Life is…

How would you finish that statement? Life is hard. Life is great. Life is precious. Life is annoying. Life is entertainment. Life is a struggle. Life is what you make it. Life is about living in the moment. Perhaps you’d insert a sin at the end of that statement. Life is my sin struggle, whatever that may be. We can tend to allow things to dominate our minds and suddenly they can grow to overshadow everything else in our lives. For example, the person who is deep in the pit, locked in the chains of pornography addiction, hears the world say, “sex sells,” and sees it everywhere: advertisements, music, movies, TV shows. The person who struggles with drug addiction may feel life is all about chasing that next high. The person who struggles with worry may see life’s nothing but fears and concerns; they see all the things that could go wrong and life becomes all about the potential for bad things to happen. The person who struggles with a negative attitude may see life as annoying; life is all about the things that annoy them. Sin struggles can dominate us so much that it begins to seem like that’s what life is—life is the sin I struggle with. Is that really what life is?

“Jesus told him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’” (John 14:6)

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” (John 10:10)

One faithful, biblical answer is Jesus; life is Jesus. He said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In the opening to his Gospel, John wrote that God made everything through Jesus; life does not happen without Jesus. Jesus came to earth to give us life. If you struggle with worry or annoyance or a negative attitude, know that those struggles, those perspectives that steal your joy, they come from the thief. Jesus’ purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life. Life is rich and satisfying because of Jesus.

“Then He said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.’” (Luke 9:23-24)

Once we understand that Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life and that life itself comes from Him, then we must understand what to do with that life in Christ. We must give up our own way of doing things, take up our cross every day, and follow Him. Following Christ means obeying Him and doing what He commands.

“Jesus replied, ‘“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Life is loving God and loving your neighbor. If you find this life difficult, if you find it worrisome or annoying, if life seems to be all about your sin, get rid of that sin by giving it to God. Confess those sins and repent of them, turn the other direction and walk with Christ. Don’t cling to the chains of your sin—let Jesus break those chains and set you free. Life isn’t about worries or annoyances or your sin. Life comes from Jesus and, as such, it is rich and satisfying. Life is about denying yourself. Life is taking up your cross daily. Life is following Christ in obedience. Life is loving God. Life is loving your neighbor. See what an impact this perspective on life can have for you. 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

—Redeemed