Life ~ Living matter and, as such, matter that shows certain attributes that include responsiveness, growth, metabolism, energy transformation, and reproduction. This definition of life was taken from Britannica.com. It describes life as having five attributes.

Responsiveness ~ Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Acts 2:37 . . . To be alive in Christ, to have life, one must respond. After hearing the message presented by Peter in Acts 2 many were cut to the heart and asked, what they should do, in response to the love of Christ.

Growth ~ “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”  Ephesians 3:17-19 . . . Life requires growth. To be alive spiritually one must have growth.

Metabolism ~ The chemical processes that occur within a living organism in order to maintain life. The metabolism is the process of our bodies taking what we eat and drink and turns it into energy for the life of the body in its many processes. Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When your words showed up, I ate them— swallowed them whole. What a feast!” In Matthew 4:4 ‘Jesus replied, “It’s written, People won’t live only by bread, but by every word spoken by God.’” In order to be spiritually alive we must devour the Word of God.

Energy Transformation ~ Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” We must take the energy we receive from God and be transformed. To be truly alive, to have life in Christ we must be transformed.

Reproduction ~ If we are alive in Christ, the sign of life is that we reproduce! Jesus said, “Go and make disciples…” (Matthew 28:19) James tells us to be “But don’t just listen to God’s Word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are fooling yourself” (James 1:22)

To be spiritually healthy, to have abundant life in Christ, these five attributes must be functioning. And not just functioning but working in tandem . . . If you feel sick or stuck in your relationship with Jesus, it may be time to see a doctor, Jesus is the great physician, asking you these questions:

1. Are you responsive to the Holy Spirit?
2. Are you seeking to grow in your knowledge of Jesus?
3. Are you feasting on His Word?
4. Are you allowing that energy to be transformative of your body, mind, and soul?
5. Are you reproducing, are you making disciples?

You are loved,

cj