Two Lives

Everyone wants to live!  Even those who make choices that leads to destruction are wanting to live.  It is a part of how God created us; we all want life.

Jesus said in John 12:25, “He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.” (NASB)  The word "life" is used three times in this verse.  The first two is the Greek word "psuche."  Psuche can be translated as soul or life.  It can refer to the force that animates our bodies and it is also the seat of our thoughts, desires, attitudes, emotions, affections and aversions.

The third "life" is "zoe," which means eternal life.  Eternal life is God's life.  It is much more than a quantitative benefit; it is a quality that can only be expressed by God's nature and character.  It is "goodness" and "rightness," it is "peace" and "joy."  This is the life for which we are all created to hunger.

Even though we are all created with this "psuche" life, it is not the location of "zoe" life.  God never intended for us to draw eternal life from our striving to gain life through our personalities, our career choices, our human relationships, or our procurement of "stuff."  True life, eternal life, is His life.  It is Christ's life in us being expressed in our thoughts, our attitudes, and our choices.

Jesus said we are to hate this psuche life.  Of course he is contrasting His way with man's way. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (NASB)  Basically, we have to hate our way to gain "life."

Today, embrace God's way.  Surrender to His Life in you and fellowship with Him and you will express His thoughts, attitudes and choices!

Trust

It is wonderful when knowledge of truth and experience mesh in my life.  The one thing Father has taught me is that He is truth.  He wants me to live out of Him and not out my perceptions or understandings.  As a counselor I see folks responding to their circumstances based on their limited understanding, and this brings frustration and angst.  Solomon wrote in Proverbs 3:5, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding." (NASB)

When I try to gain peace in the midst of my circumstances, I find myself wanting to control all the variables involved.  The problem is, however, I don't have that kind of power.  Let's be honest, most of those "variables" are people!  If I could read their minds and manipulate their thinking, maybe I could control them...maybe.

I am learning that Father wants me to trust Him in all things.  He promised He could give peace and joy in the middle of my circumstances that don't line up with my expectations.  Funny thing is, I'm the one who ends up changing, not other people.

The flesh is my enemy, not my friend.  It is not "Life" friendly.  It is that automatic knee-jerk reaction to circumstances that attempts to get needs met apart from trusting in God.  We all have needs, and pretending I don't, to appear more godly, is also "flesh."  When I am trusting God, He is meeting all of my needs in the best possible way.

So, here is the bottom line; when my experience doesn't mesh with truth, it is a greater opportunity to trust Father for Life.  God knows we need opportunities to trust Him.  There are no greater moments than when our circumstances don't line up with our expectations!

“For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves in order that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;” (2 Corinthians 1:8, 9 NASB)

“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” (Romans 5:3-5 NASB)