Dear Church!
God is interested in the way you and I live, and not just because He has standards and desires that we obey, but God is interested in the quality of your life. Jesus said in John 10:10: (NKJV) “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
Abundant life! God is pro-life! He is a life-creator, a life-giver, a life-support, a life-lifter. God wants you to experience Him in fullness.
Not only is He interested in the quality of your personal life, but He is extremely interested in the quality of life you can help others live. I want to suggest three ways you can embrace the desires that God has for your life:
- Speak Life
God’s Word gives life! It pleases God when we speak His Word. Proverbs 4:20-22 says, 20 My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. 21 Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; 22 for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body.
We also need to make sure our words are seasoned with life-giving instruction and encouragement to other people. Proverbs 15:4 tells us, “The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Be generous with life-giving words.”
- Support Life
As Christians, I believe we are called to uphold the sanctity and dignity of every life from conception to the grave. I cannot read Scripture and come to any other conclusion. I believe we should invest in and support organizations that help pregnant women choose life even when it is incredibly difficult. I believe we should be there in practical ways for people who are at the end of their physical lives on this earth.
Genesis 2:7 tells us that God created Adam and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and at that point, man became a living soul. A living soul. What God breathes into becomes sacred and should be cherished. We cannot take the life of another. We must not take our own lives. Instead, we must help people find the sustaining love, grace, and power of God that is sufficient in the crisis times of life.
- Share Life
I love Psalm 68:5-6. It speaks about the loving care of our Heavenly Father who calls us to share life with others: 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families.
The Body of Christ becomes extended family for those who need a father, those who need a mother, for those who need a brother or sister or grandparent figure. Part of our role, part of our responsibility is to share our lives with others who need family and friendship.
Who is it that lives alone that you could invite to your lunch table after church on Sunday? Who is it that needs a father figure or mother figure that you could reach out to in order to help mentor them? Taking an interest in one of our students and going to support them at their game or recital, texting them to check in on them, remembering their birthday or investing in them in some other way as you give them time and attention is so transforming.
