Here is a tragedy: many Christians do not experience the abundant and joyful life Christ wants to give them. They may go to church, read their Bible, pray, and try to serve God, but at the end of the day they wonder if it’s worth the effort. They don’t seem to be any happier than their non-Christian friends. So, they convince themselves they are not supposed to be happy; their purpose in life is to be as good as they can while they are still in this miserable world. When they get to heaven, then, and only then, will everything be OK.
I’m here to tell you some good news. You don’t have to wait until you die to start tasting heaven! Did you know that eternal life can begin now? Jesus explained this in John 17:3: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
Not just eternal life, but eternal life!
You are born again (now,) not just for later
Here’s how important the apostle Paul felt about knowing Jesus:
“I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ…I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” (Philippians 3:8, 10).
So, is there any work for us to do? Of course there is. As James says, “faith without works is dead.” (James 1:26) We just have to remember not to go it alone: “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” (Hebrews 11:6). In other words, if you do it without trusting God to help you, it doesn’t count. So, works without faith is dead, too. But when “it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13,) and we do it for the glory of God, we can give it all we’ve got! God is all powerful. He doesn’t need us to do anything for him. But he takes pleasure in helping us do things for others. The same way a parent enjoys teaching their child a new skill or a coach seeing his team win a game. I think this verse from Colossians 1:29 describes perfectly the partnership we have with the Lord:
“I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.”
We don’t work so God will love us. We work because he loves us.
When we really get to know Christ and personally experience his love, serving him is not a duty, chore, or obligation. It is a privilege. We will want to share him with others, not only because we’ve encountered the incredible joy and peace that passes understanding, but because Christ begins to freely love through us. Jesus saves. Not us!
Does God really want a personal relationship with you?
The Lord delights in a man’s way…O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. (Psalm 37:23, 139:1-3).
Jesus said, “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (John 15:4).
The real question is: Do you really want to know God?
I’m finding that getting and staying close to God is not easy. I can’t just be myself or do what’s natural if I want to live a supernatural life. In fact, I am my biggest obstacle. I can’t be filled with the Spirit if I’m full of myself, my plans, and my interests. I have to let God be the pilot, not the co-pilot. It’s not that he wants us to be his puppets. Rather, he wants to enhance and empower the unique personalities he gave to each of us. We can only go so far with our own abilities. With Christ, there are no limits! Rick Warren said, “Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God.”
The kind of eternal life Jesus is talking about is the kind of life we can have right here and now. The degree we experience it is directly proportional to how fiercely we pursue Christ and desire to know him. His kind of love gets us through any hardship, and when we get to heaven, being with him will even beat walking pain-free on the streets of gold. His love moves us to say, “Just give me Jesus!”
Dwell in His secret place 