Life... and its complexity

Life is a funny thing. What is it? Is it our heart beating? Is it the actions we take? Is it our reason for 'being'? What does it mean to say our life has changed? And again what does it mean to say our life is finished or over? What is the difference between making a choice and a life decision? It is all of these things which come to mind when I think of life - but what is it really?

The dictionary has 12 different definitions for life focussing on our different uses of the term, but I think the encyclopedia really hit it spot on with 'life, although there is no universal agreement as to a definition of life...'. So to clarify it is our life, a human's life to which I want to make notes of.

 Relevant dictionary definitions could be - A living being, especially a person; The physical, mental, and spiritual experiences that constitute existence; and Human existence, relationships, or activity in general.

So if this is what life is, just what does it mean when Jesus says 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life'? Not I have a life, or I can show you a great life, or even I know the way to real life, but I am the life.

In order to answer this question we need to first find out where life comes from - yet another question. In looking at the origin of life the encyclopedia starts off with 'Fundamental religious concepts center around special creation and belief in the infusion of life into inanimate substance by God or another superhuman entity' before continuing with various scientific attempts to explain away how we (and the world in which we live) came to be.

So if life is originally given to us by another, then Jesus is saying that He is the one who gave us life?! That is one outrageous statement! Here is this guy, kinda poor and scruffy around the edges, walking around from place to place with no home of his own, saying that He is the one who gave everyone life however many years ago when humans were first created.

While it is outrageous, that is exactly who Jesus was - and is. He was there in the beginning because He is not just some guy, He is also God. He gave us life, and gave it to us for a reason - that we might be with Him. Jesus is not just telling us this but He is also giving us a way that we can have the life which He gave us - 'I am the way' - through Him! And how can we trust Him, and know that what He is saying is the truth, and not just another spun up line like all the other people walking around - 'I am the truth'. I don't know why anyone would want to put that much pressure and attention on themselves unless it was true! But not only that, but other things He said and did which show all that He is.

Life is still a funny thing, and many of those questions still remain when pondering such thoughts but there is one thing which I know about life which makes all of them seem so much less important. My life is not my own, it was given to me - and so what I do should also reflect my thankfulness for such a gift, and should be in parallel with what the one who gave me life would want me to do with it. My life belongs to Jesus and so it is for Him that my life is lived.

Nicodemus' Deed (Shine, Part 4)

One bible verse which many people have heard, some the words of this verse and others just the reference, is John 3:16, but I don't know that such a lot of people know much about the words which are surrounding this verse.

These words fall amongst others which are in a response Jesus gives to Nicodemus. Have you heard of Nicodemus? He was a Pharisee back in the day, a high up religious top notch haughty positioned bloke. Anyway, none of the pharisee's liked Jesus because he was no one special like them but was teaching the people things which weren't written in the books they'd studied AND even worse, the people were actually listening to him when they should have been listening to them. Pharisees loved their position of power. Anyway, instead of just rivalling Jesus and trying to get him to trap himself Nicodemus actually admits that Jesus is a teacher from God! WOW! That is huge for a pharisee to even admit such a thing. And Nicodemus than continues to question Jesus about who He IS, like he wants to know, to understand. You see, Nicodemus was who the pharisees should have been, rather than who they had become.

And so these words come amidst this response from Jesus to Nicodemus*.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. - John 3:16-17

But it is the words which follow these which I would like to focus on today. Jesus continues...

He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. - John 3:18-21

Who is the light? If you don't know the answer to this and you can't tell from this passage than you really should read some of my older blogs in this series but to give you the heads up for now, the light is Jesus!

And what is darkness? It is things of this world, or rather to put it simply for you, things of Satan, of The Devil. What are these things you might ask? Well, basically, anything which is not of God - that's a lot!

The passage which influenced me in naming this blog was from Matthew which also ties in quite well with this passage as it talks about light and works and I would really like to draw the same thing out of both passages.

You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5: 14-16

The thing is that people quite often mis-interpret these passages or miss the basics that they already know. Like we know that Jesus is the light. But these passages are often misinterpreted to say that our good works are the light to others. WRONG! And doing bad deeds does not mean that we are without light either. The light, Our light, is and always will be Jesus.

What these verses are saying is that by following Jesus, by truly following Him, He will shine His lights on your works that they may be seen if they are good or bad. If we are doing bad deeds we don't want them to be shone to be bad but would rather stay in the shadows, perhaps of denial. But if we know Jesus, He will actively begin to change us from the inside out and His light will shine through us showing our good deeds as a product of what He is doing in us that He may be glorified.

So, Let's let our light shine - whether it be that is show our good deeds or our bad deeds. Only once we let Him be our light, accept Him over the darkness can He really work us from the inside out, actively changing us to become more and more like Him. Praise be to God.

*These two verses may not be Jesus actual words but possibly John's kind of commentary throughout this gospel. Either way, this message as outlined here for you today, does not change.

Q: What do you think would have been a 'normal' pharisees response to hearing Jesus say those things?

Coming Up: Shine, Part 5

God Bless

NOT a blind faith

So, we've just enjoyed a long weekend for easter – isn’t it great to have that time off to celebrate. For there is plenty for us to celebrate at this time as we focus on remembering just what Jesus has done for us in obeying His Father. And I could write a lot on the topic but instead I'm going to look at just two verses, as I'm sure the actual story is covered by many other people at this time as well.

And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. - John 20:30-31

As a Christian, I find that we as a collective are often accused by others of 'shoving our beliefs down others throats'. While this is sometimes the case it is not the majority and it is not what we do. All we do is simply share what we believe and leave you to make up your own mind.

Something else which is often said also is that we are stupid in believing in something with no proof, without knowing anything or looking at anything, but believing anyway - having a blind faith. But this is not what we are to do - as you can see from the verses in John, we are to read, to investigate the words for ourselves and check it all out. This is not a blind faith in that we have no idea about anything and just believe anyway – it is only blind in that Jesus is no longer with us, but with His Father – and that is what it is all about!

What I don't understand is those who believe in something but don't really know what. Is not this more blind than those who know what they believe? The problem is they claim to be too busy to bother in really investigating things for themselves. My question is – if you believe in ‘something’ doesn’t that put a big question mark over eternal life, that is life after death – and if so, isn’t it too important (your eternal life at stake) to not make time to work these things out? Even more important than things of this world which so fill our lives.

To have a blind faith is to not know what it is you believe – and to believe without questioning. John tells us here that he has written all of these things that you might believe. We don’t tell you to give up everything you know and follow Christ without knowing even who He is. What we say is, why not have a read for yourself and make your own conclusions as we have also.

I, having read and been taught the gospels, have come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and now my life is in Him, both now and forever.

What conclusion have you come to, having read the first hand accounts and investigated their validity and other evidence?

God Bless