Lent Day 26: A bridge to life

[Jesus said,] “Very truly I tell you,
whoever hears my word
and believes him who sent me
has eternal life
and will not be judged
but has crossed over
from death to life."
John 5:24

The bridge between eternal life and death is well-guarded. Not everyone who claims to be a follower of God will cross it.

 While all of us will die, not all of us will live eternally in God's presence, though he desires that for us. He prepared the way to reconcile us with himself, but not all will choose to travel it. Some will reject it because:

  • we try to balance their sins with good deeds, and so perhaps to tip the scales in our favor and escape the wrath of God
  • we prefer to take our chances, counting on our ability to be a good person and hoping for the best after we die
  • we want to live without supervision: if God exists and holds us accountable, we will have to relinquish control to him
  • our reason can't wrap around God's provision. Because our understanding of God is limited by our finite minds, we don't trust him (=if he doesn't act in a human way, how can we follow him? Although, on a simpler level, would we expect a cat to know what a human is thinking? Or a person to understand the ways of a cat? Of course not - they can observe and react to each other's behavior, but as different species, they have distinct instincts and abilities. Why would we expect God to operate within our limitations?)
  • they outright refuse to believe in eternity or God's provision
  • they have been hurt by life, by their choices, or by the choices of others, and they reject God on the assumption that pain and suffering is "God's fault" (usually without equally considering good things as God's blessings.

Whatever the reason why you may not yet have considered God's offer, I'd encourage you to choose life. Why not move toward accepting God's bridge - the life, death, and resurrection of Christ - today. If God exists, if he offers a way to cross the chasm between himself and us, and if he wants a relationship with his creatures, who are we to reject him? And why take your chances on something so important? (What do you have to lose, except the illusion that you're in control of your own life?)

 A lovely portion of scripture puts the mystery of God-with-us and God-for-us this way:
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:9-14)

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