But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
Ephesians 2:4-5 NIV
Made Alive
The number of Canadians living to 100 and beyond reached a record high in 2021. Some centenarians say getting there is all about keeping your hands busy, having a loving family and enjoying life’s small pleasures. New figures released by Statistics Canada show that the number of Canadians aged 100 or older has increased from just 1,065 in 1971 to 9,545 in the 2021 census. Most Canadian centenarians — 7,715 — are women. In 1971, just 4.9 people out of every 100,000 Canadians were 100 or older; in 2021, it was 25.8 per 100,000.
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I have spent time over the years with many people as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death. I once had a woman who had just lost her husband of many years tell me “I wish I had the power Jesus had when He brought Lazarus out of the tomb. I would call my husband back from the grave to be with me again. Which got me thinking about why Jesus did call Lazarus back – and the answer came quickly – because He missed His friend. He loved Lazarus and his sisters Mary and Martha and Jesus saw the pain that grief brings. In a spiritual sense, this is the same reason that Jesus wants to bring us back from being spiritually dead. Paul writes this in Ephesians 2:4-5: “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved.” Jesus loves you and doesn’t want you to remain spiritual dead. He wants to make you alive – and will do so if you will put your trust in Him.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley