For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

Have you ever received a gift, but you weren’t really sure what it was? Maybe you knew what the actual item was, but you didn’t know all the cool features. Life in Christ can be like that.

‍

When I got to know Jesus as an adult, I was told about how his sacrifice had saved me from a tortuous place called hell. I was warned about all my sins and the cost of them. It sounded scary, a place I certainly did NOT want to go! Of course, when I believed the truth about Jesus and what he had done for me, I accepted his free gift of eternal life in Heaven! And at first, that gift of Heaven and a set of moral rules was what I thought I had signed up for.

‍

Wow! Was I wrong! Life in Christ is so much more than that! It’s a gift that keeps surprising me, almost 34 years later!

New life with Jesus means new life NOW! It’s a new way of looking at the world, a new way of looking at God, myself and others around me who so desperately need to hear about him! The Message puts today’s verse this way, “Work hard for sin your whole life and your pension is death. But God’s gift is real life, eternal life, delivered by Jesus, our Master.”

‍

Real life!

‍

The “Master” part sounds a little weird, right? But make no mistake, without Jesus you already have a master: sin. Sin has a way of disguising itself in our lives. It makes itself look fun or like something we deserve. Sometimes we convince ourselves we need it to cope. Maybe you just don’t recognize it yet, or maybe you’re beginning to see sin in your life. Others of us are painfully aware of the mistakes and offenses we’ve committed. The sin way of life isn’t life; it’s death.

‍

When your Master is Jesus, your past sin is as far as the east is from the west (Ps. 103:12). You may still struggle with sin, but your bent and aim is to lean into Jesus, not the old life that held you in bondage (Eph. 4:22-23). The baggage from yesterday is shed and dies beside the well that gives living water. God forgets the offenses we’ve made against him (Heb. 8:12) - Yes, forgets! Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, those things have died with him (Rom. 6:6), never to be brought before our amazing Creator again! He shows us mercy, grace and love, and it is this love that propels us to love him and others. This is real life!

‍

Make no mistake, life with Jesus will still be hard at times. Maybe even harder because of him, because now we make sacrifices for him and others. But you aren’t alone – there truly is no friend like Jesus! He never leaves you (Rom. 8:35). Any sacrifices he asks us to make for his Kingdom are SO worth it, because HE is worth it.

‍

So, are you ready?  

‍

Let me assure you, you aren’t. What you imagine life in Christ to be isn’t even close to what it actually is...It’s immeasurably better.

Sweet Yeshua, may we never grow too familiar with or weary of our eternal salvation! This is the paramount event of creation! Please open our eyes anew to this gift and the transformation that it brings to our lives. Help us to pass your gospel to the crazy, chaotic world around us that is clamoring for you, Jesus, without even realizing its need. We ask that even now hearts would recognize and turn from their old way of life and ask for forgiveness, realizing their need of a Savior, for you, Jesus. Let them lay down the past and step into a relationship with you that brings real life! Only you are able; work in us (Eph. 3:20). Amen.