Joshua’s bold and historic decision to abide in the realm of life; as he declared, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15); led God’s people into the promised land. Amid wayward behaviour exhibited by people; Joshua reminded them of God’s love and provision in their lives and the lives of their ancestors and warned them of the consequences of living in the realm of death. Joshua faithfully sought God’s face, and joyfully fulfilled God’s purposes for his life and leadership.
The separation from the life of God; (Eph. 4:18) traps us in the whirlpool of anxiety, exclusion, injustice and impoverishment. The fleeting joys of the realm of death destroy life. All around us, we see broken families; the unloved and lonely child, addiction enslavement and oppressive behaviour. These signs should awaken humanity from slumber. The tragedy is that our pride and self-gratification widens the gulf between the realm of life and death. Let’s not forget that both realms wrestle for supremacy over our lives in the here and now; that’s why Jesus came to take us by our hand and bring us to the realm of life. The eternal life Jesus freely gives is a realm of love, faith and hope. In which realm are we living today?
The movement towards the realm of life begins by recognising God’s grace when we accept Jesus’ invitation to turn to Him by acknowledging where we have gone wrong and be prepared to change direction. We need to confront the bitter truth that we both personally and as a society has taken wrong turns and walked in with both feet straight into a death trap.
As we cling to Christ Jesus, in the realm of life; God’s Word and Spirit empower and guide us. When tempted to stray away from the realm of life, the Spirit convicts us, and the light of God’s Word instructs us. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, live in the realm of life and bless others.
Jesus and the realm of life
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