It's 1:00 AM and I am sitting in the PA Farmshow Complex. While I recently started a new job with Agri-King, a livestock nutrition company, I still work for the state at the Farmshow Complex from time to time. Tonight I have lots of time to think as I make sure nobody steals the antiques on display for a show. I am surprisingly lucid...maybe it's the coffee!
In my last post I reflected on the goodness of God. (And for all those who will meet with GCC on Sunday, it is a preview of what I will be teaching). I think that I am beginning to understand eternal life. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace. This is not some ethereal concept but a practical reality.
I am aware that many teachers in the church world resist the idea that life can be good, that God desires us to enjoy life. They speak of dying to self, of the fact that Jesus said that in this world we will experience trials. Unfortunately they never move beyond the suffering. Jesus did not come so that we could suffer. Jesus did not come so that we would spend our days being miserable.
Will following Jesus cause us to die to self? Absolutely. However death is not the destination. It wasn't for Jesus and neither is it for us. Death and suffering are simply the doorway to the realm of God, a place of righteousness, joy, and peace. Taking up our cross and dying to self is for the purpose of experiencing resurrection life, not just in theory but in reality.
Do not give ear to people who spend their entire life in misery. They have not truly experienced God. Do not be swayed by those who promote Christianity as a struggle to "hold on" until they reach heaven some day. These miserable Christians frequently attempt to place guilt on those who are enjoying life. They are much like the older brother in Jesus' story of the prodigal son.
Jesus came so that we might have abundant life...enjoy it lavishly!
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