Wednesday, October 06, 2010

Remember To Breathe


Truth. What do you do with it?

There’s a lot of stuff that’s true: it gets light in the morning and dark at night; when it rains, stuff gets wet; if you don’t eat, you’ll get hungry; politicians want more money. Right?

But what about eternal truth—what do you do with that?

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, . . .” (Colossians 3:1a)

Well? That phrase is worth at least a pause.

When you received Jesus and became a Christian, you were raised. The facts are that you won’t one day punch your ticket and finally be raised to heaven because you already have been. When you and I one day leave our bodies behind, we’ll go to where we already are.

While that might sound odd, suffice to say that we are no longer people of the earth since our second birth was not only a new beginning, it made us new creations with a new point of origin—heaven. We’ve been born of the Spirit, and now have the nature of our Father. Jesus said that in the same way He was not of this world, neither are those chosen and changed by God (John 17:14-16). Not only are we new, we’re from heaven. We’re very much like the beings in heaven, where things invisible to our eyes are visible to theirs—they can see the facts, but we’re learning to live by faith in the facts. We’re learning to live by the truth.

In truth, new Christians aren’t first trying to change and behave better because they’ve got a lot to do, they’re getting their bearings because they’ve got a lot to believe. Get that order wrong, and, well, it’s going to be a mess.

You were raised with Christ. I don’t know why we pray, “Oh, Lord, be with me now,” since not only is He with us, we’re with Him—forever and always. We’re in Him, united with Him, and everyone in heaven knows it. This is one reason why you and I need regular revivals, great awakenings to who we are and where we’re from. Think of it as getting desperately needed oxygen, not because you’re so high up and there is no air, but because your earthly experience is so low down and the air is awful—and foreign. Our interaction with Christians often has a lot to do with giving them the air from home, the oxygen of heaven. Picture a scuba diver many feet deep in the ocean of this world, and you’ve pretty much got the idea of a Christian’s experience in this lifetime.

There have been many occasions where, burdened by the things and situations of this world, I began feeling like I couldn’t breathe. With the pressure getting to me, never have I felt better by simply working harder. What always saved me and what saves me today is the air of my homeland—the gospel, the truth of God, which the Holy Spirit uses to oxygenate my blood. I’m revived because I’m breathing fresh air again, the air of heaven.

That’s why I love the Bible—It’s pure oxygen, baby!—and why I’m always on the lookout for great Christian books and music that fill me with the pure air of heaven. Get all you can—you can’t live without breathing. (See my recommended book list at www.lifecourse.org.)

These days are a foreign missionary experience in the depths of this world, where dangers abound and breathing is at times difficult. But I look forward to the day when I’ll pop up on the surface of heaven, mask, tanks and burdensome wetsuit removed, and take my first breath. I know I’ll recognize the air.

15 comments:

  1. Michael James6:23 PM

    Thanks for sharing. I am breathing better already. Hope you had a nice time with your brother.

    Michael

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  2. Denise Maynard6:24 PM

    So good! Thanks for this, Ralph!

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  3. Steve Bradshaw6:24 PM

    Nice to see you back in the saddle again.

    steve

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  4. Bill Nieporte6:25 PM

    fantastic

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  5. Lewis Gregory6:26 PM

    HI Ralph,

    A quick note from Brazil. Very creative. Thanks brother! This IS the air I breathe—that rarified air of the Spirit. Glory to God!

    Your friend,

    Lewis

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  6. Brenda Gail May Kalas7:58 PM

    I think God sent this to me. The timing is too right -- unbelievable in a totally awesome way.

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  7. John S Tabita8:20 PM

    ‎"We’re very much like the beings in heaven, where things invisible to our eyes are visible to theirs—they can see the facts, but we’re learning to live by faith in the facts. We’re learning to live by the truth." Great definition of faith... the evidence of things unseen (Heb 11:1).

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  8. Christina Wing8:21 PM

    I love this...one paragraph that hit me so profoundly was, "In truth, new Christians aren’t first trying to change and behave better because they’ve got a lot to do, they’re getting their bearings because they’ve got a lot to believe. Get that order wrong, and, well, it’s going to be a mess."..Thanks Ralph for the tag♥

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  9. Roger Massey7:35 AM

    Wow,
    Ralph, you are such a brilliant writer, communicator, translator of these holy, heavenly, eternal truths. Today’s LifeNote really touched me in one of those places that needed to be touched and massaged a bit. Thanks for the breath of fresh air from my homeland ... that is so near to me now.
    Much love to you, friend
    Roger Massey
    Croatia

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  10. Jeremy Ellis7:37 AM

    Hey Ralph,

    Loving this. I have read it three times just so I can try and soak it all in.

    I was wondering if you could rephrase the following paragraph so I might understand better?

    "In truth, new Christians aren't first trying to change and behave better because they've got a lot to do, they're getting their bearings because they've got a lot to believe. Get that order wrong, and, well, it's going to be a mess."

    And thanks for writing this stuff down so I can come back to it.

    You are loved,

    Jeremy

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  11. Barry Felis10:45 PM

    Hey Ralph,

    Loved your message. Makes me homesick for you know where. I was wondering if I could swipe a little of your message for one of my Facebook posts. Excellent stuff! Let me know.

    Stay Stoked, (Surfer Term)

    Barry

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  12. Julie Belshe9:45 AM

    Thanks for the reminder! Right on Ralph!

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  13. Thanks very much, everyone, for your great and encouraging comments. Truly.

    Jeremy, please see today's post for my comments about your question.

    Thanks again, my friends!

    - Ralph

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  14. Janice Armstrong11:56 PM

    Ralph, this was awesome and exactly what I needed to read. Thank you!

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  15. Great article and I love your message. I have been struggling with knowing whether or not I am saved lately. I first received the Lord in 1986 yet I still struggle. I believe the Lord had helped me find my way to you, Steve McVey, and the message of grace. And I know I have not ever looked at grace in the way I am looking at it now. I am very excited about the fact that I could finally understand who I am in Christ and have it affect my life the way it was supposed to many years ago.

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