Immortality part 4
Living forever means loving forever. It is something that is incorruptible. Something that lasts, far beyond this mortal time. So I think anytime we act in love--which is charity--we experience this immortality. Jesus gave it to us, so we have it. But its not something that ever starts or ends. It always has been and always will be. The key is putting it on. Letting go of the old, and embracing the new. That's the "battle" that we are to "fight." 1 Timothy 6:12 describes it like this, "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." And notice that we are not to GET eternal life. Because we already have it. We are to lay hold on it. Receive it. By releasing it. Experience it. By sharing it. That's why there are many witnesses... because love is giving. And since living is loving and loving is living... living forever means GIVING forever. Giving everything you have and everything you are. Because you know that you are connected to the limitless source. Its not, "the more I give away, the less I have." Its, "The more I give away the MORE I have." Because, again, BY releasing it I am receiving it. I am experiencing God's love when I love others. Love God, love people, right? Love God BY loving people. And in that way we put on immortality. We lay hold on eternal life. We experience Jesus' abundant, everlasting, eternal, Resurrection Life as He lives it in us, and through us, and as us. We experience immortality when we love because love never fails, or fades away. It (HE) endures. It (HE) lasts. Love is all-powerful. Which doesn't mean MOST powerful. It means nothing else has any power. And, yes, sometimes we use love as a "break glass in case of emergency." Sometimes we use love after we've tried everything else. When you feel like you don't have something, its really hard to give what you've got. But that's why its the good FIGHT of faith. I Ranted not too long ago about how you can believe whatever you want. You can run the rat race if you want to. But at best you'll end up king rat. And who really wants that? Especially when there's a more excellent way available to us. A way in which giving is not the same thing as losing. You can't lose something that is unlimited. You can't lose something that never ends. All you can do is share it. Give it away so others can experience it too. Life isn't about what you've got. Its about what you give. When the Word (Jesus, love) is made flesh God literally dwells among us. What's inside (God, love) comes out. When we give everything we have and everything we are... that's when we experience immortality. Because that's what the gospel--God is love, and He loves you--brought to light. The secret of life is this: You were created to be loved, and to love others with that same love. You were created to share this life you've been given. It is not good that man should be alone, right? We make connections with others... and they don't always last. But that connection that is love DOES last. The people may come and go, but the effects of love last forever. I still remember the way some people--my grandpa, who has passed away, for example--loved me. And in that way he isn't gone at all. He lives on. Because of love.