How much better can life be

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

HOW MUCH BETTER CAN LIFE BE

Luke 12:4-7

4 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

NIV

Jesus is certainly talking about eternal life here. He tells us that we should have no fear about those who can merely kill our bodies. They are only the temporary container in which we live as we are eternal spiritual beings. Jesus is not talking about fearing Satan either for he does not have the power to throw us into hell, he might be able to kill our body but not our spirit. Jesus is telling us we should fear God. He has the power to throw us into hell, the very hell that will be cast into the lake of burning sulfur in the ends days. Those who are cast into hell will then also perish in that lake, that is their spirit will perish. This is the reason we should fear God. Now that word fear which is but only one Greek word can be defined in several ways. The first is to be afraid, to be frighten, terrified. The second is to be in awe of, to revere, or to treat with reverential obedience. As Jesus is speaking about fear, he might well be using that word in both senses within this statement. But the point he is making is that God has all the power and that God knows us so well, that he even has the very hairs on our head numbered. He assures us that we are worth so very much to God. Our worth is beyond counting, beyond measure when it comes to God. There is nothing in this life that should cause us to fear, to be afraid, to be frightened of, but we certainly need to be in awe, in reverence of God, yet at the same time understand how much worth he considers us to be. Living a life of worth in the eyes of God should inspire us to be all that we can be. Knowing that God not only has the power to cast those who refuse to acknowledge him into hell means he also has the power to bring those who are of worth to him, those who fear him, those who revere him, into the eternal life of heaven and thus the new city of Jerusalem upon the new earth, with new heaven. This is going to be a completely new realm, totally different than anything we can ever image. Jesus tells us to not be afraid, God considers us to have value, to have worth. How much better can life be?