Life

As a born-again believer, I don't have to think very long to realize I have life because

Jesus is my life. When I prayed to receive Jesus by faith, God gave me the free gift of salvation. I could not do anything to earn it or be good enough to get this eternal "life." God in His gracious gift gave me LIFE. Jesus said the resulting life wouldn't be a "just get by" life, but it would be an abundant life as promised by God. Praise God for this life!!

In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul described what he knew so much about, and his description was his new life. Ephesians 2: 1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. ² You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. ³ All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature, we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. BUT......BUT.......BUT JESUS!!!

Paul continued in the next verses, telling us and explaining the huge BUT in this problem we had because of sin. Ephesians 2: ⁴ But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, ⁵ that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) ⁶ For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. ⁷ So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

We are the future age of people Paul was talking about, and we have been given the huge privilege of being a part of God's plan for LIFE. We carry this life with us (our testimony), and we share this message as the Holy Spirit shows us when and where to share it. Here is the heart of this message of LIFE. Ephesians 2: ⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. ⁹ Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. ¹⁰ For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

When God painted this picture of what true life is, He was painting us, and we are called a masterpiece of LIFE. Our life is different from there on to do good things he planned for us long ago. This LIFE. REAL LIFE. Paul finished this chapter with some very stirring words of encouragement that show we are part of the plan of LIFE by sharing it with anyone we can. Ephesians 2:⁹ So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. ²⁰ Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.²¹ We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.

JESUS IS LIFE AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, AND HE HAS COMMISSIONED US BY GIVING US THE HOLY SPIRIT TO SHARE THIS LIFE WITH A LOST AND DYING WORLD. SALVATION IS FOR EVERYONE WHO WILL BELIEVE!!!!

The Pilgrimage Continues,

David Warren