My old friend Rick Kemp has died of cancer, at the young age of 47.  I returned late last night from a weekend back "home", seeing friends, family, and paying my respects.  I'm not quite sure what to share with you, but seeing that my last entry was about the resurrection, I knew even before my friend's passing, that I wanted to spur us on a by a few reflections about what difference does the resurrection make today, not just on the final day. Well, being a bit tired and with no coherent plan, here's my blog tribute, not only to Rick, but more importantly to Jesus Christ who gives us hope beyond the grave.  

First, we will all die someday, but some of you reading this are already dead today. What I mean by that is that spiritually speaking, none of us are as fully alive as we could be. Now for those who have the Spirit of God in them, who have received the Life of Jesus, YES we are alive. The scriptures make that abundantly clear. Jesus said that "whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life." (John 5:24), and, "I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10). My first plea of course, to anyone reading this is to ask you, "Do you have this Life of Christ?" Is Jesus your very life? (See Galatians 2:20) Now for those of us who might dare to answer "yes, I'm a Christian, I know Jesus", I would then ask you, "how alive are you?"  Yes, I believe that there is "now no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ, for the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." (Romans 8:1-2) Yet the experience of the outworking of Jesus' life in us, how are you doing with that? Paul goes on to say in Romans 8, that "to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." (Romans 8:6). I strongly encourage you to read the rest of the passage! You'll find much there, to show you how to enjoy your life in Christ.  You see, being alive in Christ Jesus is more than just having our "ticket" to heaven, having our "fire insurance" from hell. If, in our lives today, we are not increasingly being shaped by the life of Christ, Paul would say that perhaps we do not belong to Him. I want my life to be His. Do you? How does that happen? I hesitate to suggest a "to-do" list, because becoming more alive in Jesus and with Jesus is a messy, wondrous, and at times, a mysterious thing. Yet, let me offer you a brief word in terms of a paradox. that is, to be more alive, you must die.  God forbid, God have mercy on us, if the first time we "die" is recorded on the date after the "dash". That is, I was born in 1961. Let's imagine I die in the year 2061 (!). On my tombstone you would then see this: Bob Manuel 1961-2061.  Instead, I pray that you and I would die daily, so that we might truly live, so that our lives would bear incredible and lasting fruit for Jesus. Our Lord said, after all, "I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:24-25). In other words, Jesus is saying that compared to our love for the life in the world to come, our love for this world is like hate. That's how much more we are to place our affections and energies in living out Kingdom values (Read Matthew chs.5-7 for these values) as opposed to dedicating ourselves to building our own little kingdoms in this world. Finally, another way to "die before the dash", so that we might truly live, is to give your life for the sake of the Gospel. Be energetic about it. Intentional about it.  The Apostle Paul exhorts us to "proclaim not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as servants for Jesus' sake," and, that in proclaiming and living the Gospel, we are "always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you." (2 Cor.4:5, 10-12).  

When Jesus' Life is our life, when He lives in us, we have something, Someone incredible for which to live! Because He is alive in us now, we are told that we can be "steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord you labor is not in vain." (I Cor.15:58). I love that promise!

I understand all the above is a mouthful! Yet I would ask you to please carefully and prayerfully consider your life. Then, consider His Life, the Life of Jesus. Then ask yourself, "Is He my life?" Do I have hope, not just for this life, but for the life to come? 

Back to my friend Rick. I hadn't talked to Rick for years, yet I have some reasonable amount of hope that he had placed his faith, his life in Christ.  I hope he did, because I'd like to see him again. You see, apart from Jesus, we have no hope for eternal life, let alone, a full and satisfying life today. Rick was only 47 when he died. You might think, "I have plenty of time to make that decision." Of course the obvious truth is that you don't know that. None of us are promised tomorrow. And the second truth would simply be this: "If you are putting Jesus off, you are in effect saying, "You might be God, but in my denying you the right to my life, I make myself  "god". Friend, that's a bad choice. Give Him your life. He gave you His, as we see that "Christ suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God." (2 Peter 3:18). He loves you. He's waiting for you. Won't you/I begin to live more fully today? Email me if you'd like to chat more about what it means to give your life to Jesus and then to walk with Him in relationship. You'll never regret such a Life-giving decision! Rick, till eternity, I'll see you, Lord willing, then.