And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.  These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.                                                                                                            1 John 5:11-13

          Not long ago, I was trying to witness to a non-believer. I thought I was doing a pretty good job of it until she looked at me and said, “It looks like you are living your whole life focused on death.  I’m living mine focused on life.”   There must have been stunned silence.  Although I can’t remember exactly what I said in response, I’m sure it was pretty lame.  Her statement deserved consideration.

           Exactly when does eternal life begin?  These scriptures tell us we receive eternal life the very moment we accept Jesus as our Savior.  It is a wonderful, glorious gift.  But it isn’t a golden ticket we receive; one that we are to hold onto until death and use to get us into heaven.  This gift of eternal life allows us access to Jesus Christ and God the Father right away.  At the moment of salvation, we are forgiven of our sins and the ultimate penalty of our sins, and we are promised eternal life.  But if we think that eternal life only refers to heaven, then we miss out on one of the biggest blessings of salvation: a life lived here on earth in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.  God did not just plan to experience a relationship with us in heaven.  He wants to enjoy a relationship with us now in this amazingly complex and stunningly beautiful world He created for us.   Once we accept His gift of salvation, God not only lives in us, He lives through us. He desires for us to walk with Him in our daily lives so that we can experience abundant life in Him now.  When troubles arise, He is there to walk with us through them.  During times of peace and happiness, He is there to make those times even sweeter.  As we walk through the good and the bad, we do so in the power of Christ in us.  Our lives are to be a constant witness to the power and love of Jesus flowing out of us to others.  

          Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  If Christ lives in me, then my life should reflect that in the way I live my daily life - no matter who is looking and when no one is looking.

          Do you live your life focused on death or focused on life.  How you view eternal life speaks to those you come in contact with.  Is it speaking what you truly believe?  

          It’s a question that deserves consideration.