"Real Life"

"The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live." (Psalms 119:144)

  What is real life? I could not help but think of a song this morning as I asked this question, I think it was called, "Time in a Bottle." For those of us that understand the Testimony of Christ Jesus, the Bottle is endless and eternal! What that speaks of, is that we have been given eternal life in Christ; a life that is never-ending, from here on out, forevermore! So let me ask you this: What are you afraid of now? This is precisely what David is talking about, living unafraid! They say that the majority of illnesses are cause by worry and fear; that this modern world we live in has increased the level of worry and fear by the amount of things we have become dependent upon. There once was a time when the only worries people had was concerning their crops and weather, as in the rain or drought. People now are more concerned about their popularity on whatever social media site they are on, then they are about the weather; except for the Global Warming crowd, they think the earth is going to end in twelve years or so; imagine the illness factor in that crowd. I couldn't help but think of Paul, as he was collecting sticks for the fire and was bitten by a snake; he just shook it off and went on as if nothing had happened. When we have the right attitude about this life, the life of living here on this earth, we understand that it is the Lord who keeps us here or takes us home, not anything else! How many hours and days have people wasted on trying to save time in a bottle, when it is something that is outside of our control and cannot be contained. Real living only starts when you understand that it is God's choice whether you should stay or go; and no matter what, eternal life means that you live forever! Matthew Henry sums up what David is saying, like this: "Give me this renewed understanding, and then I shall live, shall live for ever, shall be eternally happy, and shall be comforted, for the present, in the prospect of it." This is what eternal life feels like; it is real life for the living...

"After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. And this is the way to have eternal life -to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth."" (John 17:1-3) NLT