May 9, 2004

THE LIFE

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6, NIV).

The popular song says, "I love life, and I want to live," expressing one of the deepest longings of the human heart. The fact is that the great purpose of redemption is to give life at its best to those who believe. The Prince of life Himself declared, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10, NKJV).

Jesus boldly announced, "I am... the life" (John 14:6, NIV). Christ is not only the life-giver, He is life. Life is a person. That person is Jesus Christ. Life is perfect in Him (see John 11:25). The apostle Paul declared, "Christ... is our life" (Colossians 3:4, NKJV). To have Christ is to have life. Ellen G. White said it best: "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived."--The Desire of Ages, p. 530. In His death, He was life manifested (see John 1:14). In His resurrection, He was life accepted (see Acts 3:15). And in His glory, life is shared (see John 14:19). The most precious and priceless commodity in the redemption gift package is the gift of life.

The life that Jesus offers is not mere biological existence. It is life in its perfect totality. It is physical, spiritual, intellectual, and eternal in its duration. It is "life that measures with the life of God."--Sons and Daughters of God, p. 365. This super-abundant life can be derived only from being in unbroken union with Him who is our life (see 1 Corinthians 15:45). Ellen G. White describes this life as "the life which is exclusively the property of God... This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ."--Lift Him Up, p. 261.

My Prayer Today: Lord, with You, life is an endless hope; without You, it is a hopeless end. Thank You for the gift of eternal life. Amen.