"I Shall Not Die!"

"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the LORD." (Psalms 118:17)

 Given all the other things that we could talk about, this is by far the most important, eternal life! Isn't that what we came here for? I know we didn't do it for the happiness and comfortable living; we surely didn't do it for getting rid of issues and freedom from guilt. Although the Bible tells us that we are justified in Christ, there are some times when guilt and shame are more real than they could ever be; they are absolutely more powerful than they were before I knew forgiveness. I hope you can relate to what it is that I am saying, because I have got to know that it is not just me. This is what sin does to me now, like David shared in his beautiful Psalm, "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God." (Psalms 42:11) Sure, it might all be inside of me, but it is in me because the Holy Spirit has convicted me of something that needs to be dealt with. That is the part of this race that makes it more than just a sprint; this is a race towards eternity, that takes on all sorts of obstacles, and there are countless injuries along the way. Yes, it is about eternal life; but more than that, it is about sharing this Good News with as many people as we can along the way! If we try to tell people that Jesus can give you new life, they probably will not understand it; but once they find out for themselves, eternal life changes everything! What a difference a day makes...

"For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or we die, we belong to the Lord. Christ died and rose again for this very purpose -to be Lord both of the living and of the dead." (Romans 14:7-9) NLT