“For none of us lives to himself alone
and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if
we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:7-8).
What is our only hope in
life and death?
That we are not our own
but belong, body and soul, to God and to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Gathering around His
table, is an opportunity to let our memory be refilled with His sacrificial
gift, body and blood: He gave Himself up for us.
“Be imitators of God then, as dearly
beloved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave
himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
“…who gave himself for us to redeem
us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very
own…” (Titus 2:14).
Which means that we
belong to Him…which means He is our Lord…our Master. There is more to it:
-He is our friend (John
15:15);
-He is our brother
(Hebrews 2:11).
And here things get interesting:
we are together with Him inheritors of all things…and that is His promise ().
Hope is bringing the
(unknown, expected) future into the present;
Dreaming is bringing the
(unreal, made up) future into the present;
Wishful thinking is
bringing the (wished for) future into the present;
Anxiety is bringing the
(unknown, scary) future into the present;
Do I need to ask which
one of these is real, genuine, living…not disappointing?
Therefore, let us embed this truth into our memory: the only hope (worth having) in life and death is that we belong, body and soul to God and our Lord Jesus Christ. In remembrance of Him!