We are told in God’s Word not to be anxious, yet in reality, we live in a world where about anything can bring on anxiety. Think of what’s happening globally. With the melt down of financial institutions, and the political unrest, along with the reality that most governments are making things worse, who wouldn’t be distressed unless they are living in uninformed bliss? A city not too far from where I live, is ranked second in the world for kidnappings, with only Mexico City having more.  If that fact doesn’t give you a healthy fear along with a sense of uneasiness, you are probably in denial.

     I know some of you right now are thinking, hey, we are told by God in Matthew 6 and Philippians 4 not to be anxious.  So what do you mean by saying, “Be anxious but do not sin?”  Isn’t all anxiety sin?  I will answer this question in the rest of this devotion, as well as share some insights about anxiety and how to deal with it from God’s perspective.

     Let’s define anxiety from a psychological and physical point of view, so we are on the same page when it comes to what is meant by it.  A simplistic definition of anxiety is: Anxiety starts in the mind when we perceive something as fearful; this makes our body prepare for danger which includes symptoms of anxiety. Anxiety is an emotion that can have feelings of nervousness, being tense or jumpy, unpleasantness, irritability, restlessness, a sense of uneasiness, dread, panic, and so on. These feelings are often accompanied by physical symptoms. The symptoms of anxiety can be so slight you hardly feel them, or so intense you feel like you will die, such as a panic attack.  Fear is very connected to anxiety, because when you are fearful you are probably anxious.  In other words, what is fearful to you (such as your child getting hurt) is your anxiety producing source.

     Here are some everyday examples of anxiety.  It’s those butterflies in your stomach as you gave that oral report.  It’s the uneasiness you feel when someone dislikes you or you think they do.  It’s the restlessness you feel just before a tennis match.  It’s the feeling of nervousness you get when you realize your painful stomach problems are back.  It’s the dread you feel when you need to deal with your abusive father.  It’s the pounding in your heart when you realize some man has been following you in a dark parking lot.

     I think you would agree from the above definition of anxiety, everyone has been anxious.  So it won’t surprise you to hear, Psychology says - if you are human you will be anxious.  Yet, did you know God’s Word pretty much says the same thing?   Let’s go to His Word to understand anxiety from His point of view, and learn how to deal with it.

     In Job 21, anxiety is clearly defined for us through Job’s honest reaction to his suffering, and his hard experiences.

When I think about this, I am terrified; trembling seizes my body. Job 21:6 (NIV)

Job in this verse literally explains to us how anxiety begins and acts in us.  He was saying, anxiety seized him every time he thought about his terrifying experiences.  If you aren’t familiar with the book of Job, here is a summary of his nightmarish experiences.  Job lost all his earthly wealth; all his children were killed all at once; and he was smote with sore boils from his head to the sole of his feet.  

PS – If you do a study of words that describe symptoms of anxiety, you will see how commonplace anxious reactions are in the Bible.  All through the Psalms - King David talks about his distresses and so on (Psalm 55:5).

     We need to understand when anxiety started, so we can clearly understand where it comes from.  Anxiety started with Adam and Eve and the first sin.  We know this from Genesis 3:10.  This verse tells us what Adam and Eve felt like after they had disobeyed God and brought sin into the world.  

And he [Adam] said, "I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."(NASB)

     The Hebrew word – afraid, is the key to understanding where anxiety came from. Zodhiates (in his Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament, pg. 2323) says that two types of fear are described by this Hebrew word: (1) the emotion and intellectual anticipation of harm, what one feels may go wrong and (2) a very positive feeling of awe or reverence for God.  I think it is evident from the context – afraid in Genesis 3:10 is the first type.  Have you ever thought how horrible it must have been for Adam and Eve, to have only felt positive emotions such as happiness, and then instantaneously to feel anxious - fear and so on?  Talk about a nightmare experience!  I know all about anxiety and it still throws me off.

     Is anxiety ever a good thing to experience?  There are 4 areas where anxiety could be called good for us. (1) Anxiety wakes you up to face a threatening situation or gets your adrenaline going (fight or flight). If your house is burning down your mind should scream, “Get out of the house because you will be burnt.”  This thought rightly puts you in a panic, so you haul tail it out.  (2) As a Christian you should get anxious if you are thinking about sinning, or have already sinned. This is because you should have a healthy fear of disobeying God (which Adam and Eve didn’t seem to have).  This anxious fear should scare you away from sin!

For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin.  Psalm 38:18   (NASB)

(3) Anxiety keeps you on your toes, so the Spirit can lead you to do what is right.  Your 12 year-old son needs to take a bath and change his clothes before he goes to church.  The only reason he does is, he gets afraid and starts getting nervous about being restricted for a week. (4) Last but not least, anxiety makes me close to God because only He can quiet my anxious thoughts, no matter what they are from.

Say to those with anxious heart, "Take courage, fear not. Behold, your God will come …but He will save you.” Isaiah 35:4 (NASB)

     One of the main struggles of anxiety is, we can’t always get away from what is making us anxious.  Here are some fear producing circumstances that are not for the most part sin, but unfortunately you can’t easily get away from them to stop your anxiety.   (1) Genetic source: Research has shown some people are genetically more prone to anxiety; this seems especially true for some women.  (2) Medical source: Health problems can lead to high levels of anxiety - such as cancer, lupus, arthritis, thyroid problems, infections and so on.  I struggle with anxiety a lot more since I have been in menopause. (3) Substance source: Certain substances can induce anxiety - such as alcohol, caffeine, legal or illegal drugs.  (4) Traumatic experience source:  Anxiety can be a major struggle in your life after a hard experience, until you learn to deal with it.  A rape victim can have many fearful triggers that will set off anxiety.  An example - years ago, a woman was raped in a park, and every time she goes near the place, she gets a feeling of anxiousness.  (5) Relational source:  Some people you can politely avoid, but most relational sources you can’t or shouldn’t. I have found when some people make me anxious it’s not always their fault, but my sin (such as pride) might be what is sparking my nervousness.

    If you are struggling with a high level of anxiety, it would be a good thing to see a trusted doctor. There are a lot of medicines that can help you, as well as counseling. If you need medicine, it is a gift from God because it helps your body bring down your high level of anxiety so you can deal with it through God.  What is happening when you are highly anxious is:  Your mind and body get determined to get away from the fearful source (fight and flight) that is causing you those harsh anxiety symptoms.  But you can’t!  So it’s like a vicious cycle.  Your mind and body keep dealing with those symptoms, which makes it hard to deal with anything else.  PS  As you would any decision in your life, prayerfully ask God what to do or not do with your anxiety.

     When is anxiety a sin in our lives? All anxiety comes from sin, whether it is our sin, other people’s sin against us, or living in a sinful world. Remember Genesis 3.  We need to bear in mind anxiety in itself isn’t a sin in our lives (by the definition of anxiety).  It is the mind’s and the body’s reaction to the sinful world we live in.  This type of anxiety we will call reaction anxiety. Yet, anxiety can become sin when we deal with our reaction anxiety in an unbiblical way!

     Anxiety becomes sin when we allow the source of our anxiety (or what is scaring us, distressing us, worrying us, stressing us, or putting us in a panic) to control us, instead of letting God control us.  What I believe happens when anxiety becomes sin is, our mind and body are reacting to a fearful source, which is reaction anxiety. But then for various reasons we forget to go to God with our anxious thoughts, or we don’t trust God to get us through whatever is making us fearful and thus anxious.  This scenario becomes sin. We will call this anxiety - sinful anxiety (Psalm 37:3-5 & Proverbs 3:5-6).

     Let’s take a look at a person who has reaction anxiety but isn’t particularly sinning, and another who is. The first person has lost her job and can only make her house payment for 3 months without a job.  This scenario would naturally make anyone feel distressed or worried.  However, she knows what God’s Word says, so she decides to pray, and mentally tell herself to trust God every time she starts to get worried.  The other person has lost her job too and can only make payments for 5 months.  This person knows what God’s Word says, but does not figure God could really help her, so why bother Him. She gets worried every time she thinks of her plight, and feels like she is drowning with the fear of not having the resources.

     Be aware, our source of anxiety (a fear) could be from sin in our life.  An illustration:  My source of fear which makes me slightly anxious is -whether my teaching and writing are encouraging, thought-provoking and growth inspiring to the reader. This isn’t an unreasonable fear, but it is sin because this thought tells me I am relying on my abilities instead of doing what God wants and relying on His Spirit to touch others through what I am doing. Do you see a pattern that lack of trust in God leads to sinful anxiety?

Below are 4 principles from scripture that will help you deal with anxiety! Dealing with anxiety through God’s methods can set you free from sinful anxiety, and lessen reaction anxiety in your life.

1.  Transform the mind - Since reaction anxiety starts in our minds, we must start dealing with it there.

     Since anxiety starts in the mind, it just makes sense that if we change our way of thinking, our anxiety will change.  So as a Christian how do we change or transform our minds to calm our anxieties?  God’s Word! When our minds are grounded in His Word, this will allow us to have His way of thinking about the world and its disquieting and fearful influence.  This certainly will lead us to have more of His peace, which will calm down our anxiety in our lives.

Jesus is talking:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled (emotion that causes the mind to be disturbed) and do not be afraid... I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 14:27 & 16:33 (NIV)

Knowing God’s Word will allow our minds to filter out the world’s lies that make us fearful, and to replace them with God’s truth that gives us peace of mind.  

    >>>When our minds are busy thinking godly thoughts, it will get our minds off what is scaring us, distressing us, worrying us, stressing us, or putting us in a panic, and onto reality from God’s perspective.  One of the world’s lies that floats around in my head is, “You are useless,” which can lead to anxiety.  If I was thinking with God’s truth, I would think, “God tells me in Psalm 139 that I was created by Him for His purposes.”  This godly thought makes me feel encouraged, instead of anxious.

Apply to your life.  What lies of the world do you struggle with that make you fearful and therefore anxious?  What Bible verse could you use to quiet your anxious fear? I have found if I am willing to allow the Holy Spirit to lead me as I read and study His Word, He guides me to verses that calm my fearfully anxious thoughts. 

2. Trust God –  The key to stopping sinful anxiety or calming reaction anxiety in your life is, trusting in God. What you should be doing is, first and foremost, relying on God to get you through whatever is making you fearful and thus anxious, instead of relying on yourself, or whoever, or whatever.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast (supported or upheld), because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

     It is evident that trusting God is essential when dealing with anxiety because of the Hebrew definition of trust. Zodhiates (in his Complete Word Study of the Old Testament, pg. 2304) says trust means – to attach oneself, to trust, rely on, confide in, feel safe in, be confident in, secure in.  It has the idea of confident hope in God and not constant worry.  It is relaxing in the fact God is in control; He is our security and not what the world offers. When we truly trust in God, He will make us feel safe and secure and therefore not fearfully anxious (Psalm 37:3, 5; Proverbs 3:5; Isaiah 31:1 & Jeremiah 17:5-8).

     Let’s take a look at Matthew 6. In this passage there are numerous times God tells us not to worry, but to trust and seek Him concerning what we need.  Looking at this passage should help you to know what to do when you are fearful about something so you won’t get anxious.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear…. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'… your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow (the what ifs…), for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:25-34 (NIV)

     Here is an example of trusting in God from Matthew 6:25-34 so you can zap your anxious thoughts. Our nation will probably have another terrorist attack.  This thought makes my mind think, “Oh no, what if that happens or that or that…how will we get water if the electricity is off in Tucson and so on.”  As I think these things, of course a feeling of fearful anxiety starts pervading my body.  But then I remember what God’s Word says.  So I think, “God knows what we need and will provide it. He doesn’t let the birds die of thirst.  I need to remind myself (moment by moment if need be), to trust Him instead of freaking out.  He will lead us, as we seek Him.” Can you relate?   (PS  He has led us to store extra water and food.)

     When we know God’s truths and act upon them we are then relying on the unchanging and eternal God instead of the world’s ever-changing ups and downs.  God tells us in 1 Peter 5 to cast or throw our anxiety on Him, because He is concerned about us.  We cast our anxiety upon Him by mentally relying on Him and His Word to calm our fears.   

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV)

I believe if you are trusting God, you might still suffer with reaction anxiety but you will not with sinful anxiety!

Apply to your life. Sometimes I am trying to rely on Him but my source of anxiety is screaming in my mind to be afraid and therefore nervous, such as when I gave blood for the first time. (Giving blood turned out to be a blessing, so that fear was unfounded, like many can be.) I want to trust God with my fearful circumstance, but it seems I just default to feeling uneasy or worse. Do you find yourself in the same predicament? What do we do then?  Ask God to show you if you are trusting in Him with your reaction anxiety?  Ask God to show you if your anxiety is sin.

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way. Psalms 139:23-24 (NASB)

     If you are relying on Him, then keep persevering with God and ask Him to help you to calm your reaction anxiety.  God gave me Isaiah 35:4 one time to help me. But if you are not relying on God then your anxiety is sin. Ask God to give you the desire and strength to trust Him instead of freaking out. If your fear is a sin such as, you lied and are fearfully anxious you will get caught, then ask God to forgive you (1 John 1:9).  And ask God to give you the desire to do His will so you will not be fearful over your own sinful doing. 

3. A lifestyle of prayer – I believe the only way you can truly rely on God is to know Him through His Word and stay connected to Him through prayer.  Philippians 4:6 makes it very clear, to stop sinful anxiety and lessen reaction anxiety, you need to pray about everything.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  (NASB)

    This verse is telling us that to be able to deal with anxiety and its fearful source in a godly manner, we need to be people who trust in God enough to talk to Him about everything.  We need to also be thankful, even for what makes us anxious, such as your mother-in law.  If prayer is our way of life along with being thankful, it tends to gets our minds off of what is distressing us and onto God who has abundantly met our needs (Philippians 4:19).

Apply to your life. At least for me, when anxiety hits, it drives me to want to talk to God.  How about you?

4. Our greatest example of how to deal with anxiety is Jesus - Yes, Jesus had reaction anxiety (at times) because He was human. Yet, He never had sinful anxiety!  So it just makes sense to follow His example of dealing with reaction anxiety.  And to also pursue His example concerning trusting God, so we can fight sinful anxiety as it starts in our mind.

     The best example of Jesus handling reaction anxiety is just before He is arrested in the garden of Gethsemane.  Let’s look at Luke 22:41-46. 

And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done." Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.  And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.  Luke 22:41-44   (NASB)

The Greek word agony in Luke 22:44 refers to trembling excitement and anxiety produced by fear or tension before something hard.  In this passage, it is very clear Jesus had the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as sweating.  

     Since Jesus’ sweating was abnormally intense, I believe this meant His reaction anxiety was extremely strong.  This state probably caused His mind and body to be in a panic state, so that He felt like He would die from His anxiety.  As many of you know, Jesus did go on to literally die for us on a cross a day later after much suffering (Luke 22-24).  LINK TO Lesson 3 Love study

     However our God, who took on human form for us, LINK TO LESSON 5 Love BS allowed Himself to experience the worst reaction anxiety a person could experience, even though He easily could have avoided it or stopped it, but instead endured it for you and me.  Since Jesus endured extreme reaction anxiety for you and me… let us run to Him with our reaction anxiety as well as our sinful anxiety, knowing He will give us mercy and help so we can be conquerors in our battle with anxiety (Romans 8:26-39).

Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let's not let it slip through our fingers.  We don't have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He's been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let's walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help. Hebrews 4:14-16 (Message)

Apply to your life. Luke 22:41-44 gives us how Jesus handled His reaction anxiety in a godly manner.  Summarize these verses with emphasis on how Jesus dealt with His reaction anxiety.

    My uncle Ott would say, “I am just going to a pine box in the ground when I die, so why be in a hurry.”  He would say this quite often, and the looks he got were priceless, as you can imagine. Yet as reality is, he got old and developed Parkinson’s disease.  Several months before he died, the certainty of death hit him hard, which made him very afraid.  He was entirely serious when he started screaming for Jesus to forgive his sins, as he rode to the hospital in the ambulance.

    What happens to us after death (as Ott realized) is something we do need to take very seriously.  This is because the Bible says,

 … man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment   Hebrews 9:27 (NIV)  

We don’t get a second chance after we die to choose the eternity we want.  You either live on in a state the Bible calls eternal life with God, or live away from God, in eternal punishment (destruction or ruin).  The Apostle Paul explains eternal punishment in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9,

… dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power… (NASB)

    Do you realize, God never wanted to punish you eternally, away from Him!  He created you to have a relationship with Him (Jeremiah 31:3).  What did He do to stop the horror of eternal death for us?   The God of the universe stepped out of eternity, so He could become one of us, and live, and die for us.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.  Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human!
Having become human, he stayed human (But was fully God too.). It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.  Philippians 2:5-8 (Message)

And if that wasn’t enough, God whose character is completely absent of sin, whose whole being instinctively abhors sin, took our sin, not His own, upon Himself, when He died on the cross.  He was our substitute.  This was so our sins could be fully forgiven. 

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NASB)

    What you need to do to have eternal life in heaven instead of eternal death in hell is - believe that Jesus Christ paid the penalty of your sins upon the cross.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NASB)

    Have you ever thought about what will happen to you when you die? I think a lot of people believe that when we die - we just decay somewhere, or we become a part of some good force in the universe, or become angels.   However, the Old and New Testament teach something very different.  They teach death is a state of separation, not extinction of self, because starting from our birth we are eternal beings! As I said above, “We either live with God in heaven or away from Him in hell, after we die physically.”  Both existences are eternal.  

    My dear friend experienced something miraculous when her mother died of cancer last year.  This happening literally gave her a visible glimpse of our eternal existence.  Below is the story. 

My friend’s mother who had been a strong Christian for many decades, battled with cancer the last few years of her life. Yet, she kept a great attitude in the Lord and lived life to its fullest.   However, about two months before she died her body started to struggle greatly with the effects of cancer.  As the weeks went on she got sicker and her body got weaker until she was like a skeleton.  The last two weeks of her life she was in coma and didn’t respond to her children who had all come to be with her. My friend said it was so hard to see her beloved mother lay there with the only sign of life being faint breathing.  As the days went on, everyone who saw her wondered why she had not died yet.  Then one early morning a miracle happened, her mother’s eyes slightly opened and she started to react to people around her.  My friend said her mother was cooing like an infant who was happy, and would answer them when they asked her things with this heavenly sound.  One of the questions they ask her was, do you see Jesus?  They knew by her response that she was.  After hours of being in this world, as well as seeing the next - Jesus took her, and she left her earthly body behind and stepped into eternity. 

    When we die physically our bodies are buried or cremated by one means or another, but our soul and spirit live on. Of course this means we are eternal.  My friend’s mother was experiencing her soul and spirit living on, and her body becoming a lifeless shell.  

    You might be wondering what spirit and soul mean? The distinction between spirit and soul are difficult to understand in the Bible, but the distinction between body and spirit is clear.  So let’s zero in on what our spirit and body do. From James 2:26 we know it is our spirit that gives us life, because the body without the spirit is dead. Our spirit also is our inner self.  In other words who you are will live on. So we could say, our earthly bodies are a shell for living in this world. 

    Sometime in the future, after your soul and spirit have departed, your earthly body will be resurrected. Your resurrected body will be a renewed body very much like your old one but this one will be made specifically for living eternally with God (1 Corinthians 15).  However, if you don’t believe in Jesus Christ (which is the only way you can have eternal life instead of eternal death), you will get a body sometime after your physical death too.  Yet this resurrected body is suited to live on in hell or the lake of fire (Revelations 20).

…there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.                     Acts 24:15 (NIV)

    Since this devotion’s theme is about our resurrection, it just makes sense we should understand what the word “resurrection” means in the Greek language.  It means standing on the feet again or rising as opposed to falling, also the resurrection of the body from death, return to life.

    What did Jesus’ resurrection do for us?   It is very important for you to realize if Jesus had not risen from the dead, you would not be able to have eternal life.  You would be stuck on a path that would keep you spiritually dead to God (Ephesians 2:1-3).  This is because without Jesus’ death, there would be nothing to take away your sins, or your criminal acts against God (Psalms 51).  This would make you doomed to eternal death and punishment away from God. 

    You see, Jesus’ resurrection proved His death on a cross was an act from the God of the universe, not just a man’s unselfish and noble act (Romans 1:4).  God knew only God Himself could satisfy His own just anger against sins that were committed against Him (Isaiah 53).  Without Jesus’ resurrection there would have been no victory over sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:54-57).  We would still be held in slavery to sin that resulted in our eternal death.

…and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still

 in your sins.... 1 Corinthians 15:17 (NASB)

     Jesus’ resurrection also gives us the hope that in eternity, as Christians, we will rise bodily, just like Him. Our resurrection gives us an imperishable body that is just right for a life with God in heaven.   I do not know about you, but at my age, an imperishable body sounds awfully exciting.  My perishable body here on this earth is starting to get spoiled we could say.  I fight one wrinkle with supposedly a miracle cream and when I think I see some improvement (maybe it’s just the placebo effect), two more have appeared. No amount of anything seems to do much to stop the slippery slope of aging that is a part of our state of death. When you look at your body and feel the physical, psychological and spiritual distresses of that body (I know some of you are in awful pain and are crippled in this earthly body), don’t forget the promise of our new one. It certainly gives a beautiful new meaning to the old phrase, off with the old and on with the new. Doesn’t it? 

And just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.  For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.   But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory.  1 Corinthians 15:49-54 (NASB)

    You might be thinking, do we get our new and improved body soon after we die? 2 Corinthians 5 explains this answer somewhat. 

Now we know that if the earthly tent (body) we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord… We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.  So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 2 Corinthians 5:1-9 (NIV)

There is speculation we might get a temporary body until we receive our resurrected bodies. However we know for sure from scripture, we will be with Jesus, and we will be in a conscious state as ourselves This is because (remember) our spirit and soul lives on.  We also know from 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4 - that we will get a superdupered up, resurrected body when Jesus descends and shouts for us from heaven to be resurrected.

Let’s end with a summary of what eternity will mean to a Christian. The moment you die, you will be looking at Jesus.   Whatever had caused your physical death, maybe cancer, an accident, a heart attack, murder, torture and so on - the suffering from it will be lifted immediately as you enter into eternity. (Truthfully and wonderfully, all pain and suffering and its effects, both the physical and psychological will be gone from you, forever.) You will feel a peace and joy I could never explain to you, because I am bound to the feelings and thoughts of this fallen world.  Are you conscious of your life on this earth?  You bet, because your spirit and soul live on.  You are also more aware and have clearer understanding than was ever possible on this earth.  This will allow you to have God’s perception instead of how you used to perceive people, things and events. Read 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.  Do you see and understand what is happening on this earth? The Bible seems to teach this. Read Luke 15:7-10, Revelations 6:9-11 & 19:1-5.  You will of course be with Jesus, but you also will be with others who have died before you in Him.  Read Mark 12:26-27 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 also 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. (These 2 passages talk about the rapture.  The rapture is when Jesus’ literally calls all Christians into eternity and we get our heavenly bodies whether we were dead (asleep) at the time or alive, to live forever with God and each other.  Hallelujah! 

Life application: If Jesus came back for you today - would you be ashamed of your life in Him, or would you feel you have walked with Him as much as possible?  Read Galatians 5:16-26

   This is the time of year we think about love and what to give those we specially love.  Years ago after my son had gone to buy a card on Valentines Day, he said to me, “The scene he saw was so typically male. The guys, even the men who could manage a Fortune 500 company were standing there with a look of frustration that said, “This is the hardest decision I have had to make this week. What on earth do I buy her to show her I love her?”

     People can tell you they love you in the most marvelous ways nowadays, with the many creative and beautiful cards on the market.  Some even will audibly tell the person you love what they mean to you, and all you need to do is make sure they open the card (no more need to try to be creative).   Roses used to be a costly gift to give but thanks to modern agriculture, roses can be given in abundance.  Now, if you don’t want to bother with crowds (but you will need to order a little sooner than “the Day”) you can shop on-line and order everything from flowers to pajamas to tell your love you love them. 

     We enjoy words of love no matter how they are said to us.  Don’t we?  Yet, in reality it is the actions of love that truly speak to our hearts, not beautiful words or gifts.  Yes, I would be nuts to think we women don’t enjoy and appreciate roses, a lovely card, chocolates or diamonds, but if that gift comes from a person that is unloving to us, the gift becomes just a thing. 

     Let me ask you some questions and I think you will more clearly understand what I am saying about love. Did you have a father that said he loved you, but he abused you?  Did you have a mother that said you were her precious baby, but her actions said the opposite?  Do you have a husband who gives you expensive gifts but treats you like you aren’t there most of the time?  Do you have a child who is always telling you that you are a terrific mother, but says and does things to be mean to you?  Do you have a friend who says she is doing something out of love for you, but what she is doing says she doesn’t even like you?  When words are said and gifts are given to show love, but they have no actions to back them up, we don’t really feel or think we are loved, do we?  Remember that old but true saying, “Actions speak louder than words.”

     God’s love is defined by actions!  His Word speaks of His relentless actions of love that kept pursuing us, even when we were His enemy.  God’s greatest action of love is seen in His Son, Jesus Christ dying for us.   

For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 

Romans 5:10  (NASB)

     God’s Word makes clear what His love is all about. The Bible says “God is love” in 1 John 4:8.  His Word explains to us that He created everything even love. This means that even the need for, thoughts of and feeling of love came from God.  Sorry to those of you who thought cupid invented love!

     God uses the Hebrew word “hesed” in the Old Testament to describe His type of love. This word can be translated love, unfailing love, lovingkindness, mercy, and loyalty.  It means loyal, steadfast or faithful love.  It is the kind of love that would live out the wedding vows - until death do we part.  In other words, it is a love that commits to the person and stays committed to them no matter what.  This “hesed” love is defined by God and His desire to be in a covenant love relationship with us. This desire from God was so great He died so He could be in a covenant relationship with us. 

In the same way, He (Jesus Christ) gave them the cup after the supper, saying, "This cup is God's new covenant sealed with my blood, which is poured out for you.  Luke 22:20  (GNT)

Since this is true, how much more is accomplished by the blood of Christ! Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will purify our consciences from useless rituals, so that we may serve the living God. For this reason Christ is the one who arranges a new covenant, so that those who have been called by God may receive the eternal blessings that God has promised. This can be done because there has been a death which sets people free from the wrongs they did while the first covenant was in effect.  Hebrews 9:14-15   (GNT)

     What does covenant mean from God’s perspective? The word “covenant” simply put means an agreement with a person or group of people to whom you are deeply committed. The covenant relationship of marriage is a good example of what I am talking about. This is because marriage is a relationship where love is.  (It’s not a business type of relationship.)  Covenant in the Bible may be thought of as the committed relationship from which God’s love becomes alive to us. 

     God’s desire for this love relationship started before the world was even created (Ephesians 1:4).  When we believe in Jesus Christ, this puts us in a covenant relationship with God.  However, God’s love isn’t bound by our commitment to Him because we tend to be unfaithful to our relationships, to the covenants we make with God and others. God’s love in His covenant relationship with us is bound by Who God is, not by what we do. God is never unfaithful, He never lies, and He never changes, so His love in His covenant relationship with us is steadfast and everlasting. I know this is hard for us to understand because our so-called love is selfish.  If someone does something we don’t like, then we don’t feel like loving them.

     God uses the Greek word “agape” in the New Testament to describe His love. This love can only come from God because it is an unselfish, unconditional and sacrificial love that is driven by what is best for the person loved, not by the person loving.  The most powerful, the most unmistakable act of “agape” love is Jesus Christ dying for us.

This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.   1John 4:10   (GNT)

Agape” love also suggests the wonderful feeling of finding ones joy in that something or someone.  Hebrews 12:2 tells us Jesus found His joy in us so much that He endured the cross for us.

… fixing our eyes on Jesus,…who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame… (NASB)

     Love is never in a vacuum.  We can’t say we love until we have an object to love.  You are God’s object of love!  God’s love is towards each one of us as if we were God’s only love…

"The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.  Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

     God wrote us a book to tell us He loves us, to describe His great love for us. He wanted us to know His words were true in this book so He backed them up with actions of love for us.  His Words and actions of love are wrapped up in the most precious gift He could give us, His Son.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is the one who justifies; who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …  But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:31- 39   (NASB)

Life application:  God has certainly backed up His Words of love with what He did for us. Hasn’t He? The Bible asks us to love too, first God and then each other (Mark 12:30-31).  Mediate on 1 Corinthians 13, especially verses 4-7, remembering God loves us this way.  Ask Him to give you the desire and strength to love Him and others.