Choose Life (Part Thirty Five): To Live is To Die

You Have to Die to Live

Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” (John 5:5-6, NKJV)

We continue this week with the story of the sick man healed at the Pool of Bethesda. [John 5:1-15].

The prison doors are open, but yet we refuse to step out into the glorious liberty that has been worked out for us. The three rich men [Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31] were oblivious of their mortality. Things were going well for them, so they imagined that is how it will always be. They had not learned how to die. They had no vision of their exit from this side of eternity. Hence, they had nothing to constrain their livelihood.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." (Winston Churchill)

They were living life out of order. They were living life out of line. They were living life, presuming death will never come. They were living life, presuming their soul was theirs to dictate. They were living like they could cheat death. Howbeit, they were, but unwise and out of line. In not knowing how to die, they could not truly live.

"The terrible events of life are great eye-openers. They force us to learn that which it is wholesome for us to know, but which habitually we try to ignore — namely, that really we have no claim on a long life; that we are each of us liable to be called off at any moment, and that the main point is not how long we live, but with what meaning we fill the short allotted span — for short it is at best." (Felix Adler)

Jesus says,

"I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains. Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal." (John 12:24-25, GNT)

Do you know how to die? Are you truly living?

© 2017 Akin Akinbodunse

Links to Study Series:

Choose Life (Part Thirty Four)
Choose Life (Part Thirty-Six)

Links to Other Resources:

Outwitting the Devil (Napoleon Hill)

12 Rules of Life (Jordan B. Peterson)

How to win Over Depression (Tim LaHaye)

The Left Behind Collection (Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins)