Do you ever get to the place where life doesn't seem fun? Maybe a series of bad days saps your energy to the point that work, family, wii and House don't do it for you. Maybe the daily grid of work, dishes, sleep, work, dishes, sleep loses it's luster. Maybe a death or a divorce rocks the tranquility of life.
Where do we go with such a life? Some will say, "Hey, life will get better." But it may not. It may get worse, just so you know. Some will give you tips or tricks to make your life better, or at least make you feel better about your mess. "Your best life now: 7 steps to living at your potential." Just so you know, the world has been looking for such tricks for 10,000 years... None of them work.
So what do we do? Is life hopeless? Yes. And no. Listen to Jesus, "The thief (the devil) comes only to steal, kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly" (John 10:10 esv). Not only does life not seem fun sometimes, but Jesus says that there is a strong spiritual force in the world that is actively trying to destroy your life. That should remove any last shred of hope you may place in tips, techniques, moral improvement programs, self help books, or positive thinking.
BUT Jesus came. And he says that he brings eternal, abundant life. Is that fun? That's like asking if childbirth is fun. Child birth, no matter how good your epidural, is not what most people call fun. But it is good. Jesus explodes our simple category of fun. He dies to forgive us of our sin. He adopts us into his family. He removes our shame. He gives us a new identity, an heir of God himself. That makes "fun" sound so trivial. Jesus gives eternal life, on the basis of his death and not our performance. And that is the only thing that matters.
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