A leap of faith, a Word worth "keeping"

The leap of faith we Christians take is not easy.  We put our total trust and faith into the unknown.  We must trust in what we can’t see to be our guidance towards everlasting life.  Once we’ve taken this leap of faith we should never look back, continuing on at full force and not letting another being convince us that we’ve made a mistake. God is all-loving, and He rewards those who take a chance on Him and believe with all their hearts.

Jesus says, "Whoever keeps my word will never see death." (John 5:31-47). What does it mean to "keep His word"?  Jesus teaches by means of His words, which are a gift to us.  Like any gift, we can choose to accept it or reject it.  When we "keep His word," we accept His teaching.

When someone gives us a valuable gift, we open it, don't we?  Then we may "Ooh" and "Ahh" over it and admire it.  We may try it out or try it on.  And, knowing its value and usefulness, of course we "keep" it.  And hopefully use it as intended.

Sounds simple enough, but it's not always easy to do.  Sometimes we accept something Jesus says, and then later forget all about it!  In the same way, when we decide that a particular "word" or demand of His is too hard for us, or too inconvenient, that's not "keeping His word."

Although it can be difficult to do, when we "keep His word," there is a payoff, big time.  Jesus says, "Whoever keeps my word will never see death."  Wow! What a deal!  But wait a minute!  That means "never see death" in the eternal sense.  It means we will see and experience eternal life!

In John’s Gospel, the Jews, as usual, took Jesus' words on their earthly, human level of understanding, to mean literal human death, as many people still do today.  Meanwhile, He, as usual, was talking on a whole different plane, telling them about eternal truths.

When we accept Jesus' words and "keep" them, we keep them in our hearts, we meditate on them, "ruminate" upon them in a way.  We reflect on His “word”, we ponder what it means.  A good example of how to "keep" His word is His mother, Mary.  She "kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart," after the shepherds visited her newborn with the angels' message that Jesus was Messiah and Lord (Luke 2:19).

You can be sure Mary didn't just jot those precious words down and file them away someplace and forget about them!  No, she must have thought about them often, prayerfully considering this Son of hers and who He was.
Jesus' word, which leads to eternal life, is a word worth "keeping."