Alive In Christ

The opposite of being alive is death. On the wings of hearing some tragic news this weekend about a couple of accidents that resulted in death it led me to the thought of discussing life. Life on earth. Yes, if you are here, and you are reading this, physically you are alive. But, are you alive spiritually? Are you growing, thriving, and becoming more and more like your Father?

Some days I am, and some days I am only dragging my feet, head down, breathing in stale air because my head is so far down I can't even see where I am going. Does that image describe you ever? Death spiritually is just as tragic if not more tragic that death physically. Obviously, we are so sorrowful to see our loved ones go, having lost some ones dear to me over the course of my short life I know the sting of death. But just as the verse states, "where o death is your sting?" that is what we can say in the face of death like circumstances when we have Christ alive in us and breath air into us. His air is what sustains me friends. If not for His air, I would be dead every morning when I wake. Every morning, because of Christ I can open my eyes and say, today is a day that the Lord has made for me to be alive in, and that is something to rejoice about! There was a time in my life when every day I opened my eyes and the first thing I thought about was the pain of my circumstances and the dissatisfaction that I lived in. I always was wishing and wanting for something more or better than what I awoke too, and it was killing be slowly, right here in front of my own eyes. The sorrow on my face could be seen by others and heard in my voice, and then burden I carried, I carried by choice. This death-like attitude that I wore around my neck like a string of pearls ( I say like a string of pearls because if you owned pearls, you'd never part with them) because I felt that I was destined for this life of discontent. Discontent is another form of death on earth, because you are no longer looking at the glass as full or even half full, it's always empty. Does this description describe you? If it does, do not despair my friend, life is available to you and it's available to you in the fullest measure...so much so that your cup is going to run over. Don't believe me, look in His word...it's full of this stuff and it's all good useful for waking up a dead soul.

"Because of His great love, God who is rich in mercy made us alive in Christ, even when we were dead in our transgressions. It's by grace you have been saved." Ephes. 2:4,5

That is the missing piece to our puzzles of life. Grace. Need for a savior, equals life on earth, in Christ. Peace, joy, breath that is exciting.

Are you excited for life? Does the idea of tomorrow excite you? Well, it can. Wouldn't you want to know about this recipe for excitement in life if you knew it was available? Well, it's more than available, it's waiting for you. Being alive in Christ is like taking your first lung filled breath of fresh spring air, and breathing in deep...you know that smell? The smell of new, fresh, perfect crisp air? That is the kind of breath you can have all the time! It almost seems idiotic for myself to be able to share these words with all of you because this, what I just described, used to be the polar opposite of who I was. I was dead dead dead. The stench was unbearable, I even hated myself for it. But Christ washed all that away. Is it smelling dead in your heart today? Don't be down. Christ has given you a way out...and it's right there in word...

Come to me, all who burdened and I will give you rest!!!

I am the bread of life!!!!

I give you water not as the world gives you!!!

I can make alive again!!!

Such are the claims of Christ. His words are available to you anytime you open your Bible...if you don't have a Bible, get one, it will be the best 20 dollars you ever spent. Turn off the TV. Get yourself settled in your favorite chair, open up the window to let in the night air, and as you drink your favorite beverage, read His life giving words. They will feed you. They will nourish you. They will grow you strong and bold..and most of all, they will take what was once dead, and breath life into it.

You can be as alive as John the baptist, have the wisdom of Solomon and the strength of Sampson..and you can learn so much more than I could ever possibly describe to you in one blogs length. His words are better than life, and my lips will glorify Him...(King David said that somewhere in the psalms) and for a king to say that, you know it must be good, a king who had anything at all imaginable at his finger tips, those words should speak volumes to us.

We are commoners on earth, dead in our transgressions. In the acceptance of Christ, and the forgiveness of sins we experience new life in His name, and we are no longer anything like the former self we once called normal. It's in the acceptance of this grace, and the laying down of selves and sins we experience this white wash of peace...contenment...joy my friends!!!!

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. IN this world you will have trouble, but take heart!!! I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD." -John 16:33

If we can wrap our heads and hearts around the hope that is the content of this verse we may never have to have a "dead" day again. For those of you who have lost someone to death, my heart is grieved for you, but know this, in this world there is pain, however, in the next life, the life we shall spend with our Father, Creator, Savior and Friend, there IS NO MORE SORROW. And we can have this heart of hope even as we exist on earth. Take heart friends, our God, has overcome the world. Glory be to the Father we serve. Amen.