54. Death, and getting a Life
Death is a ghastly subject. ummm . Right.
Death is necessary, ummm, right but we would like to avoid it.
Death is a bit hard to define, we know when someone else is dead, but from our own perspective it is a bit hard to come back and say , this or that is what happens. Science generally disagrees with those who would relate their near- death experiences like the light at the end of the tunnel, etc.
Do you know, in real life, if you see a light at the end of a tunnel, do you know what that is?
It is a train coming, towards you, and usually, really fast.
But I digress
If we did not have death, what then?
It occurs to me that we would be pretty blase about our life.
It would cease to be precious.
Life would cease to have the value it has, in that all our lives we have been careful , we have protected our selves, our children, our neighbour, and our parents.
Parents? How much less care might we give some of those boring old folk, those cantankerous children, screaming babies, obnoxious neighbours, if there were no threat to their life, to their continuing existence?
No, we worship life and abhor death.
We take little account for the values of death.
Immediately I think of 3 values:
The value of meeting our maker.
The value of no more suffering
The value of giving life , well, value .
If there were no death, how easily would we discard the caring values we have for others?
The caring values of ourselves?
Would we step in front of buses?
Would we be daredevils in respect of major risk-taking?
What risks you may ask?
Would we climb higher, dive deeper, drive faster?
If there were no death, how would we ever meet our maker?
What would qualify us to meet Him?
A perfect life, presumably like Enoch?
God really wants us in His presence..(what, me?)
Or do we just never get to Heaven?
Nor Hell?
So those neighbours we regularly, or other peoples' children, regularly would, like, consign to the proverbial hell, ( I am being polite...), we would have to learn how to put up with them, forever.
I think I could look forward to death.
Death is not all negative.
Death is not a put down (!)
Death has benefits ( death benefits ! ) No I am trying to be too funny when really this is an inspired message.
Death has benefits in giving us a royal incentive to be with God and Jesus who we have grown to love. In heaven which we have learned is a place of eternal love. Death releases us from a cruel world. From an ungodly existence. From the threat of a lost eternity, even.
Death . This is that great thing called Hope.
Faith, Hope and Love.
The greatest of these is Love ( charity)
But faith even if it were a smallest of substances could move mountains.
Love , love is that primordial , original force , synonymous with God. God is Love.
Love is the ultimate life force, the spirit of creation, the energy beyond all things.
But hope, Hope, is scripturally entwined with Faith And Charity, see refs.
Hope is the poor relation of those other two.
Hope is not really recognized as a great concept alongside Faith And Love/ Charity.
So I suggest to you, it is this Hope of death which keeps us alive in Christ
Death brings us life. Life.
I am almost persuaded in myself to want to swap places with those whose good fortune and good living is to meet death, and get life.
Get a life, by getting the death.
Scripture:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1Cr 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.
2Cr 10:15 Not boasting of things without [our] measure, [that is], of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
Death is necessary, ummm, right but we would like to avoid it.
Death is a bit hard to define, we know when someone else is dead, but from our own perspective it is a bit hard to come back and say , this or that is what happens. Science generally disagrees with those who would relate their near- death experiences like the light at the end of the tunnel, etc.
Do you know, in real life, if you see a light at the end of a tunnel, do you know what that is?
It is a train coming, towards you, and usually, really fast.
But I digress
If we did not have death, what then?
It occurs to me that we would be pretty blase about our life.
It would cease to be precious.
Life would cease to have the value it has, in that all our lives we have been careful , we have protected our selves, our children, our neighbour, and our parents.
Parents? How much less care might we give some of those boring old folk, those cantankerous children, screaming babies, obnoxious neighbours, if there were no threat to their life, to their continuing existence?
No, we worship life and abhor death.
We take little account for the values of death.
Immediately I think of 3 values:
The value of meeting our maker.
The value of no more suffering
The value of giving life , well, value .
If there were no death, how easily would we discard the caring values we have for others?
The caring values of ourselves?
Would we step in front of buses?
Would we be daredevils in respect of major risk-taking?
What risks you may ask?
Would we climb higher, dive deeper, drive faster?
If there were no death, how would we ever meet our maker?
What would qualify us to meet Him?
A perfect life, presumably like Enoch?
God really wants us in His presence..(what, me?)
Or do we just never get to Heaven?
Nor Hell?
So those neighbours we regularly, or other peoples' children, regularly would, like, consign to the proverbial hell, ( I am being polite...), we would have to learn how to put up with them, forever.
I think I could look forward to death.
Death is not all negative.
Death is not a put down (!)
Death has benefits ( death benefits ! ) No I am trying to be too funny when really this is an inspired message.
Death has benefits in giving us a royal incentive to be with God and Jesus who we have grown to love. In heaven which we have learned is a place of eternal love. Death releases us from a cruel world. From an ungodly existence. From the threat of a lost eternity, even.
Death . This is that great thing called Hope.
Faith, Hope and Love.
The greatest of these is Love ( charity)
But faith even if it were a smallest of substances could move mountains.
Love , love is that primordial , original force , synonymous with God. God is Love.
Love is the ultimate life force, the spirit of creation, the energy beyond all things.
But hope, Hope, is scripturally entwined with Faith And Charity, see refs.
Hope is the poor relation of those other two.
Hope is not really recognized as a great concept alongside Faith And Love/ Charity.
So I suggest to you, it is this Hope of death which keeps us alive in Christ
Death brings us life. Life.
I am almost persuaded in myself to want to swap places with those whose good fortune and good living is to meet death, and get life.
Get a life, by getting the death.
Scripture:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1Cr 13:13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.
2Cr 10:15 Not boasting of things without [our] measure, [that is], of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,
Gal 5:5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.
Col 1:23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
1Th 1:3 Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;
1Th 5:8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
1Pe 1:21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.
posted by Ross at 5:14 pm
2 Comments:
Wow Ross, I'm impressed. You've been busy! And I'm even more impressed with that dog of yours. Could we have a pic? I was talking with Luke about his dog Shadow on Saturday. She's a border collie x kelpie, two of the smartest breeds. Shadow is smart. Very. I was saying to Luke, she may be the Einstein of dogs (she's that smart, at times). But how could we tell - all she does is love us to death(!) and want to please us and be with us. Sometimes (even though we're not too much like dogs) she teaches me a big lesson about my relationship with my Father God. She lives for us and Luke. She's devastated when she's dug a big hole in the garden and gotten into trouble (but she can't help herself, she keeps doing it). And she's constantly rolling at our feet trying to worship us (and I said she was smart!).
Death. Guess physical death is just the physical manifestation of something that's already happened (but not yet physically). God expects us to die to ourselves, like Paul said "I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ..."
And I liked what we heard anout Enoch - his relationship with God was so pleasing (joyful!) to God that God just wanted it to continue without the dislocation of death, so God simply took him so they continued in that spirituasl relationship without any discontinuity. Enoch wasn't perfect (as a human), he just learned the secret of being close to God. He walked with God!
Thanks Ross for your inspiring topics - what about sticking a counter down the bottom of this, to record the number of your visitors? (you can get a free one at sitemeter.com)
Geoff, good question, how would you know if your dog is an Einstein .
So I asked the dog, Ross's dog. Ran it past him, like, how would Geoff and Luke know if their dog is an Einstein?
The dog said, "Ask the dog, Geoff's dog".
Simple , really...
If he says he is , then so be it.
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