Life or Death?

"Oh, sir," Obadiah protested, "what harm have I done to you that you are sending me to my death at the hands of Ahab?

A parent’s job is to grow and celebrate the life of their child. It just seems wrong for a parent to bury their child and then live with loss the rest of the days of their life; however, we have had a list of friends who have faced this horrific event. Accordingly, there are some parents that spend their time fearing for their child’s life.

At the end of the day, the difference between living with faith in Life or fear of death is freedom. Those who have faith in Life are liberated from the constraints caused by the fear of death. Those who are bound up with fear of death never really know the joy of living. We all must choose which pathway we will take every day. Will it be faith in Life or fear of death?

Fear reduces and narrows our perception of reality, which eventually leads to the question: “What will happen to me?” To put it bluntly the mindset of fear underscores how life impacts self. Fear erects barriers and produces self-protective behavior. Self takes precedent over God and others. The impact and consequences of fear create chaos and havoc in the way an individual thinks, speaks, and acts.

Obadiah, knew God, but reacted in fear to Elijah’s request to communicate with the king. Obadiah reacted to his knowledge of the power of death the king possessed, which he perceived to overrule God’s rule. A mindset of faith requires the surrender of what is seen in the moment in order to see the bigger picture. Ultimately, the fear of death overwhelmed his faith. Death captured his vision.

The first followers of Christ experienced something similar to Obadiah. They could not see beyond the horrible death of Christ on the cross. They saw their Lord die, which of course seemed final. Their dreams of salvation from their plight died that day. Can you imagine the confusion and desperation when they realized the tomb was empty? Hope had already died. Nothing seemed to be right. Fear took control of their minds and narrowed their perspective . . . until they saw the risen Jesus. Faith reformatted around the power of the resurrected life of Christ.

As God breaks into individual lives, fear of death is exchanged for faith in life and a bigger picture is formed based on the living resurrected Christ. Through Christ, our death has been exchanged for life.
Jesus described resurrection at the Last Supper before the crucifixion.
"I go to prepare a place for you." But Thomas said "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).
Christ explained what we receive through His resurrection:
1. The Way to live.
2. The Truth of life.
3. The eternal Life God has planned for us to receive.
Experience the power of Resurrection.
Exchange the fear of death for faith in Life.
Let the Way, Truth, and Life resurrect the way you think, speak, and act.

Learning with you to focus on faith in Life rather than the fear of death,
Shalom,
Kerrie

(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)