The Mystery of New Life

 

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:1-7 ESV).

 

I have been privileged to be a part of many groups called in to do various acts of ministry for people that have suffered natural disasters. Some were homes destroyed by tornadoes or hurricanes, others were people whose homes and business were damaged by simple aging. I was always reminded of the incredible gift of life that we were able to give to them with the simple tasks of reconstruction. I was also amazed at the resilience of the people who lived in these places as they continued with life, even though they were severely handicapped by the destruction left in the wake of the natural disaster.

 

In a way, this reminded me of God’s great promises for us. Even before we felt the breath of new life, when we were still separated from God because of our sin, Jesus, through his love for us, gave us the hope of becoming fully alive. His sacrifice for us gives us the challenge of becoming fully alive in him.

 

To be fully alive is to be aware that the life God calls us to is dripping with meaning (even if it doesn’t always feel that way). And we are called to work at living out that meaning in a deeper way every day.