LIVING WATERS
For the proclamation of the Gospel and the edification of the Body of Christ
Christ Makes the Difference
When it comes to both living and dying, the only thing that makes a difference is Christ - to have Christ or not to have Christ. Despite the great variety of factors that make living on earth different, the way people relate to each other, their characteristics, culture, race or class, all human beings have the same essential trait: all are on an equal footing before God; all fall short of his glory, at enmity with him, alienated from him forever because of their sins.
Man's history begins to change only when he finds Christ, or is found by him. The great leap in life is not to obtain a university degree, nor to receive a great inheritance. It is not getting happily married, nor having many children. Although these things are part of happy living on earth, they are not the point that makes the great difference between men when it comes to living and dying. Christ alone makes the difference.
Without Christ, a life lived at the height of human greatness is a misery. It may have golden glimpses, and a glorious appearance, yet it is all dismay and shock. Without Christ, a life may rise to the greatest heights of fame, riches, and honor, yet it is only a long shriek between two silences, a flame of illusion between two abysses.
Without Christ, death is even more dramatic. It is to pass from screaming to fire, and from illusion to horror. A person who dies without Christ is naked, because he has nothing with which to present himself to God. He is poor because he has no wealth with which to face the coming centuries. He is wretched, for he has no prospect of future joy.
The whole life of vanity, the game of appearances that make up social life, ends with the last breath. Nothing of what has hitherto been considered sublime withstands the scrutinizing gaze of God. Everything is misery, nakedness, and horror.
Yet how different it is to be Christ's when it comes to living. Though it is not what might be called 'a bed of roses,' all is different. Riches do not make one vain; poverty does not hurt. Small goods given by God are a greater treasure; small human joys fill the heart with happiness. The reason for this 'plus' is the presence of Christ. His precious Spirit sweetens sorrows, and makes the rigor of life bearable. His abiding companionship grants strength, wipes away tears, and his peace, which exceeds all understanding, puts the sweet note on all storms.
What shall we say of 'dying in Christ'? All the light of heaven flashes for him who departs; all the consolation of heaven unfolds for those who remain. The saddest chapter of history closes (for human life, compared to the heavenly, is but a vale of tears), and a new, far more blissful one begins. True life, eternal life, without traces of weakness and dishonor, begins to be truly lived. To die in Christ is the greatest joy, the true richness, the rest from all labors and cares. Blessed are those who die in this way!