September 14, 2003 Sunday
Better Than Life

"Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee." - Psalm 63:3

Jesus said in Matthew 6:25, "Take no thought for your life". This command is one of many that we have consistently rebelled against, often totally ignoring the fact that it has even been spoken. God's priority list for you and I is radically different than we have ever imagined; at the top of our list resides our life...at the top of God's list resides the life of His Son. Have you discovered the fact that His lovingkindness for you is of infinite more value than even your very life? God's lovingkindness was perfectly revealed to us through His Son as 1 John 5:11 says, "this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." When our life no longer consumes the center of our thoughts we will begin to experience the power of His life and lovingkindness and we will realize that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) Because Jesus Christ was a greater priority than even his own life, Paul could say, "Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death." (Philippians 1:20) Is this true of us? Most people will battle with their all in all to keep their life, yet few will battle with such determination to truly discover the hidden life of Christ...they have yet to allow His lovingkindness to shine within themselves and they remained trapped in their own life glorying in self instead of Christ. Remember, "If ye then be risen with Christ...your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:1,3) If your life is still visible to yourself and others then you have yet to die to sin and self and the Lord is saying to you, "he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." (Matthew 10:39) Jesus once said, "No man can serve two masters...he will hold to the one and despise the other". (Matthew 6:24) What are you holding onto in your life that is causing you to become guilty of despising God and His lovingkindness? Is God able to use you right now to show others that His lovingkindness truly is better than life?