Life Is What Jesus Makes of it
Life Is What Jesus Makes of it
Rather than validate our selfish, self-serving choices, he justifies us by giving us new life and baptizing us into his death and resurrection.
Life is what we make of it unless life is located in the One who calls himself, "Life." Then, life isn't what we make of it but what Jesus, God's Word who speaks all things into being, makes of it. When life is what we make of it, making a mess of life is inevitable. We're flawed, fragile, creatures. We plot out life, but we don't know the best way to live. Life is what we make of it until we can't make anything of it anymore. Then what? Suffer life until death comes? Rush to meet death? Suicide?
Live long enough, and a certain amount of pain finds its way into our lives. We light fires and put out fires started by others. We treat life as a precious gift and throw it away when our fortunes change. We boldly face the challenges of life and wallow in our defeats. What we make of life propels us forward and turns us into cowards because we don't locate life in the One who calls himself, "Life."
Life is the most precious gift we can imagine because Jesus is the Giver of life and life's most precious gift. We don't need to spend valuable time validating our life decisions. Jesus is our Life, so rather than validate our selfish, self-serving choices, he justifies us by giving us new life and baptizing us into his death and resurrection.
Rather than validate our selfish, self-serving choices, he justifies us by giving us new life and baptizing us into his death and resurrection.
When life is what we make of it instead of what God's Word, Christ Jesus, makes of it, depression, self-disgust, and suicide are common. No human being who has ever lived can speak to the purpose and goal of life better than the God-man, Jesus, who says, "In me, you live, and love, and have your being. You have no life apart from me." Apart from Christ Jesus, what we call "life" is living death.
We misunderstand the purpose and goal of life because we don't know Life. That's the most catastrophic tragedy of human existence, that we imagine we can speak best about how to live apart from the One who speaks us into existence, weaves us together in the secret of our mother's womb, and births us into this world.
Life isn't what we make of it. Life isn't a choice. It's not the most important thing. Jesus is Life. With Him, "even though we die we live." Who lives and who dies is His choice and He chooses to give eternal life to us who've been baptized in His Name, children of our heavenly Father. This is the most important thing we can hear from our preachers. Life isn't what we make of it. Life is what Jesus makes of it for us when He gives us Himself through the Gospel and His gifts.
Our choices are not the origin and end of life. Our energy isn't going to lengthen or shorten the number of our days. Our strength, attributes, and positivity won't add one moment to our life because life isn't our possession. We are Life's possession, named and claimed by Savior Jesus. His words and actions strengthen us for the day. His promises and works breathe us into living and life eternal. He is our Light that shines when life dims and death's cold darkness threatens to swallow us up. We have no choice but to be warmed, enlightened, and enlivened by His words and actions for us.
Our life can't be dimmed or darkened because Jesus is our Life, and He is the Light of the world. He is our life and light that no darkness can overcome.
