Our Life

‘When Christ, who is our Life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” — Cor, iii.

ONCE I asked a poor French girl if she was afraid to die. She shrugged her shoulders, and said, “Ah, death, death! it is terrible, terrible!” She was quite right.

For death zs terrible in itself, and the second

death (Rev. xx. ) is more terrible still.

And if persons have never felt afraid to die,

I am afraid it shows they do not know anything about it, like a child fast asleep in a

burning house.

But just because death is terrible Christ our Life is precious. This is good news for every one who is afraid to die. Jesus Christ gives us life, not for trying, not even for asking, but only just for believing on Him! He says, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life” (John vi. ). Wouid Jesus have said that, and not mean it? Would He have said that if you believe in Him you have everlasting life, if He only meant that He would perhaps give it you and perhaps not? And would He have said “everlasting life,” if it was a life that you might lose to-morrow and that might zof last? Take the gladness of the good news, and believe that Jesus meant what He said, and meant it for you! And then you need not fear death any more than you fear to go to sleep, for death is only falling asleep for those who are safe in Jesus. It will be only like going to sleep in your little bed, and waking up in a different place, the most beautiful place you can imagine!

But Jesus does more than give us life. He zs our Life. Thinking of Him as our Head will help you to understand this. Your finger, for instance, is not a separate little live thing; it lives because it is joined to your head, and to what a little girl called your “zhink”; and it is because your head is alive that your finger is alive. Just so Jesus says, “because I live, ye shall live also” (John xiv. y. And how long will Jesus live? He says, “Behold I am alive forevermore” (Rev. i. ). So how long will every little member of Christ live? Must it not be “forevermore” too? So you see the promise of everlasting life is sure because ‘‘ Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more” (Rom. vi. ). He died for us, that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him (1 Thess. v. ). Do you not see? If you believe in Jesus, your life depends on His life, and it is “hid” with Him (Col. iil. ). And do you think Satan could get at what is hid with Christ? Must it not be quite safe there?

Jesus, Thy life is mine!
Dwell evermore in me;

And let me see
That ncthing can untwine
My life from Thine. -

Jesus, my life is Thine,
And evermore shall be
Hidden in Thee!
For nothing can untwine
Thy life from mine.