"Life"

Too many have grown accustomed to religion and little in being conformed into the image of Christ. It is easy to follow religious rote, talk about religious themes and even write religious things. That's not the same as being conformed to the image of Christ. What true believers have is not religion, it's life!

People become bored with Christ, bored with the message about Him and bored with people that represent Him. It seems many think there is too much life to live. We have our little social drinking that we defend and involving ourselves in things that really peak our attention. If Jesus would only offer us life as we see it, why we would enjoy talking about Him and even talk with Him! If we were to listen carefully to some who claim to be believers, Jesus is melancholy at best. We've been shaped by our desires and our experiences rather than life.

Take people who are unhappy in their lives as they can't grasp what it means to be happy. A hoarder of things cannot know what it means to help someone in need because they know only one thing. Unless we are changed and grow into the life of Jesus, we can never know the joy and pleasure in the possibilities of God. If we don't surrender and change by grasping the life of Jesus, we may forever shut doors that could lead us into a world of inexpressible joy!

Sin is brutal to all of us. The last stage of brutality is our flinging away and standing off from Jesus. That's utter madness. There was a point in the life of Judas when he looked carefully at the thirty pieces of silver and hating himself for the stupidity and treachery he had committed. He walked away into the night ending his life. I realize it doesn't end that dramatic for most of us, but some of us go silently to our graves knowing we missed something. The time will come for all of us that we will look our lives, our involvements, our desires and we will see dry, empty and lifeless lives with little joy and little to be proud of. We will find ourselves sitting in our unbelief stating, "This? It was for this I gave up God and His life?"

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4) Life...what so many long for but end up exchanging because of what we think is better. If we would only pause, look carefully and see that we have the fullness and abundance of life through Jesus. Joy comes with life and that life will never disappoint. What are we missing?