“I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things.” (Isaiah 45:5-7 ESV)
As you understand it, what constitutes life? Is it simply having a pulse, or is there some other means of determining whether life exists? Over the years I’ve visited a lot of people in their homes, hospitals, and other institutions. Almost from the first moment I had contact with them I could tell whether they were alive – physically for sure, but also spiritually.
Which begs the question: If you’re dead spiritually are you really alive? It grieves me to see my kids and many others pouring their time and energy into making money and building “a life,” but without any acknowledgement of the Author of life. And please don’t misunderstand, on many levels, though I professed faith, that was me, and I fear, it could be you.
How valuable is it to breathe and have some semblance of life when we’re dead inside? Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John reminds us in his first letter: “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
It’s easy to look at verses like these, then look around at all we’ve accomplished with our “life,” then conclude that it’s spiritual mumbo-jumbo, but it’s not! There are those in whose eyes I’ve gazed and it’s like the light’s on, but nobody’s home; they’re breathing, but not responsive. What constitutes life? How do we know we’re alive and not just going through the motions?
Could it have anything to do with what gets us out of bed each day? Are we motivated by tasks that can be accomplished in the flesh – jobs, family, the pleasures of living in this world? Or is what compels us to face our day more than can be done in the flesh?
When I first sensed God’s call to full-time ministry, I asked my Mentor how he knew God’s call was on his life. He told me in a very somber tone: “If you can do anything else, do it!” I wrestled with that because in my mind there were lots of things I could do; lots of directions in which I could go – or was there?
For me, as I hope for you, God’s call on my life wasn’t and isn’t simply for me to become a paid, professional Pastor, but to give my life without reservation to the King of kings and Lord of lords. There’s a very real sense in which I don’t get out of bed to do what pleases me, but what pleases Him. And that should be true whether my vocation is secular or sacred, because if I’m God’s child everything I do is sacred, to the end that God would be glorified and honored.
As you look into your eyes today, what do you see? Is your heart beating to bring glory to God and to those who are without Jesus? Or are you simply preparing to spend another day on the proverbial treadmill – doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result? That’s not life, that’s insanity. Only those whose life has been hidden in the heart of God have life. The rest are dead, they just don’t know it yet.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 