It has always been said that life is precious, and rightly so, for life came from God. The Bible tells us that in the beginning, “the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” (Gen. 2:7). Throughout history, we could see how God, time and again, has been doing his utmost to preserve life. But as noted by Jesus, life will continue to be threatened because “the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). For this reason, we need to go back to the giver of life to be spared from death. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
In his Psalm, King David expressed his jubilation for the gift of life saying, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:14). Yes, there is none like us. Certainly, we are not the product of evolution. Rather, we are the product of an intelligent design. The designer, as noted in Scriptures, is none other than God. We are told that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27).
Because life is a gift from God, we have to treasure it. Therefore, we need to:
Live in Love. The essence of life is love. In fact, the central theme of the Bible is loving God and loving others. The Lord Jesus emphasized this when he said, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matt. 22:36-40). The apostle Paul laid out the manner of how we love one another. He said, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Eph. 5:1-2).
Live in intimacy with God. Realizing that our God is relational should move us to develop a close relationship with him. This intimacy starts with our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. As we receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, we are elevated to become children of God. In the Gospel of John, we are told: “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13). Even Jesus wanted us to be more than just followers. He wanted us to be his friends, saying, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15).
Live in Freedom. From the beginning, we were created to be free. God even gave us the freedom to make choices. However, the apostle Paul warned, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature” (Gal. 5:13). It must be noted that many are enslaved by sin. They cannot set themselves free, and they do things that they ought not to do. However, it is worth knowing that “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1).
Live with eternity in mind. Eternal life should be what we desire. We know that life does not end here. As a tripartite being, only our body will end here, but our soul and spirit will go back to God. For this reason, we are wired to long for eternity. King Solomon said, “God has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl. 3:11). But who can live eternally? Only he who believes that Jesus is Lord and receives him as Lord and Saviour. In his Gospel, the apostle John said, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him” (John 3:36).
Therefore, let us believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and live a purposeful life. Let us treasure this precious gift of life that God has given to us. Hallelujah!
