Fight the good fight of the faith.  Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:12 (NIV)

Have you ever felt dead?  Maybe, it felt more like numbness.  No matter how you describe the feeling, the fact is that you felt less than alive.

I have to admit that I have felt like this before and more than once.  In fact, it is somewhat of a struggle to keep from feeling like this in life.  But, while it has appeared to be a complex matter of subjective feelings brought about by enviornmental factors and external circumstances, it is really a simple problem.  Me!

The problem is that I am naturally self-centered, self-absorbed, and self-destructive.  The solution is to become God-centered, God-loving, and God fearing.  Sounds simple, right?  It is simple, but it is not all that easy.  A great little resource that has been a big help to me in addition to the Bible has been The Kingdom of Self by Earl Jabay.  You can read it online at: http://www.drfry.com/Articles/General/Kingdom%20of%20Self/kingdom_of_self.htm.  One chapter deals with living in relationships as an aspect of living in the Kingdom of God.  Yet, to live in relationships one must be giving, self-sacrificing, generous!

The deadness, or numbness, that I experience in life periodically results from the choice to yield myself to sin becoming an instrument of wickedness.  Wickedness leads to death! (Romans 6:13, 16)  But, in the same way, I can choose to yield myself to God and become an instrument of righteousness.  Righteousness results in life and the feeling of being alive.  In a brief doctrinal summary, righteousness comes from faith, faith expresses itself through love, and love is self-giving.  I just can’t get around the fact that I am most content and full of life when I am giving my stuff and myself away.

There is a well used illustration of this principle concerning the Dead Sea.  It is said that the Dead Sea is dead because it has an inlet but no outlet.  In order for the Dead Sea to come to life it must be able to give what it receives.  This is a great truth to ponder as we move into our Christmas celebrations, and remember the gift and example of Jesus, the Greatest Giver, the Life!

How are you feeling?  I hope you are enjoying the God-life of generosity toward others.  It is my prayer that you have the outlet of a community of faith, a local church, where you give yourself away.  It is my prayer that you have an outlet in your neighborhood, workplace, or other setting where you are generously using this world’s wealth to make new friends to introduce to our King!

Are you taking hold of eternal life right here, right now?  How about sharing one of your stories?