I loving watching people. People totally fascinate me. People also fascinate God. I believe it to be one of the ways God and I are like. One of the things that fascinates me about people is how we try to make life have meaning and purpose. Most of us try hard to do the right things or to do enough things that we can look at our life and call it meaningful.
In Matthew 16:25 Jesus makes a bazarre statement. He says, "For whover wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." I have read that verse many times. I used to just read and go, "Yeah right," and go on.Now when I read that verse I stop because it seems to connect with me more than ever. I think it is becasue as I grow older I want my life to really count for something. I realize the only way my life can have meaning is to surrender myself and I mean all of myself to Jesus. Jesus is what makes life have meaning and purpose. It is not what I do that focuses attention on me that gives life purpose, it what I do that focuses attention on Jesus that gives real purpose to my life.
Since Jesus is what gives life meaning, I decided to look at what Jesus said about life. The first thing I did was to look at the words Jesus used to mean life.
One of the words translated life is the word helikia it means age or time of life. Jesus is simply referring to life as a span of time. I can live 10 years, 25 years, 50 years, or 100 years and my life can impact the world or not. It doesn't depend on the length of life, but on the content of life.
Another word translated life is the word bios. It means physical life. It is simply existence. Every person who has been physically born into this world has bios. Just because a person has bios doesn't mean that they are really living. People with physical life don't necessarily have meaning and purpose. Our existence gives us value, but it doesn't always give us purpose.
A third word translated life is psyche. This word means soul. Human life is not just physical. It is also spiritual. Jess uses this word a lot. He wants us to understand that our lives are both physical and spiritual. He indicates that it is the spiritual aspect that gives life its meaning. Our lives have meaning because as people, we have a soul that can connect with God. When I connect my life with God I have both value and purpose.
The last word is zoe. It means vibrate life. This life is not just physical existence, but real living. A life filled with purpose, meaning, adventure, and yes, suffering. It is a life lived in relationship with Jesus. Jesus uses this word when He says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
In talking about life Jesus uses the word zoe more than any on the other words to describe it.
When I try and save my life I can only experience helikia and bios. When I lose my life for Jesus I will experience psyche and zoe.
God created me to not just exist (helikia & bios) but to really live (psyche & zoe).
In Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls we will allow God through His Son, Jesus and His Spirit to give us real life (zoe).
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
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