(unmarked journal entry – presumably luke 7)

i heard someone say the other day that there is a war in their blood. they were fighting an illness, but it was purely internal. their body was trying to defeat a virus so that they could be healthy again.

that sounded an awful lot like our struggle with sin. there is indeed a war inside of us. the struggle between the sinful man and the journey to righteousness is a war, and there is no end to it until we are liberated by death. there are times that death seems like a blessing, usually for people who have been dealing with an illness for a long time, or that deal with a chronic pain or condition that doesn’t allow them to function in any form. living in a drug induced coma isn’t living at all. death brings a true liberation. it results in a restoration beyond anything that our mortal bodies are able to complete.

when it comes to sin, the diagnosis is the same. we cannot, we will not be finished with the struggle until we have left the sinful self behind. the war in our blood continues on until that day, and as Christians, we do not need to fear that day, but look to it with anticipation for the completion of of the work of Jesus Christ in our immortal souls. the physical body is a vehicle, a tool that we use, but they (we) are corrupted. the day we meet our Lord and step into eternity, the war is over…and He will be victorious.

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our new bodies, perfect in their creation and composition, will become the vehicles for our cleansed souls, and then this amalgam that we are, these spiritual and yet physical beings that we were created to be, will be free from pain and sickness and death. what a wonderful day that will be! so, while we do not seek death, we can look to it with a joyful anticipation. it is not morbid to look forward to the completion of God’s work in us, it is not a darkening of our spirits to eagerly await the fullness that is yet to come. but we do not seek death. there is too much to do here, in service to God and for the benefit of those who do not yet know Him as they should, to want to get out early. we are His servants, His ambassadors, and while we desire beyond desiring to be with Him, and to slough off the sin that entangles us, we need to keep our eyes on the goal set before us. to go, making disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son & Spirit, teaching them to obey as we have been taught and obey. there is so much still do be done, so many still to tell…