Even someone as truly loved and esteemed as the great Augustine of Hippo can leave me saying: “There has to be more than that. If I was to present this (perspective) to a person in the world, as I was seeking to evangelize him–I would not be surprised if he would have no interest in the life of the gospel and the Christian faith.”  Why do I say such things? 

The longer I live, the more I think the question (posed in our title), needs to be answered, (as best as we can answer it).  Life on Earth, for all of us mortal creatures is extremely tenuous.  We do not ever know if we will draw our next breath, or not.  So, one thing we should face right away, is the fact that there are absolutely no guarantees that our lives will be prolonged; and we *are* assured that they will eventually come to an end in death (unless we are alive when Jesus returns in His last advent).

Now, the way for sincere regenerated Christians to view their lives down here on this fallen planet–in the church militant/the kingdom of God on Earth–is *entirely* through the “lens” of the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity.  If and as we do this, we make our existence here not only meaningful; but also, in a very real sense, comfortable and (even) joyful.  Just as soon as we take our eyes off of Jesus, immediately we are thrown into an insecure state of uncertainty, fear, worry, and confusion.

We must hasten to say, that our good and loving Heavenly Father allows us, His beloved children in Jesus, to sometimes undergo extremely hard times of trial, tribulation, persecution, and distress.  But none of these things need overwhelm us, (though sometimes they temporarily do [or seem to]).  The antidote to all of our fears and anxieties in this life is always our living faith in Jesus and His gospel of grace.

The Spirit-filled Christian church member seeks always to joyfully and willingly submit to God, his or her loving Father; to go as “low” in humility and contrition and repentance (as he or she possibly can); and trust God even when He is not “sensed.”  None of this is easy; but it is the life of faith.

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