"Life and Death" -Yo!

"I call to remembrance my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent search." (Psalms 77:6) Once upon a time I did search out death; so I can relate to the "song in the night" meaning of what the writer is speaking of. It's like when you lay down to sleep hoping you never get up, there is a certain melody that you sing yourself to sleep with, a death march of sorts. The "commune with my own heart" is a little spooky, because that really gets us nowhere; our hearts are sometimes very wicked places to hang out, but if you really want to do some soul searching, there's where you need to end up starting, matter's of the heart. What matters in your heart? Yes, I am talking about something we rarely want to think about, "Life and Death." Oh, we pretend it is not something that bothers us; you know, "To live is Christ, but to die is gain," and all that shoulder shrugging, take it or leave it kind of stuff. But what really really matters deep down in your heart? Hearing those words, "Well done, good and faithful servant?" Or are you just hoping to get by, depending on the chance none of the technical stuff really matters? God forbid your heart is stuck searching for ways to strike it rich, or make some sort of claim in this world, because that's really not what this new life is meant to be about. Maybe you're into health and fitness, and your dreams are of a more healthy and fit you; you fantasize about rockin' abs, or bulging muscles. Yes, we all have been there, but it's really not where you want to hang out. What really matters in our heart is a life and death issue! If there was one thing that Jesus said again and again, it was that our hearts are where our home is; so where is your home? If it's here, then it's focused upon death; a dead and dying world. But if it's heaven, then it focused upon life; life eternal with the Lord! It's really a directional point of view; which way are you headed? I think you'd be wanting to choose life, because nothing about here is going with you. Besides, this life has death written all over it; there is nothing eternal about this place, except one thing... "When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went a usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: "The Spirit of the LORD is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the LORD'S favor has come." He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. "The Scripture you've just heard has been fulfilled this very day!" Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. "How can this be?" they asked. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" Then he said, "You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: 'Physician, heal yourself' -meaning, 'Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.' But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Certainly there was many needy widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner -a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And there were many leapers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian." When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way." (Luke 4:16-30) NLT