The Author of Life

Jesus is the author of life:


John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.


Every word, every command, every instruction...every correction...from Jesus brings more life. The world accuses God of withholding good things, but the truth is, God gives everyone what they desire. Really!


Even though God engineered each person's heart for a perfect and full experience of life...a life that can be walked out step by step...hand in hand...with Him, the architect of that life, God makes no one choose Him or His ways.


God gives me liberty to define my life any way I want. If I want to define the fullness of life by the measure of influence I have, or the amount of money I have, or the physical love I experience, or the number of NASCAR races I have attended, I may. God will let me...but there is STILL only one source of life.


To define the fullness of life by anything other than an increasing capacity to encounter, agree with (obey), and know the only true source of life, is to deny myself some amount of satisfaction...some amount of the only source of life. If I replace wholeheartedness for Jesus with a well-balanced diet of experience, I am actually missing out on some more bright and vibrant life that is actually available to me.


If I were to desire to attempt to live my life apart from the source of life...the light...God permits it. But, with that desire I get the very real consequences of that decision: a measure of darkness, and the pangs of the slow death that comes with it. The less of Jesus and His commands I agree with...or allow into...my life, the less life I receive. Jesus came to bring life abundantly:


John 10:10 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.


The frustration the world feels is that God will not agree with darkness. Jesus didn't die on a cross so that we could feel comfortable while escaping Jesus' leadership in the areas we want liberty in. Grace is given so I can keep coming under Jesus' leadership, even when I have misused liberty.


Most of the world wants God to stamp their agreement with darkness as "approved" and still give them satisfaction in the experience of life. It cannot work this way any more than darkness and light can exist in the same space. Trying to get darkness to live in the light would be a very frustrating experience...everywhere you move a flashlight, darkness cannot stay! I can't expect to try to marry a life that includes Jesus to an amount of "acceptable" worldliness and not expect to get frustrated!


We don't usually see our choices this way, because we have been conditioned by the world around us to take our cues for satisfaction from the world...but "the darkness cannot comprehend the light."


John 1:5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.


The "world"...the value system that the world has...just simply cannot reconcile with the true source of life. That is why we cringe when we read this:


Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”


Matthew 19:20-22 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.


The kid wasn't just asking "how do I get saved"...He was asking "how do I get the full experience of life (eternal...without limit)" Jesus said "obey the commandments, and get rid of everything that hinders your goal of complete abandonment of me."


The young mans question would be similar to asking the sun how to get a perfect tan. The sun would say, "get rid of everything that gets in between you and me, silly!" Jesus is the source of life. Period. If you want more satisfaction in life, you really want more Jesus...whether you are willing to admit it or not...the source of life ISN'T EVER GOING TO CHANGE!...but the value system you and I are immersed in doesn't comprehend that truth. That is why so many people are frustrated with life.


There is a solution to the frustration:


Matthew 6:31-33 “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.


God has a perfect record of keeping this promise in my life...and I have never met someone who took God up on this that hasn't found it to be true. The world will never say this is a good idea, because darkness cannot comprehend the light, but if I want more light...if I want life abundantly...then I want to get rid of anything and everything that keeps me from getting as close as possible to the source of life.


This is my goal. You reach a goal by running to it. People naturally go where they are looking. You can't gaze longingly at what the rest of the world gazes at and expect to end up closer to Jesus. This one thing life focus is the prize I want a locked gaze on...this is what I want to fill my eyes with so I run straight to it!

Matthew 6:22-23 “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!