“ For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors…” – 1 Peter 1:18.
The movie Beauty and the Beast has a happy ending, But what if….? Have you ever wondered what would have happened to the beast had the beauty not arrived? What would the beast’s fate be if Belle had not happened along?
Let’s just say he probably would not have been selected as the Bachelor on the TV series. Who would choose a foul tempered, skulking monster with paws, curled tusks and a constant bad hair day. But let me ask another what if question…one that is relevant to each of us. Where would we be without Jesus? Where would we be if Jesus’ love had not transformed us from what we were. I have heard hundreds of Christians ask the same question: “How do people make it in this world without Jesus?” The answer Is I don’t know. I can’t even imagine a life without Jesus.
But let me illustrate what living without Jesus would be somewhat like. Cape York, Peninsula in Australia is a huge expanse of untouched wilderness located on the country’s northern tip. The region has a population of only 18,000 people. It is considered to be one of the largest undeveloped places left in the world. Imagine that you are a farmer. The soils are so unworkable and unresponsive to fertilizers that attempts to grow commercial crops have usually failed. Everywhere you look in every direction is isolation. But each day you rise and try to grow something. You work all day go home, and get up the next day to repeat the process. Nothing changes. And then one day, something breaks inside you and dies. You decide that growing crops and your life are hopeless. You get in your car and start driving to see if your neighbor has some advice or solutions on how to grow something, but after several hours you find nothing but endless road. There is no beauty to be seen. You have no neighbors, and what’s worst you’re completely lost, low on gas and water and the possibility looms that you will die out there in the sheer emptiness of it all. The hopelessness of it all overwhelms you. That is a poor attempt at describing a life without Jesus. I don’t think we could ever imagine life without Jesus. Without Jesus there is no peace. No assurance. No true love. No eternal hope. Without Jesus there is no light in the darkness. The Christ-less life is a lifeless life. But thank God, we don’t have to imagine what life would be without Jesus.
Because of the cross, we have life and hope through Christ. The Apostle John said it best – “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” 1 John 5:12
Discussion Questions:
- What would be the hardest part of life without Jesus?
- What is the hardest part of living for Jesus?
- What are some things we can do this week to better live for Jesus?