Jesus said as He prayed, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (Jn.17:3) I recently, just today actually, have begun to recover from a nasty (is there any other kind?) stomach bug, & missed 2 days of work. I rarely miss work, so I know I was sick! But as I was just a few minutes ago thanking the Lord for bringing me through it, I began to think about folks who have illnesses from which they will not recover, barring a miracle from God. That also made me think that the grace of God itself is the greatest miracle of all. Just recently I heard a lady say that she had been diagnosed with inoperable cancer just over a year ago, but that this last year since that diagnosis had been the best year of her life! The reason: she had come to know the Lord better! That brought our verse to mind when Jesus prayed to His Father about what the experience of eternal life is all about! I could just as easily have titled this post, "the miracle that is grace" since there can be no greater miracle.
As I look back over my life, I can recall at least once when we were going through a time that I would not wish upon an enemy, but I also recall the Lord's closeness & peace as almost never before. Sometimes those who don't know God question why or how a supposed as they would say, loving God could allow all the sickness & disaster in the world. Of course, none of us presumes to be able to answer all questions of this nature, & I most certainly do not mean to minimize the pain that people suffer. But we know from God's Word that sin is the reason that pain & suffering & ultimately death have invaded God's once-perfect creation, & that those who know Him through faith in His Son have eternal life in Him. This world & its sin & suffering as well as its delights are not all we have. We have the Lord in our lives to comfort us as we go through it, & also eternal life with Him in Heaven. That is at least part of why the Bible speaks of eternal life not only as in Heaven after we leave this world, but beginning the moment we trust Christ! Those who have neglected or rejected Him only have the here & now, & therefore when they lose it, they lose it all. We as believers in Christ can say with Paul, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Phil.1:21) But no one has to be without Christ! He died for all & therefore for YOU & me! Thank you for letting me get this off my chest! May the Lord bless you all.
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12 comments:
Hello David,
Happy to see you posting again!
I love that verse you quoted from John 17. Eternal life is knowing Him!! So many view eternal life as simply living forever and living happily ever after. Jesus is the center of the universe, but religion and mankind views themselves as being center of it. It isn't about us but it is all about Him! It was by Him and through Him that all things consist and are made. All things were made FOR HIM and that would include our salvation! We view that everything being done was for us. This always helps me to quit focusing upon myself and to start focusing upon the one that the Father and all of universe considers as most important. Through salvation, we have been made the praise of His glory. We are the trophy of His grace that He proudly displays for eternity.
I have to agree that in times of sickness that we tend to enjoy God more so, as we are no longer so consumed with our "precious" time during the day. I remember having strep throat really bad one year. I had a 102.7 temperature and was confined to bed. Nothing on TV during the day so all that was left was my Bible and prayer. I read so much Scripture and prayed so much that it was a thorough blessing to me. Even when we are sick we can use that to our spiritual advantage. Even in sickness it doesn't have to be all about us, but we can turn the situation around and make it all about Him!
Lord bless you brother!
Dave
Wow! Bro. Dave, your comment was better than the original post! So very true! Our focus, & I must say, MY focus is often so backward. No wonder I had so many years of confusion! When we put self 1st, nothing makes sense, but when the Lord Jesus Christ is 1st, it ALL makes sense! Thank you & God Bless!!
Beautifully said. So glad you're feeling better.
Suffering is a tricky subject. It brings us to that question you raised about "why a loving God" would allow it, etc. Good question. The only thing I can say to that is we live in an imperfect world, suffering will happen, & that God walks with us - even in the valley of the shadow...
Like you, some of the most difficult times have been the ones which brought intimacy that I never would have known otherwise.
Stay well. Glad you're back!
Thank you Susannah! Yes, though none of us will fully understand life's questions this side of Heaven, I've surely found that walking with Christ is the only thing that gives life meaning & makes sense of what we experience. When we see Him, we may not even care about the answers then!
You're also right, that the times I have suffered the most have usually been the times I've grown most. Hope you visit often! God Bless.
David, it's a wonderful post and the comments here are so true, too.
As you know, I lost my Mr. Z in October, and I KNOW he'd never been closer to God those few months after his diagnosis. God has lifted me up in ways I didn't think possible, too...I should have known better.
Once we believe, eternal life begins HERE, that's seems to be what secularists don't understand....
It's why I'm sorry to hear people say "If you can have a death bed conversion, why bother to be a Christian and not inclined to sin and have 'fun' your whole life?"
Because it starts to be NOT fun to sin and because a person who comes to the Lord on his death bed missed SO MUCH on this earth."
I'm happy to see you blogging again and thank you again for that terrific banjo link you put at geeeZ, I really did enjoy it!
GOD BLESS you, David.
xxx
Z,
You are SOOOOOOOOO right about sin & salvation! Before I cam to Christ, I never knew how much REAL fun I was missing! But thankfully I did miss what sin leads to....a Christless eternity in the hell I deserved. I am so sorry that your dear Mr. Z is gone, but so joyous that he knew our Savior too! When I have time I will post about how the Lord can bring a feast into our tragedies. So glad you enjoyed the banjo piece! I enjoy your blog. God bless.
Hi friends. I just put up a new post about the experience I had today. Please, when you have a minute, come visit & read. My friends need your prayers. Thanks.
Thanks Susannah. That was powerful.
DW~ Thank you so much for your comment & your kindness @ my blog.
Hello Bro. David!
I hope all is well with you! Lord bless you buddy!!
Dave
David: I'd like to come here and publicly thank you for all the kind comments you've made over the months on my blog. They are very much appreciated. I just wanted you to know.
BZ
BZ,
That is a blessing to me & I appreciate your kindness in coming here to share that with me. Take care & God bless you my friend.
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