It has occurred to me that we can sometimes get sidetracked by certain faith terminology. In a recent sermon, I introduced the idea of a new Glossary of Important Vocabulary for the faith journey. These are terms that we use in church, but they tend to mean some different things to different people. Some of the terms are pretty hot button and, for many people, reflect the most divisive aspects of church. Let me be clear that these definitions are strictly of my own creation!

·         Eternal life- description of our lives within the life of God                                                                                                                                      

·         Salvation- description of our lives within the life of God

·         Heaven-- description of our lives within the life of God

·         The Kingdom of God-description of our lives within the life of God

·         Abundant life- description of our lives within the life of God

Some more important vocabulary includes these terms:

·         Sin-description of our lives not awake to our lives within the life of God

·         Hell-- description of our lives not awake to our lives within the life of God

·         Death-transition in awareness of our lives within the life of God

·         Judgment-discernment of our lives within the life of God

·         Atonement-description of the process of waking up to our lives within the life of God

            The good news from the Bible is that God's intention for us is to know that quality of life the Bible calls by many names: eternal life, abundant life, heaven, blessedness, deep joy, and the Kingdom of God. This is what faith and the journeys of our lives are all about-not an abundance of possessions or an abundance of money or power; not celebrity or success in a career. In fact, abundance thought of in those ways more often than not gets in the way of experiencing real life, eternal life, abundant life, deep joy, and blessedness. They block us from accessing intimate relationship with God, with each other, and with ourselves.

            The core truth of Judaism and Christianity, and the core truth of Islam as well, is that God is One. There are no gods before God. It is a truth echoed in the Gospel story of the rich, young ruler whose wealth became a stumbling block to his faith. This is a question of faith and discernment. Whatever stands between you and abundant life, you and eternal life, you and fully experiencing your life within the life of God is not worth it. It could be something of your time, your energy, and your treasure that you hold back-something that you don't make available to living fully and authentically. It could be something of your past standing between you and fully experiencing this abundance--some painful memory, some previous betrayal, some loss or grief that still manages to cling to you. The urgent message is that it's not worth it to hold on to those things. Abundant, eternal, joyful, blessed, and heavenly life is yours.

Thanks for continuing to bless me as we journey together.  

--Jack F. Price

To read more by Jack, be sure to order or download your copy of Finding Faith: Honest Answers about God, the Bible, and the Church Today at:  www.findingfaithnow.com or www.lulu.com/buy

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