They speak to me with new depth and power. I look at life with a new sense of its meaning, since I realize that eternal life was embodied in Christ Jesus, and through Him we share in that wonderful transcendent dimension of existence. He has put all history into proper focus for me, including the agony as well as the ecstasy. Eternal life is to know God and His Son, to experience a creative relationship with them, which, even though it entails suffering here, will result in glory. Hope becomes a greater comfort when one realizes that it never disappoints because the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.
Perfect love casts out fear, and that includes the fear of death.
When I came to accept the reality of the indwelling Spirit as God's immeasurable gift to us during the absence of His Son, the significance of the covenant of grace, as opposed to a legalistic contract such as was given by Moses, became immediately apparent. I was no longer lonely. I never felt forsaken. I could rejoice in the face of calamity and triumph over adversity. My prayers became more intimate, my concern for others grew deeper.