Live
John 5:39 You examine the Scriptures carefully because you suppose that in them you have eternal life. Yet they testify about me.
John 5:40 But you are not willing to come to me to have life.
“Get a life.” “You need to just live a little.” “You haven’t even begun to live till you’ve tasted this stuff.”
What does it take to really live, and what does it mean to really live? People are seeking the thrill, the ecstasy, the passion, the fulfillment, the joy and whatever it takes to breath the breathe of life and really experience it. For some, on the other hand, life would be about just hanging out and avoiding too much exertion at all, because overworking is surely taking away from their “life”. Then, there are those who have become quite philosophical in their pursuit of life, seeking the insight, the thought and the epiphany that will be the discovery of eternally abundant life. Somehow, magically, there will be an acquisition of this youth preserving substance as certain scriptures are thought about and spoken- like taking a plunge in the fountain of youth.
In reality, there is a portion of truth in every attempt to enjoy and experience “life”. Just like those religious guys from the time of Jesus who thought there was life in the scripture itself, all their pursuits were about the right thing and they were talking about the life itself. They were really very close. Yet, to just study about someone is not really experiencing who they are, and to taste the thrill of an x-treme ride, or to even to be caught up in the overwhelming passion of an intimate relationship or a heightening or liberating substance is not actually finding the source of real life and real living. Every other pursuit and every other experience is only a pointer towards the One who made any of it possible- Jesus. He actually became the Word in the flesh, so that everything spoken about Him could be experienced and really “lived”. He would become the bread and the wine that when consumed would bring ascendance above the constraints of this existence on earth to something far above it and far better.
What a shame it is for anyone to be that close, even having the sense that “life” is theirs for a moment, and yet miss out on what it means to really live. Every scripture, every endeavor, every taste and every touch of life will bring a portion of it, but only those that go to Jesus Himself for life get to experience all of it in its eternal and entire form. It would seem to be such an obvious choice and otherwise blatant blunder- choosing the life itself over just a description of it or a tiny morsel or sample. He is always there on the other side of the ‘teaser’, desiring to be the choice of our hearts and the experience of our eternal “lifetime”. Honoring His offer and accepting His invitation is entrance into a life that touches our every moment with the greatness of what He desires to provide for each of us.
There will be a portion of it to be tasted, touched and thought on today, but what an incredible opportunity is ours to actually go to Life itself and experience Jesus in every moment.
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal, slaughter, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
