05/20/2020
A word and a thought from Ramona~
“I like being alive. I realized that the closer to death I got.” Woopie Goldburg.
I haven’t been a fan of her for quite some time, but I did find this statement quite telling and uniquely apropos for many. Not for me because it was not until I was shoved into life that I loved being alive. Prior to that, there were moments when “alive” was fitting, but many more when the longing to be in heaven was quite overwhelming.
This is the stuff of life. Even as a Christian, life is often quite hurtful or unmanageable emotionally and, even physically. John 16:33 says, “I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take courage; I have overcome the world!” Jesus said this to the disciples just before he went into prayer to the Father stating that the time had come for the Father to glorify him; for he had glorified the Father in his 33 years on earth.
When you’re in the midst of pain or depression, it is not an easy thing to realize the reality of this statement, “I have overcome the world.” We might think, “Then why am I suffering so?”
We often expect that God will spare us pain. Why does He allow the death of our children? Why does He allow sickness, poverty, or sin to reign? It’s because we live in a fallen world. Remember: we are in the world, not of it. Our mistake is that we often expect our lives here on earth to bear witness to the salvation of our souls by being easier. But that is never spoken of in the Word of God. No, instead, Jesus explains to the disciples-and to us- that life will be hard. The history of Christianity proves that we are not saved from evil here on earth. Martyrdom is a very real thing, even today. However, the hope of glory is our privilege on earth. Overcoming sin became our right when we died on the cross with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. When that death to sin happens in our spirits, it means that we have become dead to sin’s hold over us. It means that we have become capable of living through the pain and loss on earth by the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent to us after the death of Jesus-and who was the reason Jesus did die and leave us here to withstand the pressure that sin and, well, gravity imposed on us. Jesus said that he must leave so that He could send the Comforter. (John 16:7)
We are in the world as Christians but life doesn’t become more bearable unless we are able to realize that this life is not our greatest joy. Jesus did not come to earth to make life here easier, He came to give us hope for eternity. The Christian life isn’t about you or me at all! The Christian life is about being light and salt to the world and about dwelling in the peace of Christ and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. This is the Kingdom of God.
We must not accept the pressure of living in an unruly and painful world as all there is. Yes, we bear such pain that, at times, becomes overwhelming, but we who believe in God as Father and Jesus as Messiah have the hope of glory. Here on earth, we have a decision to make: to dwell in the power of sin to capture us in shame and pain, or to dwell in the love of God who provided a perfect sacrifice; to live respectfully because of that sacrifice; to revel in the comfort, the wisdom, the glory of the Holy Spirit. Christ states that He has overcome the world. When we put our faith in Him as our Savior, we not only die to sin, but we take on the life of Jesus, so His attributes become ours. We are dead to sin and alive in Christ. (Read Ephesians 2:1-5)
We must realize that we have a choice to be in the world or to be of the world. Peace is accessible by a whisper, and strength, by a prayer.
