DEATH,
When my mother was in her last dying moments in the hospital, artificially kept alive by technology, I avoided going into her room for as long as possible.
Medically, I knew her death was unavoidable. Spiritually, I knew her death would lead to eternal life. But neither prepared me for the moment when she breathed her last.
Death should be universally hated. Some deaths produce a deeper grief than others, but any type of death should be counterintuitive to the human experience.
God never designed for us to die, or to even experience danger, injury, suffering, difficulty, trial or loss. Life giving way to life was the original plan. This lead to what life is.
LIFE, This article is inspired by a conversation I had with a good friend. My friend just had his family started with the birth of his first born son. Although he was filled with joy and happiness over the new stage in his life, he shared that he feels that a certain meaning to his existence is missing, and he cannot put his finger on the source of these feelings. After a few simple questions it was quite clear to me where his problem resided, as I myself suffered from similar feelings until I found the mental remedy. Of course I shared with him the thoughts and changes I have done in my life and I could witness during our conversation the relief of the mental burden he carried. The questions were quite simple, do you feel your life slipping by? Does your days have meaning or they just fly by? What meaningful challenge have you overcome lately? In what way have you developed yourself in last year or two? What are your plans for the future? How much do you want to be worth in 5 years? Such questions are many and all of them have a common denominator, how do you live your life and unfortunately my friend had no answers for any of these questions.
FINALLY, DEATH AND LIFE.
Jesus freely sacrificed his own life to put sin to death. Through his death and resurrection, life was freely given to those who believe.
3. The world promises life, but in the end it leads to death. This is what I wrote about last week. Areas like individualism, lust, materialism and gluttony feel life-giving in the moment, but they ruin the body and soul.
4. Jesus promises life, if we die to self. The One who sacrificed his life so that we might have life now calls us, as his disciples, to sacrifice our lives for him. When we do, we'll experience the transcendent joys of God's eternal kingdom.
The call to deny yourself will be a challenge, but remember - it's a rescuing grace. You will never find life in your spouse, in your children, in accumulating possessions, in the esteem of friends, in the most beautiful location, or even in theological knowledge.
Taking up your Cross daily means putting to death your sinful and selfish desires and accepting a life-giving invitation that the Enemy and created world can never offer: the all-surpassing glory of knowing Christ.
This is the world's best prize. This is the universe's best banquet. This is the only thing that will give your life meaning and fill you with lasting joy. This is the source of Life and Death, And the mystery behind Death and Life.
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