From Death To Life
Though outwardly
we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our
light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. So, we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is
unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
(2
Corinthians 4:16-18)
Meditation
It’s very disheartening
to reach an age when you wake up every morning and count all the places that
hurt on your body. I can personally testify to this as fact. Some are born with
maladies that afflict them their whole lives. We all must deal with imperfect
bodies and increasing aches and pains. When we’re in our twenties we feel
invincible but that begins to change as we reach our thirties and forties. By
the time, we reach our fifties or sixties we’re just one big walking pain throb
hoping to get relief from a miracle drug or procedure. We end up with bodies
that won’t work the way they used, along with muscles and joints that ache when
we try to force them to move.
It’s not
supposed to be this way. God created Adam and Eve to live forever with perfect
bodies that would be sustained by the Tree of Life. When they ate the forbidden
fruit, they and all their progeny were cursed with a fatal disease called
death. We are all suffering from that same debilitating and fatal disease. Even
though the transition from young and vigorous to old and pathetic might take
well over thirty years, it’s only an instant when compared to eternity. Read
Genesis 5 and see that the generations before the flood lived almost a thousand
years. They only died because of sin. We weren’t meant for death. We were meant
to live in the Garden of Eden with God forever, but sin entered and with it, death.
The good news is our mortal bodies are only temporary
shells that hold our immortal souls. We must take care, by reading and studying
the scriptures, to reinvigorate on a spiritual level; feeding our souls, so to
speak. Everything we can see, including our own bodies, is only temporary and
turns to dust when this life is over. We can wallow in self-pity over our lost
or fading youthful abilities. I know I wish I could play golf like I could thirty
years ago. Or, we can look ahead to the grandeur and glory of things we cannot
yet see. Our souls are immortal so, they will spend eternity somewhere. The
choice of where is totally up to us. I hope you will choose the unseen God who
loves you.
Prayer Time
Heavenly Father you are the creator of all things in the whole universe. You created us to live forever in the Garden of Eden. However, Adam and Eve failed to follow your commands and brought sin, decay, and death into the world. Since then, we have had to live with failing, pain filled bodies, either from birth or as we’ve aged. As tough as our pains may be to live with, it’s our sins that have the lasting effects. Feed our souls with the nourishment of scripture and let the bread of life sustain us. None of our current infirmities will matter when we pass from this life. Father help us to focus on Jesus Christ. Even though we cannot physically see him at the present time, we know he is real and alive, and wants us to be with him forever. Help us to put the temporary troubles of this life in perspective and consider what most important. Worshiping you and continually doing the work of your kingdom until Jesus returns for his Church. In His precious name, we pray. Amen!
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