Proverbs 2:18 For her house sinks down to death and her ways to the land of the departed spirits.
What can be worse than being dead? I think existing within an empty life, and not living the life God gave us could be as bad as being dead. Having no reason or purpose to get up, would be a terrible daily death. Always chasing the elusive – if I could have that, then I would feel alive, would be an empty existence, because the thing wished for is continually out of reach. I believe having to contend with the knowledge that we are wrapped within death’s grasp and not able to do anything about it, could be frightening and weigh heavily on our soul. Being conscious of the fact that our bodies are in a state of dying, and heading to the end of life as we know it, can gnaw at our consciousness.
The reason we cannot phantom not existing is that there is a deep knowing in our soul that we will live forever. In most cases, this feeling cannot be explained, but, there is an intuitive knowledge concerning its reality. Eccl. 3:11b He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. We know that we know, we will live forever, but in what state of being, we do not know. To think about the idea of being eternally dead, yet living in that state is a hard concept to process. Therefore, these introspections are pushed to the side hoping the mental anxiety these thoughts cause go away.
Some people choose a dead life and are keen on causing others to do the same. Why? I have no idea, other than ignorance of their worth in God’s eyes. Why would anyone choose the worst things in life as a good idea to live by? Jude warns us concerning these people. Jude 1:12 These are the ones who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; 13 wild waves of the sea, churning up their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.
Thank God there is good news. We have been delivered from all of this death and darkness. Our Lord Jesus has taken away the sting of the mental torture that death can bring to a mind. 1Cor. 15:55 O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The blood sacrifice Jesus offered of Himself on our behalf is the soul-saving balm we can apply to our hearts and consciousness. This allows us to let go of the fear death tries to bring into our minds. We have been set free from the chains death once had bound mankind with. The good news is that death, our last enemy, will be destroyed with all manner of evil on that great and glorious day of the Lord. Rev. 20:14a Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire.
We are blessed that Jesus said we who are in Christ would be the light of the world. We are not a dark reflection of the human condition that Satan wants us to believe. Matt. 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. We have the choice to let the light of God’s word lead us into the freedom Jesus came to give us through the finished work of the cross. Our Lord has given us His word, His armour, and His Holy Spirit to make sure we live a victorious life and are able to defeat the works of darkness. The truth does set us free from the dire judgment the world is under.
The Lord has given us eternal life, and what we do with that life is paramount to our living in peace. With Christ in our hearts, we can do more than just exist. We can live a fulfiled life led by the Holy Spirit. We can count on the fact that God wants us to be a living testimony of God’s goodness, so that those who live in darkness may see there is a better choice in this life. Psalm 23:5a You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. What is worse than being dead is not living fully with the life God has given us. Be blessed and live free.
We have such a great opportunity these days to allow the light that lives within us to shine brightly in this dark world
How true that is Ian. Blessings