GlobalChristians

Eternity 21 - Connecting to Jesus - Prevented From Perishing

(John 3:16 NASB) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus brings newness, health and wholeness. He brings the life of eternity into the soul of Christians.

And connecting to Jesus prevents us from perishing. Without Christ decay is inevitable. But when we connect to Jesus we are infused us with new life.

Without the life of Christ in the soul of the believer we have to live in our own strength. And our own strength is not enough for eternity. It will run out and we will perish. We will wear out like an old garment, rust away like an iron bar, and decay like an old tyre on a rubbish dump.

That which is not renewed perishes. And the only one Who can keep us alive and new forever is God.

The natural perishing of all things is a scientific principle known as "entropy". This principle means that in a closed system disorder just keeps on increasing. It also says that it takes energy to create and maintain order.

You cannot escape decay by isolating yourself . Imagine a perfect thermos with some hot coffee with milk in it. You open it a week later - amazingly its still hot - but the milk is now off. Even in a perfectly sealed container decay goes on. Isolation is not the cure - only connection to a source of life and energy.

Decay - or entropy is everywhere and includes the decay of information - including the hearts and minds of people. It means we don't have to "do anything" to perish, it "just happens naturally". This means the spiritual law of "use it or lose it" is very strong. If we neglect God, then we will perish and decay - all by ourselves.

In order to stay whole and alive and happy we have to grow spiritually, we have to connect to Jesus. If we don't we will slowly fade away, and over eternity, become a complete mess. That's I think what Jesus meant by "their worm shall not die".

John the apostle knew how powerful this slow natural decay of the human soul is and he sees Jesus as the only real answer to it. Only Jesus has the power to prevent the perishing. The life he gives is imperishable - in fact its eternal.

Our soul is connected through Jesus to eternity and to God Himself. God comes to dwell in us and its His life that gives us love, joy and peace. The life of God slowly orders and organizes the soul of man and brings beauty and order - even grandeur to it.

The Bible says He "gives us of his glory".

(John 17:22 NASB) "And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one."

This means that God improves us in remarkable and wonderful ways through our union with Jesus Christ. We are not just prevented from perishing - we are made holy, eternal and glorious. Connecting to Jesus by faith brings life from God and a life that will change us, for the better, forever.

Blessings,

John Edmiston