"Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the Man of Heaven." (1 Corinthians 15:49, ESV)
The last week has given me quite a bit to think about in terms of my last two posts on life, death and my true Home. Two days after my last post "Can't Feel At Home Anymore", I was stunned when John Neufeld delivered a powerful and uplifting sermon along similar lines, taken from the passage of 1 Corinthians 15:12-22 and titled "The Believer's Hope". Covering the resurrection of Christ and the implications for those who pur their trust in Him, it was brilliantly thought out and put together.
In addition, a friend of mine who read "From the Land of The Dying to the Land of The Living" raised the question if the thoughts I'd expressed there weren't another form of seeing the proverbial glass as half-empty. I did respond partially to his very sincere question, but wanted to write more about what it means to me personally, and why I believe in it so wholeheartedly.
I've come to believe with solid conviction that comprehending the reality and implications of my own mortality - that I'm dying, that this world is not home, and what I want to do with my time here is a totally liberating, not stifling perspective. Why?
In addition, a friend of mine who read "From the Land of The Dying to the Land of The Living" raised the question if the thoughts I'd expressed there weren't another form of seeing the proverbial glass as half-empty. I did respond partially to his very sincere question, but wanted to write more about what it means to me personally, and why I believe in it so wholeheartedly.
I've come to believe with solid conviction that comprehending the reality and implications of my own mortality - that I'm dying, that this world is not home, and what I want to do with my time here is a totally liberating, not stifling perspective. Why?
- It redefines my time. From the moment of my birth, the clock may be ticking away, but one must ask the question, "Ticking away to what?". If it really is pitch black on the other side of death and I must jump into darkness and nothingness, then the tyranny of the immediate, of the here-and-now presses in with a ferocious and frightening intensity. It demands that I savour all the pleasure and experience that this life has to offer with a voracious appetite, for in the words of Paul quoting Isaiah, "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die". But if the promises of Christ and His resurrection are true, the clock ticks away not to an event of overwhelming sadness and despair, but to an incredible sprint as I cover last few yards to a Home beyond all comprehension, and a Father running to welcome me with open arms as I burst in through Heaven's gates.
- It redefines my money and possessions. If this life is all there is, wealth gathering and hoarding becomes my sole aim, for without it I cannot savour the pleasures of all that this world may offer. I must also regard everything I see around me as potentially "my property", for if I don't grab it first, someone else will. But convinced of who Christ is and His promises in John 14:1-3, I realize that everything I see around me is His property, not mine, with an invisible sticker labeled "Property of God" on it. This redefines why I make money, and what I do with it. I don't cling on to my aging, fading and disintegrating possessions with a tight fist anymore, for my Father is preparing and keeping unbelievably brilliant stuff for me at Home.
- It redefines my relationships. Life doesn't become about what others can do for me, or what I can take from them. I am instead driven to pour myself out in love to the last drop for them, and think differently about them too. Has anyone told them who God is, and what He has promised those who accept and know Him? Has anyone shown them the true love of the Father? Do they know what they are spending their lives on? What can I do for them? How can I tell them? How can I show them? How can I love them selflessly? Will they come with me to the Home and Father I'm going to? Or will they be shut out permanently?
More than anything else, it is redefined by the power of the Word of God that thrills me with the words of Paul the Apostle, who tells me that the cup is not half-empty, or half-full. It's overflowing:
"So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body. It is raised a spiritual body...Behold! I tell you a mystery...For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality...Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:42-58, ESV).
And that is why I can't, and won't live like this:
That's it for now. See you in the next post!
- The Wisdom Seeker
