Parakaleo - Paul & Donna Cox Missionaries to Africa

REAL LIFE

What is life, real life? Is real life about breathing, being able to move, being able to think or having a certain quality of life? Is real life more about how you live or what you do in life? What is life really all about?

Jesus Picture

The question can become more complex when asked within the African context of wars, famines, epidemics and poverty. What does real life mean for the person who had to flee their home, their successful business and everything they knew because of war? What does real life mean for those in a famine or epidemic? The answer to the question what is real life can be easy in a climate controlled room with restaurants and stores full of food less than 15 minutes away. The question becomes a bit more complex in the middle of the African bush when a family is worried if there is enough food to feed everyone.

Real life is about love. It is about hope. It is about joy and peace in the midst of a difficult situation like war, famine, an epidemic or poverty. Real life is more than what you have, how healthy you are or the level of your education. It is about how to have love, hope, joy and peace no matter one's life circumstances.

This type of real life that supernaturally provides love, joy, peace and hope in the darkest moments of human existence is only found in knowing God. This real life can only come from One who can miraculously transform the human heart.

The problem that humanity faces is that this powerful supernatural God is also perfect. He is actually so perfect that He does not accept imperfection. This presents a significant problem to us. Because of God's perfection we are Jesus Picture

separated from Him. How can God provide us real life with our imperfections and separation?

Since this powerful supernatural perfect God is also loving and kind, He provided a solution to our problem of imperfection and separation. He sent His Son, Jesus, who is also perfect, to live and walk on this earth. He lived perfectly on this earth as an example. Then He took on our imperfections and separation from God when He suffered and died on a cross 2000 years ago. After His death, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day to prove that He truly was God and has power over death and life.

Our response is simple. We either admit that we have an imperfection and separation problem and ask Jesus to help us or we reject the idea that we need help and in doing so reject the help of God's son. If we ask Jesus to help us with our imperfection and separation problem He will. Further, when we ask for this help, God's Spirit will come, invade our life and give us real life.

The promise that God makes to us who cry out to Jesus for help is not deliverance from troubles in this life but help in having real life in the midst of our troubles. One day God does promise that when this life is over, the real life that He gave us will continue forever as we live with Him.

If you have questions about real life please contact Paul and Donna. They would love to talk with you and help you find real life.