He is God not of the dead but of the living!

 

Saturday, November 11, 2023


Psalms 28; 29

2 Kings 15:8-22

Matthew 22:15-33


Observance: Martin, bishop of Tours (d. c. 387)


He is God not of the dead but of the living!


One of the great gifts that the Reformers gave to the Church was the affirmation that God protects all the saints, both now and in the next life. And by saints, we refer not just to those Christians who are famous for their love, but for all of us who do our deeds of love without one hand knowing what the other is doing (Matthew 6:3-4). Or, as the Austrian missionary put it: “Preach the gospel, die, and be forgotten”.


We will all go to our death one day; this is an inescapable truth. But our attitude to our death will affect everything we do up to that point.


Some people are very ill, but cannot yet feel the effects. They know they are ill, and they know that there are some important test results in a few months time. But for now, they feel perfectly well. What should they do between now and then? Spend each day in terror and misery, letting the future affect the now?


God is the God not of the dead but of the living – this means that, for God, now is the most important time. Every moment we have that we call “now” is a moment of life, and life is the most potent power in the universe.


We know that God will keep all of us saints alive, both in this world and the next, because He is God not of the dead but of the living. What of the future? Now is the time to live. Jesus said He came so that we might have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). That means here and now is where the kingdom is to be found. As long as it is called “Today”, we live as if we were already in eternity, encouraging one another, keeping ourselves safe in God (Hebrews 3:13).


We have been born again into new life, the resurrected life, the abundant life. Our God is God not of the dead, but of the living. It is called “Today”: this means it is time to get on with living that life God has given us.

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