Truely Life ...

Tuesday, May 9, 2017. What is true life? You might say life is life - with all what it brings. But usually we have some idea of when life is good or when life is wasted. We have some idea of good life. Do we have an idea of “true” life? What is it that makes life true? Is there a false life?

Life Revisited …

The bible has an idea about life how it does not reach its potential. And it has an idea of life which fully reaches its potential. Let us think about it for a moment! When is something reaching its full potential? It is reaching this if it is what it can be. It is not reaching its potential when it is not what it could be. If you build a house, but cannot live in it, the house is not fit for purpose. But what is the purpose of life?

Sometimes humans think that life is reaching its potential when they do what they want to do, when they take what they can take, have as much fun as possible and follow their ideas, wishes, dreames, desires. And life has a lot to give. What is it that life can be? Let us read the words of the apostle Paul in 1 Timothy 6 first:

17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. (from 1 Tim 6)

Potential Reached …

Let us try to understand and explain what we hear. Paul is talking about life and what it can be. But we can miss our goal, we can live in a way where we think we develop potential of life, but we do not. When we try to acquire riches of some kind, this does not help. We follow an illusion - and the illusion leads into nothing!

But there is life which reaches its potential: the potential to live with the eternal God. The potential of life is to discover love, truth, grace. Life is made to love and to be loved. That is its purpose. Love is a relationship. It is something which is on all levels of our existence: feelings, actions, disposition. When we love, we are different.

Life is made to be the image of the creator. We are made to reflect his majesty, but also his grace, his love, his truth, his dedication, his mercy. We are made to be with him, to live with him, to enter his community. Here, we reach our potential - and without him we are like lost stars in a dark sky. (Roland Potthast) ... more texts