Day 2: The Life

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through Me. “

John 14:6

life [lahyf]

noun:

1. a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul:

2. the course of existence or sum of experiences and actions that constitute a person’s existence:

3. anything or anyone considered to be as precious as life:

~

In today’s verse, Jesus makes a bold statement. He tells us that He is the way, the truth, the life. The Greek word for life in this verse is zoe, which is, according to the Key Word Study Bible, “the very life-force itself, the vital principle which animates living beings.” The meaning for zoe life, however, goes much deeper than physical life; we are not just living, breathing creatures. We have souls, and this definition of life permanently melds together the physical and the spiritual — imputing to us holiness and righteousness.

But that holiness and righteousness does not come from ourselves. So, where does it come from? It comes from Jesus, who according to Acts 3:15 (NIV), is the author of life to all who trust in Him to forgive their sins. I love this thought of Jesus being the author of life, not just life in general, but your life. When you ask Jesus to forgive your sins and accept His work of grace that He started on the cross and finished at The Resurrection, then you give Him permission to be the author of your life. No matter what age you are, He opens the cover and begins to write the most exciting life story that could ever be written, full of characters and plots beyond your own imagination and expectation. The author of life sacrificed His life so that you can have new, eternal life.

Point to Ponder:

Who is writing the story of your life?

Prayer:

Dear Father,

Life is so much more than a physical existence. It’s easy to forget that truth in today’s world. Help us to grasp hold of the reality of eternal life through Jesus, where we can be holy and righteous before God. May we make the choice to have the author of life write a life story for us that will never end. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 Previous Posts in This Series

Day 1: Breath of Life

Lent is a time of self-examination and self-denial to prepare for Easter.

It’s natural to want to minimize these difficult days leading up to Resurrection Sunday, but then we would miss the whole purpose of Lent. We need to pause and sit with all the things that happened during Jesus’ last 40 days on earth. And we need to pause and sit with ourselves too. We need to see what should be adopted, eradicated, improved upon, and otherwise changed to make us ready for Easter.

Prayer of Examen

For the remainder of this week of Lent, we will focus on repentance and an ancient practice introduced by St. Ignatius called Examen. Examen is exactly what it sounds like. It is an in-depth prayer that helps us to examine ourselves. In the process we may be able to better discern God’s will, find God in all things, and enhance our understanding of God’s creation. This discipline should be done at the end of the day so that you can analyze how your day went. Don’t let the words discipline and analyze scare you. The process can be completed in as little as 10 minutes if you don’t have much time. Try to do it at least two evenings this week, more often if you are able.

Here is a link that will take you to the short Prayer of Examen tutorial. It’s a simple, yet effective process. If you want to, you can journal your answers to the questions, or you can complete them without pen and paper. Feel free to share any of your thoughts in the comment section below.

Pray on!

We end the joyous, contemplative season of Advent today as we prepare for our Savior’s birth. Thank you for joining us for this journey. Whatever your circumstances are today, I pray you realize how much God loves you — enough to send His Son Jesus for you.

Merry Christmas!

Advent Devotional Christmas Eve

In today’s Advent Devotional, we look at the story of the shepherds and how God revealed the good news to them first. What can we learn from them in the Christmas story?

If you’d like a bit of background about Advent, please read Day One’s entry. Tomorrow is the last day of Advent. I pray you have been drawing closer to God during this time.

To read today’s entry, simply click on the link below.

Advent Devotional Monday, December 23, 2013

In today’s Advent Devotional, we look at the story of Joseph and his important role in the Christmas story.

If you’d like a bit of background about Advent, please read Day One’s entry. Keep persevering in your desire to draw closer to God during this season of Advent.

To read today’s entry, simply click on the link below.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

In today’s Advent Devotional, we look at the story of the Magi and their search to find the new King. What can we learn from them in the Christmas story?

If you’d like a bit of background about Advent, please read Day One’s entry. Keep persevering in your desire to draw closer to God during this season of Advent.

To read today’s entry about the Magi, simply click on the link below.

Advent Devotional Friday, December 20, 2013