence of those around us. The pursuit of answers on this subject is as varied, profound, and personal as each individual is unique.

I believe that the mysterious nature of the search for the meaning of life is due to the fact that God the Creator of life is Himself mysterious and unsearchable to our human minds. He has stated that His ways and thoughts are incomprehensible to us (Isaiah 55:8-9). But this should lead us to strive to keep searching and learning and growing and striving to know our place in life. Why else has He given us morsels and tidbits of information unless there are great rewards for us to enjoy as we pursue an understanding of the meaning of our existence before Him?

I also believe that one of the ways He has prodded us to persist in our quest to understand life was to come here as one of us and visibly show us what we were created to be like. I see in the records of the life of Jesus God’s enticement to keep us wondering and investigating and exploring the meaning of life and what our purpose is in His creation. How blessed we are that God didn’t just tell us what we needed to know; He personally came here and showed us. For generations He trained His people to comprehend what life was all about and then He showed up and publicly acted out the answer within the life of Jesus the Christ.

The Apostle John records Jesus as claiming that he is “The life” (John 14:6); the embodiment of everything that God created life to be. And the purpose of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) appears to be to show Jesus visibly and verbally exhibiting the meaning of life (and keep in mind that even with all the information we’ve been given, it’s still just a tiny bit of what there is to know). Understanding the person of Jesus (mostly from John’s gospel) and listening to His lessons we can take to heart the true meaning of life (for the most part).

So, by looking at Jesus’ life, we learn that life has meaning when we are . . .

            1. Holy – Jesus was all about doing God’s will and finishing the mission the Father sent Him to   accomplish. God’s kingdom was His highest priority – even above family and friendships and personal honor. When God is first, life has meaning, purpose, and makes sense (see Ecclesiastes 12:13).

            2. Sinless – We’re told that Jesus had plenty of opportunities to sin and please Himself, but refused to give in to the temptations. He knew that His relationship with God was vital and that His soul was the most valuable thing known to man (and God). Sin destroys us and separates us from the God who made us, who loves us, and who only wants to provide meaningful blessings to enhance an already invaluable life that is ours (Ephesians 2:1-10).

            3. Service-minded – Jesus modeled the selfless attitude that brings inner peace. He felt compassion for those in need (even when it was His critics and “enemies”). This attitude frees us from the problems that stress us out by allowing us to focus on others and experience the true joy that comes from making someone else’s life more meaningful (Matthew 25:34-40).

            4. Faithful – Jesus trusted the only One who could direct life to its most meaningful conclusion. His faith in God allowed Him to know (not just wish or hope) that God can be trusted with your life. When fully surrendered to the One who has never failed on a promise (and has proven, then, that He never will) His children are emboldened to live life to the fullest (John 10:10; 14:1-4).

There are plenty more examples that can be drawn from Jesus’ example and teachings. Do a search of your own. The journey for the meaning of life, when based on the divine Son of God will be a blessing that yields many rewards. And even after decades of investigation and exploration into the depths of God, your life will be obsessed to learn even more (see Philippians 3:10-11).

Doug

Truth vs. Satan

            I am truly impressed with Jesus’ success in fighting off Satan during his 40 day fast (see Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13).  Keep in mind that Satan’s strategy is to attack when he knows we are at our weakest.  That will usually be when we are spent either physically or emotionally or both. 

            When he approached Jesus in the wilderness, he did his best to play on Jesus’ supposed weakness(es).  But what he found was an insurmountable strength based solely on God and His Word that Jesus had improved upon during those 40 days.  He was not weak, then, but stronger than ever.

            “Turn these stones into bread” was an attempt to get Jesus to use His miraculous powers for a selfish purpose.  But Jesus knew that God would take care of Him and not let Him starve.  He was determined to fulfill this spiritual one-on-one time with the Father.

            “Jump off the highest point of the temple” was an attempt to persuade Jesus to attract attention to Himself with a “circus act” to impress the people.  Again Jesus used the truth of Scripture to trust in God to bring believers to Him on the basis of their faith, not a side-show.

            “I’ll give you all these kingdoms” was an all-out lie.  Jesus knew from Scripture that they weren’t his to give and that He, being God in the flesh, already owned them all.  It was an attempt to receive Jesus’ devotion and entice Him to rely on Himself rather than God.  But He knew that the Father had promised Him a kingdom that would influence the whole world and last into eternity.

            Jesus’ alone-time with God helped Him to see all of these temptations clearly. God and His Word were designed to do this for everyone. What do you think each one of us could understand and accomplish if we were to spend some quality (and quantity) alone-time with the Father? 

            ** Many problems wouldn’t seem so difficult. 

            ** Worries of the future wouldn’t cause so much stress. 

            ** Fears about whether or not we will be saved would vanish away. 

            ** We would actually have a life! 

And that’s just a short list that provides perfect ammunition against Satan.

            Increase your alone-time with God.  It doesn’t have to be a lot of time to start with.  Even a small amount of time spent with God would be more than what you’re getting right now.  And the benefits are beyond imagination.  You too can defeat Satan at every turn just like Jesus did.  You’ll see that spending time with God will open your mind to the truth - Jesus; a truth that Satan cannot defend himself against.

Doug

The [Narrow] Road

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.”  (Robert Frost, The Road Not Taken)

These are the closing lines of a classic poem written by Robert Frost. It has inspired many to strike out in a new direction; an attempt to not follow along with the crowd. Funny really, because in his own words, Frost says he wrote the poem as “a gentle mocking of indecision, particularly the indecision that Edward Thomas [his friend] had shown on their many walks together” (Hollis, Matthew (2011-07-29). "Edward Thomas, Robert Frost and the road to war". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 8 August 2011). Another writes that Frost’s friend Thomas “was a person who, whichever road he went, would be sorry he didn’t go the other” (The Road Not Taken". eNotes.com. eNotes.com, Inc. Retrieved 2015-06-13).

And that sounds a lot like me: I appreciate the blessings God has brought my way and the memorable experiences and lessons I’ve learned along the way. But I have often wondered how life might have turned out for me if I had gone to another college, or taken another job offer, or if I had settled in a different town. Would I have been happy or miserable with the other choice? It’s difficult to really know for sure, because life doesn’t offer “mulligans” so that we can go back and replay our past experiences. I am left to trust that God not only has led me in a blessed way, but that He has also corrected my bad choices so that I can continue to be blessed (I trust in Romans 8:28 for that belief).

I am confident that God offers many good choices for many of the decisions I am called on to make in life. But I am also confident that when it comes to choosing the path for my soul’s final destination, I don’t have to fret over multiple choices. The Scriptures are clear that there is only 1 right choice to be made. I can choose the way that the majority has taken or “the road less traveled.” Jesus urges His disciples to continue to choose the narrow path; the one that leads to life; the one that only a few find (Matthew 7:13-14). Notice the word find: it takes a constant, conscious effort to keep choosing His [one] way. The benefit is that you never have to wonder whether or not you’ve made the right choice – it’s the only way that leads to life. Jesus is the only way (path/avenue/life-journey) that leads back to the Father (John 14:6). The reason this is so is because He’s the only one that has been both places. He’s the only one that has experienced this kind of journey. Therefore, He’s the only trustworthy guide to follow if you want to make it home to Father safe and sound.

I don’t know about you but knowing this puts my mind at ease. Rather than feeling offended that He offers such a narrow-minded, inflexible, and old-fashioned means, I’m comforted that I don’t have to go through life wondering if the “roads” I’ve taken will get me home in the end. Since God is steadfast and immoveable and perfect, I can trust that He provides a way (one) that is perfect for all persons of all time. There’s no guess work, no plan to figure out, no puzzle to solve; only surety, peace of mind, and confident expectation of His promised reward.

And it’s all wrapped up into a neat and simple package that anyone (gender, age, race, intelligence level, etc.) can take advantage of. Just get into Jesus (through baptism – Galatians 3:26-29) and stay there (through right living – 1 John 1:7). So take the “road less traveled” (offered by and in Jesus Christ). It truly will make all the difference – all the difference in the world.

Doug

The Heart Of Jesus

     When writers and poets want to capture our thoughts and emotions, what symbol do they usually make use of?  The heart.  Just as the human heart is the center of our circulatory system - and thus the most basic entity of our lives, it has been used to describe the basic or foundational characteristics of certain things.

     In the Bible, for example, the heart depicts the seat of emotions.  Therefore, we are told that we are to love God from our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:5).

     Jesus, Himself, used the heart to explain the source of man’s true thoughts and beliefs (Matthew 12:34; 15:19).  He also used the heart to depict a person’s motivation to develop moral character (Luke 12:34).

     Paul used the heart to bolster courage and build hope in his fellow Christians (2 Corinthians 4:16).  He also depicted generosity as giving from the heart (2 Corinthians 9:7).

     God told Samuel to look at the heart in order to determine a man’s desire to fulfill his God-given purpose (1 Samuel 16:7).  And the list could go on and on. 

     What we, as Christians, need to take to “heart” is the importance of applying all of these concepts attributed to the heart of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to our own lives.  Because, after all is said and done, the only thing that will matter is what is in and on our hearts.  And make no mistake, God knows that perfectly (Hebrews 4:12).

     Let us, therefore, work at changing our hearts from being selfish and greedy and train ourselves to have a pure heart like Jesus’.  Let us get rid of those things that stress our hearts and obtain a peaceful heart like His.  Let us develop hearts that are focused on Him and get rid of the things that distract our hearts from God.  And, most of all, let us work at centering our hearts on following The Spirit rather than being bound by earthly endeavors that never satisfy.

     If we are going to give others a proper view of Jesus through our own lives, our hearts must match His.

Doug