I never really had a "life verse" until I was preparing a Bible study lesson back in 2006. Not that I want to base my life on only one Bible verse, but for some reason God put Romans 5:17 on my heart, and it has not let me go (I believe it contains what can be seen as a paradigm for the best possible life--a life with Christ, as well as the worst life that results from being without Christ).
It's difficult to summarize what I'm trying to learn from this passage (and, ultimately, to internalize and pass on to others). Here, we have the ultimate penalty--death through Adam's sin, contrasted with the ultimate gift--life in Christ. We're told we can reign in life. But not "just barely" reign, but "much more" reign. And in this life as well as the one to come.
The spiritual forces of good and evil, our flesh, and the fallen world, all have greater levels of power, weakness, love, hatred, pain, joy, holiness, depravity, reverence, etc., than we tend to realize.
I know (at this point, more in my head than in the depths of my soul) that seeing God face to face should cause me to tremble and fall prostrate. That if I saw sin through His eyes, unfiltered by Christ's blood, I'd be so repulsed I'd have to turn away. That the measure of His love and blessings for me is so great it should cause me to see all the world's pleasures as barely worth mentioning. That the devil's hatred for me and for God is so deep that I should be terrified of his evil, save for Christ in me.
The Bible also speaks of abounding this, always do that, never do the other thing. We read that unbelievers in hell writhe in agony and gnash their teeth. And we see believers in heaven exulting in Jesus' presence amid streets of gold. There is eternal reward or punishment. God burns in anger against sin. He cuts off those who are unrepentant. He expects us to be blameless (which, thankfully, Jesus' sacrifice makes us so in His sight), to crucify our flesh, to do his work with excellence and with all our might, to love unconditionally, to pray without ceasing, to give thanks in all things. God is the Alpha and Omega, He is all-powerful, He is infinite, He is the (only) Way, He is to be worshiped and glorified, not merely appreciated. Believers who truly experience Him bow, fall prostrate, fall back in awe, dance, worship. In him we can do all things, because nothing is impossible.
These are some of the types of "hyperboles" that are part of our spiritual surroundings. We believers should make them a part of who we are, but based on the state of our world it seems we really don't. Of course, despite how dangerous and terrible the devil, we know God is infinitely more wonderful and able to overcome the devil's schemes. We can't defeat Satan on our own, but in Christ we are more than conquerors.
I plan to read through the Bible, and pray to gain a greater awareness of such terms so I can more fully understand what's around us (and in us) so I can act and think more like God intends for His children. But I realize that to reach another level in Him, the level where godly (not fleshly or worldly, of course!) hyperbole is the norm, I will need to seek Him like never before.
As I learn and grow in my understanding of the extremes of good, evil, joy, agony, etc., I hope that through my life, my writing, my teaching, and any other avenue God provides I can, in some small measure, help others better understand as well, and maybe because of it a "much more" life will be more common for Christians in the future. I will be sharing from the Bible and from other real stories past and present. Please feel free to share from your heart as well (but keep it clean and respectful).
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