Are you really alive?
Day three of the wild at hear boot camp. We were asked today to think about when we feel alive. What is it that makes us feel alive. I started to make a list; times in the water: cliff diving, swimming in mountain lakes, scuba diving, body surfing, the wind: on top of a mountain, whipping past me on a snowboard, on the river in alaska holding me up, moments of teaching: when I have a new sermon on my lips, when I am fully connecting with an audience or class room, when the message God has for me to share is pouring through my finders on the keyboard.
What are the times when you feel alive?
I have asked this question around the country in different places when I speak and share the gospel. I have heard some great stories; surfing on top of cars, the day my child was born, hitting the highway with an full tank of gas, catching a wave, etc. When do you feel alive? Are you alive? Really?
In Luke chap 20 Jesus is accosted by some teachers of the law and others trying to trap him with questions. "Jesus, should we pay taxes to Caesar?" "Jesus, by what authority do you do these things?" Then we have a really complicated one. This group of Sadducees who don't believe in the resurrection bring Jesus a story problem. "If there are seven brothers and the oldest brother marries a woman and has no children with her so she passes on to the next brother and the next through all seven with the same result, when we get to the resurrection whose wife will she be?" I love the way Jesus responds to these questions, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is Gods," and "Tell me by what authority John baptized and I'll tell you where I get my authority." The the story problem. "You guys don't even know what you're talking about, marriage in heaven? When the resurrection comes this whole scenario will be a non issue. Oh an P.S. the resurrection will happen. God is a God of the living not the dead. To him Abraham and all those guys are alive, he can see the end from the beginning."
The scope of God's vision is amazing. He is watching the parade of life from the blimp in the sky he can see the end, the middle, and the beginning. So for him all those lying in the grave right now are also alive. He is the God of the living not the dead. So here is my question; Is he our God? Are we alive or are we dead? I know Jesus is talking about the physical grave here, but I think it goes farther than that. God is the God of the living. Are we living? Is he our God?
Do we spend our lives in the dead doldrums of life, going from routine to routine appointment to appointment. When was the last time you felt alive and when was the last time that feeling involved God? He is the life giver, he is the God of the living. The letter to the church of Sardis in revelation says they are spiritually dead. They appear to be alive in the actions, but they are just going through the motions they have no life in them.
Wake up! Oh sleeper, wake up!
The God of life is calling you. Sin is the separation from God. It is no wonder sin leads to death. When we separate ourselves from the source of life, from the God of the living, we will surely die. Unfortunately a lot of us are walking corpses right now. We are physically alive walking, talking, and eating. But we are spiritually dead separated from God.
God is the God of the living. He looks at us and sees the potential of every man and every woman to come alive. he is drawing us to himself. He has reconciled us to himself through Jesus. There is no more barrier between us and him.
May we draw near to God today. May we come to him and approaching his throne of grace boldly stand in the glow of his glory the source of our life. May the God of life be our God, may we be fully alive!
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