Attaining Eternal Life - John 6:40
Wednesday February 17
Attaining Eternal Life - John 6:40 (ESV)
"For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day"
A number of years ago I watched my mother take her last breath. A few days later I was talking to a friend about her passing. In an effort to try to be consoling she said, "it's just part of the circle of life." This feeling, like an electric shock, ran through me and I wanted to scream "but that is so wrong!"
Mentally we know that all of us will go the way of the grave. But intuitively, we know that death should not happen. We all have a deep craving to go back to the garden before sin stained our world. We have a sense that eternity is our natural state.
But, of course, we know our mortality. We get sick, we grow old, we die. That is what we experience. Fortunately for us there is hope for eternal life in Jesus. He came into our world, suffered, died for us and was raised again from the dead so that we might inherit eternal life.
Jesus healed many people of various diseases. He even raised people from the dead. But never had anyone been raised from the dead under their own power except Jesus! And because Jesus died for us and rose again, through faith in Him, we have the confidence of a resurrected body and eternal life. Through our baptism we participate in His death and resurrection, and one day we will experience that sweet reunion we long for.
Unfortunately, not everyone has this hope because the Word of God has not yet taken root in their heart. Through Lutheran Indian Ministries, the love of God is being shared with Native people who are drowning in hopelessness; witnessing sorrow upon sorrow from many losses.
Jesus has completed the work on the cross. Now He invites us to participate in sharing His story with those who have not heard and to walk in love with those who have the seed of faith but are struggling in their journey.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your Son to redeem us. Thank you for the promise of eternal life through Jesus, our Savior.
Amen
Rosemary Sternbeck - Fairbanks, Alaska