Choose Life (Part Thirty Four): Life and Death Are One

 You Have to Die to Truly 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].

Could this be the sin of the three supposed rich men in the gospels? [Matthew 19:16-30; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 12:13-21, 16:19-31] They were so much alive they were dead. They thought they had money, but money truly had them. They thought they had life, but life truly had them. They thought they were in control, but they were truly being controlled. They thought they were free, but they were truly prisoners.

That which they were unwilling to lose and let go of, they could not have. You do know that is a principle of life. Right? What you cannot let go you cannot keep. [Matthew 10:39, 16:25; Luke 9:24; 17:33] It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. [Galatians 5:1, 13; 1 Peter 2:16] Our place and calling are to contend for this freedom, and not allow our self to be brought back under bondage.

"What you cannot let go you cannot keep."

Life and Death = Yin-Yang

Life and Death are the "yin and yang" of nature. One cannot do without the other. One leads to the other. Until we die, we cannot truly live. For us to truly live we have to die. We have to die to the things warring to hold us captive. We have to die to the things limiting us. We have to die to the things distracting us. We have to die to the things, not in line with our set goals, dreams, and vision.

"Until we die we cannot truly live."

Until we die we cannot truly live. Poor humans that we are, insecure in our own very self and our placing in God, we are rather always seeking to be held captive.

Is that your story? What are you doing about it?

Links to Study Series:

Choose Life (Part Thirty-Three)
Choose Life (Part Thirty-Five)

Links to Resources for Further Study:
With the End in Mind (Kathryn Mannix)
The Yin and Yang of Life (Joseph K. Kim and David S. Lee)