ENCOURAGEMENT FOR THE DAY

Eternal Life Is Not Just Glory Some Day

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Located in the eastern part of Southern California, Death Valley stretches for 130 desolate miles. At its lowest point, it is 282 feet below sea level. Temperatures regularly reach a brain-frying 120 degrees in the summer, dip below freezing in the winter, and with a miniscule 1.5 inches of annual rainfall, it is one of the most inhospitable environments in the United States. One might think it was aptly named due to the high number of deaths attributable to its harsh conditions. Maybe, but for me Death Valley is the very image of living death -- life on this earth without Jesus Christ -- empty, barren, lifeless, a worthless wasteland.

In our passage today, Paul tells us "...the wages of sin is death..." But what is Paul speaking about? Is it the death that comes at the end of our lives, or something more? The Greek word Paul uses for death is "thanatos". According to Strong's Greek Lexicon it means: "...the misery of the soul arising from sin, which begins on earth but lasts and increases after the death of the body in hell..." Therefore, the wage of death is paid out to the living as well as the physically dead. One might ask: "What are you saying? Am I just a corpse walking around?" That is precisely what Paul has been telling us: All sin leads to death. A life without Jesus is a picture of Death Valley -- empty, barren, devoid of life and purpose, a worthless wasteland.

For the believer, eternal life begins the day we accept Jesus -- but it's not just future glory, it is also Christ revealed in us today. We can know right now true fulfillment, satisfaction, power, and the victory of Jesus Christ lived out in us for all the years to come. It is the "gift" God has given us. Then at the end of our days, we will stand in His presence with a life approved, because it was not our life that we lived, but His life expressed through us.

Joshua said to the Israelites as he led them into the promised land: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (Joshua 24:15 NKJV). God speaks to all mankind and offers by grace and mercy, the forgiveness of sin through the blood of His Son Jesus, He says: "Now choose." We must choose either death as a consequence of sin (living for the demands of our flesh), or eternal life. Which will you choose? Acts 2:21: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." He is waiting, how will you respond? Act 2:37-39: "When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what shall we do?' Peter replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.'"