LIFE

 
March 11, 2018                                        LIFE
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”
Matthew 4:4 “Jesus answered, ‘It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
Psalm 119:130: “The unfolding of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
The desire to experience fulfillment in life is a desire that is common to every person that has ever lived. The pursuit of man is to find that which satisfies his inner being. The desire to experience life to the fullest comes out of man being made in the image of God- because God is life and He is the only source of the life that satisfies. (Even though man is made in the image of God, all do not know Him a Savior.) The truth is that the one who does not know God can never find the life that truly satisfies, because it does not exist outside of God. It is possible for one who does not know God to find some degree of fulfillment in life and some satisfaction in life, but whatever life he finds, it fails to satisfy his deepest longings and it fails in comparison to the life that comes from God. There are countless ways in which one may seek to find life, whether it is financial success, excelling in a sport, gaining a reputation in the community, being the best dressed, or turning to drugs and other addictions, etc. It is God who put within us the desire for life, and it is God who offers life to us. Any life outside of God is counterfeit. Even believers can fall short of experiencing the abundant life that God has made available, due to lack of, or a misunderstanding of, the Scriptures and by not knowing their true identity in Christ. In fact, it is most likely true that in our day, most believers would say that there must be more to life than they are currently experiencing. The good news is that God has done all that needed to be done in order for us to experience the abundant life that is found in Him. It is possible, and perhaps likely, that our ‘higher education’ and our ‘intellect’ has become an obstacle to the simple, but profound truths of the Scriptures. (Nothing wrong with education.) Finding the life that God has for us starts by humbling ourselves before the Lord and acknowledging that His words, and His words alone are life. In God’s mercy and grace, He provided His word in written form-amazing! That’s not all-He gives each believer His Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding and applying His word. There is an endless number of ‘Christian’ books out there, written by believers with good intentions, but I sometimes find myself wondering why there are so many books when God has seen fit to give us His book! (I am not opposed to books-they can be helpful.) The word of God must be our manuel-our instruction and our source of life. God has made it clear that life comes from His words. Let our pursuit be that of searching the Scriptures and finding and clinging to every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. You most likely have a bible in your possession-get it out, read it, and study it-for in it, you will find the life you are looking for!
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  
Blessings,
Buddy