Matters of Life and Death

S - "Just as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so the Son gives life to anyone he wants to. The Father doesn’t judge anyone, but he has made his Son the judge of everyone. … You search the Scriptures, because you think you will find eternal life in them. The Scriptures tell about me, but you refuse to come to me for life. … Don’t think that I will be the one to accuse you to the Father. You have put your hope in Moses, yet he is the very one who will accuse you. Moses wrote about me, and if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me." John 5 TS

O - Since eternal life is a person (Jesus) and not an asset one secures against future unavoidable liabilities the instruction given takes on a remarkably relational context and purpose.  Eternal life, real, vibrant, death defying, irrepressible and refreshing starts now, not merely in concept but in personal exchange and transformation.  The call to eternal life is the call to Jesus and he is all about daily, ongoing relationship unto ongoing points of expression and change.

A - The purpose of the Scriptures, according to Jesus, is to tell (testify) about him so that we would come to him. He is heaven’s only point and our only hope. Life, grace, safety, hope, strength, wisdom, etc. are in him not in words, promises or principles. The humans who planned and demanded his unjust and undeserved crucifixion were those who regularly read Scripture, prayed daily and rarely missed a worship service. Today’s (and any day’s) reading, praying, worship have only one purpose. I will accept and live this out loud verse by verse, prayer by prayer and in each action of worship.

P - Lord who is life,
I am so very grateful that you alone are the purpose and the point … and you call the whole world to follow you into the life that is really life. Yes to you, to all you already have in mind. Thank you for giving us the great dignity of choosing you back.
All my love to you, Jesus!
Steve