Alive

There has never been a man "more alive" than Jesus. Everywhere He went the first time He was here on earth, life sprang up. Blind saw, deaf heard, lame walked, dead came to life...but even more: hearts burned with passion, lives were made new on the inside, and many saw the love overflowing from the heart of the Father through His Son and ambassador, Jesus.


Jesus who is God, and was always with God before the time of creation, for love, was willing to become a man to redeem those lost to sin:


Philippians 2:5-9 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges ; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,


Jesus set a pattern for mankind to live by, if we want greatness for eternity. If I want to be alive like Jesus, He came to show me how. To shrink back from the pattern Jesus established is allowed, but to the measure I pull back from His pattern, is the measure I forfeit some of my quality of life when I do. Because of love, God has committed to free will. He does not force anyone into the fullness of life.


Jesus showed us that the Father, the master-planner of life, has some important business He is attending to. Jesus is in the Family business. Even from the time He was young, Jesus' committment to the success of His Father's agenda was obvious and perplexing:


Luke 2:48-50 So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.


Jesus had so much joy doing the work the Father sent Him to do, He was accused of having way too much fun to be the Son of God, or even a mere leader in the religious institutions of His day:


Matthew 11:18-19 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”


The Son of Man...the Son of God...was so alive with joy as He served mankind, revealing the Father's heart, that people assumed He must have been partying! He was not drunk with wine, He was filled with His own Spirit, whose fruit is Joy!


Ephesians 5:18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,


This measure of life that Jesus walked in is available to anyone willing to say "yes" to it. If I want to grab onto real satisfying life with both hands, like Jesus, then I am going to have to let go of lesser forms of "life"...entertainment that doesn't satisfy...fascination that doesn't last...in order to free my hands to grab onto what Jesus did: seeking a deeper knowledge and agreement with God about who He is and what He is about. If I will trust that the Most Alive Man really knows what He is talking about, I will find real life:


Matthew 6:31-34 “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.


Jesus was simply agreeing with what the Father had already said!


Isaiah 58:9-12 Then when you call, the Lord will answer. ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply. “Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! Feed the hungry, and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring. Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

It takes God to love God. Jesus, show me how to be alive like you are alive!