How To Help People Breathe

Christian, you were raised with Christ. That’s a big deal! 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. I bet you’ve felt it.

There have been many times where, burdened by the things and situations of this world, I began feeling like I couldn’t breathe. Have you ever had that? With the pressure getting to me, never once have I felt better by simply working harder. That has often, however, been the temptation. What always saved me and what saves me today is the air of my homeland—the gospel, the truth about God and the truth about me with Him, which the Holy Spirit uses to sort of oxygenate my blood. I’m revived, I feel much better because I’m breathing fresh air again, the air of heaven. That’s my air. I bet it’s yours, too.

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 http://lifecourse.org/Recommends.html.)

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 wetsuit removed—not needed—and take my first big breath. I know I’ll recognize the air.

(This is a transcript of yesterday’s video, “How To Help People Breathe,” and is for those who might rather read than watch. To see the video, click http://youtu.be/_mja076v0XU.)