Life

Life!

Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this? John 11:25‭-‬26 AMPC

Context and Charge:

Jesus, whilst speaking to his friends, referred to himself as the Resurrection and the Life here, yet Lazarus, his friend, had just died. He was informed that Lazarus was sick and at the point of death, yet He waited until Lazarus was dead before he set out to visit the family. He was called a friend of the family, and the family knew what He could do yet on the day he was needed the most, He was nowhere to be found. These are a few of the things that make God to be God; you can't question His authority, yet there is no denying His power, wisdom or grace. Is there anything that man has concluded on and said it is now beyond redemption? Until the Lord who speaks here has spoken, men are free to hold on to just any view. As soon as God speaks, I have all I need for the miracle that I seek. Who do I listen to, and whose words motivate my daily pursuits, priorities and purpose?

The words of Jesus here are quite instructive as they speak to both the earthly and the eternal. If I believe in Jesus and act on that belief by putting my life in His hands, I have access to all that Jesus is and has. Now, faith in Christ does not shield me from all storms, but it keeps my anchor in place and my eternity settled. Death is the natural end of all people born of women, and it is that major appointment all of us will keep if the Lord Jesus tarries long enough. For Lazarus, he got a temporary reprieve, as he was brought back to life for some time, but he still died later. For all who are in Christ, they are in a special relationship; if you are in Christ, you already have eternal life sealed up. Let the whole world pass away and the mountains be shaken; the one in Christ does not die, because death has no power over the one who has the Life of God in him/her. 

Conviction and Conclusion:

Do not fear death; fear the One who has already defeated death, and for all of eternity reigns and rules over all. There is nothing in this life that is not subject to the authority and power of the One who defeated death. Yes, life will happen to the best of us, and it may happen that death comes, even when we do not really plan for it; the unpalatable may be our daily experiences, but the temporary nature of the earth already makes it clear that nothing down here lasts as long as what God has in store for us up there with Him. Whether it is physical death or life, I have to be in the place where eternal life is the end. How am I preparing for that end? How am i making sure that, as Jesus asked his friends then, and as He asks me now, my allegiance to Jesus is total and absolute? My response has eternal implications. God's time of favour is here.