“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing.” (John 6:3a NLT)
A hymn written in 1956 by Robert Sande and Samuel T. Scott says: “Prayer is the key to heaven; faith unlocks the door.” Prayer, conversation with God, is the avenue that leads to Jesus, and the exercising of faith is responding to God’s invitation to receive Jesus as your life. He doesn’t desire to be part of your life; He desires to be the focus and intent of your whole life. He’s not a “slice” of the proverbial “pie” of your life, He’s the “whole” pie.
There are those whose primary desire in accepting Jesus’ invitation, is to avoid hell and go to heaven, but that is to miss the point of our union with Him. Yes, heaven will be amazing, and hell will be indescribable torment, but to focus on those is to miss the point of our life altogether.
We were created for intimacy with God. Every detail of creation screams life and health and relationship. Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them (us – everyone who will come to Him) a rich and satisfying life.” The life Jesus gives, is full, complete, satisfying on every level.
Think of the Garden of Eden. Perfect in every respect. Every dimension of existence living in perfect harmony. No fear, no sickness, no guilt, no sin, no shame – nothing but perfect love and acceptance. Then sin entered the picture, and everything changed. No longer was there harmony, but discord, and separation between God and mankind, resulting in sickness, death, wars, and everything else negative that you can imagine.
What we sometimes fail to realize is that there are two kingdoms vying for our attention, the devotion of our life. The kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. Satan offers wealth, prosperity, riches, fame, position, power – in short, everything our human nature craves and will kill to have.
God’s Kingdom requires humility, sacrifice, and devotion to God. Putting God’s will above our own, realizing that we own nothing, and we are nothing, apart from Jesus, who is our everything. Does that mean we have no material possessions or provisions? Of course not, but they’re not the focus and purpose of our existence.
On the surface it seems like a no-brainer. Why should I become a living sacrifice for God when I can have all this world affords? Jesus understood perfectly what He was asking of us, because He alone knows the full value of intimacy with Him compared to intimacy with the world. Hear His words in Matthew 16:24-26: “If any of you wants to be My follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow Me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for My sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
The word Jesus uses that’s translated “soul,” is the word from which comes our English word “psyche.” It’s the seat of our emotions, desires, affections, aversions. The human soul is the only thing in all of creation that when coupled with the Spirit of God, can attain its maximum potential, resulting in a full and meaningful life on earth, then eternal life in heaven with God. So, for me, it’s an absolute “no-brainer.” There is nothing this world could ever offer me that compares with life everlasting with the Master Designer, Creator, Ruler, Sustainer and Lover of my soul.
When our life on earth ends, if our heart is aligned with the heart of God, we’ll awaken into life eternal, just as life was originally planned to be in the Garden of Eden. Our hope is translated into sight and our eyes will behold the majesty of our Savior – FOREVER! Remember: “Prayer is the key; faith unlocks the door.”
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 