Living in Hope

This coming Saturday I will be ministering by leading the Celebration of Life service of a woman who died recently due to the effects of cancer. I never had the opportunity to meet her; but I have enjoyed getting to know her husband, children, and other family and friends. I have learned of her love and devotion for them and enjoyed stories of times she delighted in spending time with her grandchildren.

Every time I lead and/or attend a funeral, I reflect on two truths. First, that life is brief. Second, that hope in Jesus makes all the difference. Near countless poems, lyrics, and speeches declare the brevity of life. Just prior to the days of the flood water of Noah’s Ark fame, God determined that as compared to the centuries-long lives of the likes of Methusael and Methuselah, the lengthiest lifespan would number 120 years. Now, depending on one’s life situation and health, 120 years will either seem too long or too brief. Whichever the case, 120 years truly is brief in the scope of life and all of time.

Yet the length of one’s life is not the point of the matter. The point is whom they serve during their time. When a person serves God, he or she is living as designed. All humans are created by God to live in His love as we serve Him. He did not create us in order to have obedient workers; He created us to be His beloved sons and daughters who know that true joy is found in serving Him by glorifying Him and tending to our responsibilities.

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Genesis 1:27-28 (NIV)
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Matthew 22:37-40 (NIV)
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And of course . . .
Romans 12:1 (MSG)
So, here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Those who love God and follow Jesus know that when the date that follows the dash approaches, they can rest assured that they will be okay; indeed, more than okay. They will be saved!

#ordinarylives