By Dwight Moss
Columnist
Jesus told the thief dying beside him that he would see the thief in paradise that very day. If we could step outside of our physical self and receive what Jesus says to us and the world maybe we could see beyond this temporary life.
Listen again to the words of Jesus, The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the spirit and life, John 6:63 What are some of those words? Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you, John 6:53. Now listen to the spirit. Listen to Jesus. Just as the living father sent me and I live because of the father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread, Jesus is the bread, that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread, feeds on Jesus, will live forever, John 6:57-59.
Jesus is leading us, if we will follow him to the place where we can begin to see life beyond our body. We must first come to terms that we are dust. The father in heaven has told us that we will return to dust, Genesis 3:19. This is actually for our benefit. I know that it is hard for us not to say, “Why could there not be another way?” Free will. God did not create puppets. He created living, breathing, thinking and reasoning human beings. If we could just look at the strife in our immediate world, we would know that our own world and our thinking is far from perfect. The world at large. What do you think?
Our father wants a better life for his children. However, he will never violate our free will to achieve that beautiful, perfect life that he desires for you. You must of your own free will choose that life. That life is Jesus. The Hebrew writer says, “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered,” Hebrews 2:10. The pioneer is Jesus.
Jesus suffered greatly and he died to self always being an obedient son. Jesus leads us. He has gone before us as a shepherd leads a flock of sheep out to the green pastures. Jesus is leading those who will follow him through death into a new day beyond death. When we eat the bread from heaven, we begin the transformation of becoming like Jesus. We are now in the image of Adam. Jesus is leading us to the place where we will receive new bodies for the eternal spirit of Christ that comes to live in us. We trade a life that ends in death for a life that will live forever in new bodies.
Dwight Moss is the pastor of God’s Dwelling Place. Visit: www.godsdwellingplace.org.