Cody's Corner: Every man dies, but not every man lives

“Every man dies, but not every man really lives.” – Braveheart

“The thief comes only to kill, to steal, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly.” – John 10:10.

Ever since I saw the movie “Braveheart,” it has been my favorite movie.

So, why is it my favorite? I love the beginning to the end. William Wallace suffers tragedy as a young boy and is forced to go live with his uncle, who teaches him to use his wits first and weapons second.

He returns home as a man, falls in love, gets married in secret and then – in the act of saving his love from some guards – starts a chain of events that end with him becoming a leader in Scottish wars against England.

I love the action, cinematography and storyline that ends with Wallace yelling “Freedom!” at the end of his life.

As Americans, we can identify with courageous acts of freedom. I still believe we live in the land of the free and home of the brave, even though some in our country are actively trying to destroy our freedoms and the Constitution.

One of the quotes on the movie poster, which I had in my room as a high school student, is at the top of this article.

This is a quote that has always stuck with me. Every one of us is going to die, and if we are not OK with that fact, we are denying reality.

Most of us do not even start thinking about it or planning for it until fairly late in life. Have you made your peace with being a mortal and that you have an expiration date? Have you trusted Jesus as Savior so that you can be reconciled to God and be blessed for eternity to be with Him forever?

If you have not, the Bible teaches right after John 3:16 that, if you believe in Jesus Christ, you will not be condemned.

But if you do not believe in God’s one and only son, you stand condemned already. This means your eternal destination is not Heaven, where there will be no more pain, shame, tears or anything of the old way. Instead, it will be hell, where the fire never goes out, where you are separated from God and where darkness reigns forever. Satan will tell you any lie so you will join him there forever, but Jesus gave his life so you would not have to suffer that fate.

And I know whom I’m going with.

Jesus says in John 10:10 that there is a difference between Satan and Jesus. Satan only comes to steal, kill and destroy. Jesus comes that we might have life and have it more abundantly. This means life to the fullest possible level when we believe in Him, follow Him and live by His commandments.

If you have lived this way, you know what I am talking about. If you have not lived this way, this may sound too good to be true. Let me see if I can explain some of it.

When we trust Jesus as our Savior, we make peace between God and ourselves. We truly become unafraid of dying because we know where we are going after death. When we deny self, take up our cross and follow Jesus, we find out what He wants us to do with our lives.

This is so awesome because we get to find out what we were created for. I believe this is one of the longings in life that people try everything under the sun to fill, but they will never be satisfied except by trusting Jesus as Savior and then following Him to find out what He wants our lives to be about.

Then, and only then, can a person be truly content. Trusting, applying, believing, meditating on, reading daily and living by God’s Word is another way to live life to the fullest. Ironically, all the studies and research that do not skew the numbers, answers or populations they survey find this to be true.

A good marriage provides so many benefits psychologically, financially and relationally, and it only increases over the longevity of said marriage. God is the architect of marriage, and so it is no wonder why it provides so many benefits. The sinful and selfish parts of us are what ruins marriage.

Spouses will have a miserable marriage if they do not learn how to resolve conflicts, listen to each other, love each other in a meaningful way, handle and agree upon finances, parent together if they have kids, and put their spouse first.

Even if you just live by the Ten Commandments, you will find life to the fullest.

When we are not constantly coveting, as social media nowadays is prone to make us do, we find out that there are so many benefits to being content.

When we do not lie, steal or cheat, we find out there is so much peace from that; we do not have as much guilt, shame or regret to weigh our hearts down and keep us depressed.

When we are still and know God is God, and we cast all our anxieties on Him, we find out that He makes the storms of different emotions go away; hopeful sunrays can shine from the inside out once again. I hope you can see how this could keep going. Will you take God at His Word and live your life to the fullest?

Do not forget the Braveheart quote. Be courageous, fellow Christians.