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"For the grave cannot praise thee,
death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot
hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee,
as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy
truth." (Isaiah 38:18-19, KJV) The tragic events of September 11th, were a powerful reminder that suffering and death are neither to be celebrated or regarded as the way to God. No amount of well meant sentiment can obscure the real truth that death is a tragedy - when our loved ones die we grieve their loss. Any religion or creed that either regards life cheaply or simply as the stopping off point to somewhere else denies the value of the world that God created. Existence, life and being are gifts from God so that we can have a relationship with him now, by knowing him. It is only the living, the living, who can have a relationship with God, who can see the LORD in the land of the living. Jesus‘ wonderful teaching and example are a continuation of this theme and so offer a real hope both for the present and the future. He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead and gave him back to his grief stricken family demonstrating that he really was the "resurrection and the life" and that if anyone believed on him, though they had died, they would live! He raised the dead and said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." |
| "And I heard a great
voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God
himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Revelation 21:3, KJV) God wants to have a continuing relationship with you and me! This is why Jesus said: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly". The wonderful promise of the good news is that through Jesus Christ, we no longer have to be alienated from God, but can come close to him. This is what real living is. No matter who you are, or what situation you're in, God is calling you.... Furthermore when Jesus comes back as he promised, he will raise the dead, so that we can look forward to living with God here on the earth in His Kingdom forever! God's great plan for mankind and the earth is to "fill the earth with his glory as the waters cover the sea". When this happens then: "God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." |  |
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"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3, KJV) God is also interested in the quality of your life! Are you worried, stressed, despairing, feeling guilty, anger or hatred? These are the symptoms of dying life. Jesus‘ promise of eternal life isn't just about the future, isn't just about living forever. It means that we can live with a new quality of life, now, by having relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship means that we can receive and give genuine love, joy, peace, patience and kindness. As a man whose life had been turned round by the Jesus Christ wrote: "For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour." (Titus 3:3-6, KJV) |
| "Thomas saith unto him,
Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should
have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have
seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it
sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with
you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath
seen the Father; and how sayest thou then , Shew us the Father?" (John 14:5-9, KJV) Eternal life is to have relationship with God through his son Jesus Christ. He is the way that that relationship becomes possible because he is the truth. In order to appreciate this truth we have to read to Bible for ourselves and discover the real living Jesus. Meet Jesus yourself - who he was, is, and will be - by reading the bible. That encounter could transform your life! As a recent Jewish author wrote: "I couldn't help writing on Jesus. Since I first met Him, He has held my mind and heart.... I floundered a bit, at first; I was seeking that something for which so many of us search - that surety, that faith, that spiritual content in my living which would bring me peace and through which I might bring some peace to others. I found it in the Nazarene.... Everything He ever said or did has value for us today, and that is something you can say of no other man, alive or dead.... He became the Light of the world." - by reading the Bible for yourself! |  |