Tag: Eternal Life

Devotionals

Missing the Last Piece of the Puzzle

Loring Schultz

Read: Matthew 19:16-22 NASB – The Rich Young Ruler – And someone came – Bible Gateway

“Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.” Matthew 19:21-22 NASB

Photo by Tanja Tepavac on Unsplash

Working on a jigsaw puzzle on your own or with friends and family is an enjoyable and relaxing way of putting away the cares of the world for a period of time. All the pieces eventually fit together completing the work and revealing the final product. The rewards are not only the finished product, but what was accomplished along the way. How many times have you got near the end of working your puzzle and realized you do not have all the pieces to complete it, in fact you’re missing only one piece. The last piece making it complete.

Our lives are like a giant jigsaw puzzle with the pieces falling into place throughout the years. For many of us there is a sense of urgency to feel complete in our lives. Despite what successes we may have there is this feeling that there is a piece missing making us incomplete. This feeling is two-fold, first of all we are created in the image of God, and whether we admit it or not, there is a longing to be united with our creator, and second we are created as spiritual beings with an eternal soul, meaning after this life is over we live on, and how can we know where that will be. For our lives to be complete in this life and the next, we need the missing last piece of the puzzle.

The gospel of Matthew records the story of a rich young ruler who asks Jesus what good thing he can do to obtain eternal life. He was looking for the missing piece. Having kept all the commandments so he thought, there must be something missing, he felt incomplete. Jesus wastes no time in answering him, telling him to sell all that he has, give the proceeds to the poor, and then follow Him. The young ruler was devastated by Jesus’s answer. His yearning to find the missing piece to his feeling of emptiness was put aside in place of his present day wealth.

Jesus’s instructions are clear, both to the rich young ruler and to us today. The thought is, there must be something else we can do to please the Lord and earn our Salvation. We are good people. We obey most of the ten commandants, and are kind to our neighbors, but we still feel incomplete. What is the missing last piece of the puzzle? It is Christ alone, accepting Him as our Savior and loving Him more than all our earthly possessions. Have you found your missing last piece of the puzzle?

Devotionals

Hope in the Resurrection          

Loring Schultz

Read: John 11:20-27 NLT – When Martha got word that Jesus was – Bible Gateway

“And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.” 1 Corinthians 6:14 NLT

FreeBibleimages.org

The passing of a loved one for those who do not know Christ causes a sadness that is not relieved by any hope. Life has come to an end which creates uncertainty as to what’s next. For one with no assurance of salvation and the certainty of eternity there is no hope that comforts the soul. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying.” (Jn.11:25 nlt)

Jesus confirmed He is the resurrection and the life by rising from the dead that first Easter morning. Some people doubt the resurrection of Christ. In our text reading today Martha was shaken by her brother’s, Lazurus, death. Jesus comforted her with these words as He knew what He would do in raising her brother from the dead. He had the power to raise Lazurus from the dead and He has the power to raise us at His glorious return. However, we don’t need to wait until that day until we meet Jesus and have eternal life. Paul tells us when we are separated from our bodies in death, we are in the present of the Lord. “Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.” (2Cor.5:8 nlt)

The resurrection of Christ is our hope of eternal life. He defeated death. He defeated Satan. His resurrection assures us as He lives, so all who trust in Him will also live. Jesus was raised in power by the Holy Spirit, and that same Spirit will raise up each of us who know Him as savior uniting our dead bodies with our eternal souls. We will then have new glorified bodies as we enter the kingdom of God. So, don’t doubt Jesus’ resurrection, it is our only hope of eternal life.

Devotionals

Assurance of Eternal Life

Loring Schultz

Read: 1 Peter 1:18-25 NLT – For you know that God paid a ransom to – Bible Gateway

“For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God.” 1 Peter 1:23 NLT

Photo by Chris Liu on Pexels.com

Some Christians struggle with the possibility that they could lose their salvation and eternal life. The Bible has several verses that can ease those unfriendly thoughts. In Peter’s letter to Gentile and Jewish believers he quotes from Isaiah to illustrate the power of the Word of God to renew souls unto the Lord, the Word that lasts forever. ‘“But the word of the Lord remains forever.’ And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.” (1Pt.1:25 nlt)

A person is saved as they are drawn by God through the Holy Spirit to Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said, “For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me.” (Jn.6:44 nlt) And Paul writes in Titus, “ he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” (Titus 3:5 nlt) Peter is expressing in 1 Peter the importance of the Word of God in salvation. The Bible points us to look at ourselves as sinners in need of repentance and belief in Christ. He is leading us to the Word of God, which contains the good news of the gospel.

Peter says in our text verse those who are born again now have a life that will last forever. The Holy Spirit uses the eternal living Word of God to convict us of our need of salvation. The ‘forever’ Word of God clearly defines the good news of salvation through Jesus. We can be sure as the Word of God will last forever, our salvation in the Lord will last forever. No worries.

A Christian Perspective

In the beginning of eternity

Loring Schultz

Everything has a beginning; your life, a relationship, a new year, a new school year, a semester, a job, an idea leading to a new consumer product, even this essay. Everything has a beginning to point to. Unfortunately, everything also has an ending, after all, nothing last forever, but ‘not quite.’ 

Photo by Rene Terp on Pexels.com

The most recognizable quote of ‘in the beginning’ is in the Scriptures of the Holy Bible. Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The earth and all of the universe had a beginning. There was a time when the universe did not exist but then came into being. This is not a debate as to the origins of the planets and the universe, this view is to be understood God created in the beginning, in the beginning of our time.

What exactly is ‘our time?’ NASA’s explanation of the universe is as follows, “The universe is everything. It includes all of space, and all the matter and energy that space contains. It even includes time itself and, of course, it includes you.” (1) Our time began when God created the universe, when He created all of space, matter, and energy. Our time began when God created man in His image, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Gen.1:27 nkjv) We had a beginning.

While we had a beginning, our creator had no beginning. There is no time in which God did not exist. The prophet Isaiah wrote, “Who has done such mighty deeds, summoning each new generation from the beginning of time? It is I, the LORD, the First and the Last. I alone am he.” (Is.41:4 nlt) Identifying Himself as the ‘First and the Last’ constitutes God existed before the universe began and will be around after it is gone. Jesus, God the Son, also identifies as the ‘First and the Last’ in the book of Revelation for He said “I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last.” (Rev.1:11 nlt)

While we contemplate our lives having a beginning and an end, it is often hard, if not impossible, to understand God who never had a beginning and will never have an end. Don’t even try, it can’t be done. It is accepted only through faith in the God of the Bible. Once we have accepted God, His true Word, and Jesus Christ His Son for salvation it becomes clear that God is from eternity past and future, although we still can’t understand it. But this should also be a great comfort to us for He has all things under control and knows our deepest needs both now and in the future. He was there in our beginning and will be there in our end and this is where the ‘not quite’ comes in.

Everything will certainly come to an end one day, except for a couple of things; the triune God, His Word, and the souls of people. We may have had a beginning in this life, but we were created with a body and a soul. The body will come to an end due to our sin nature, but our soul lives on into eternity. Those who have confessed and repented of their sin accepting Christ as Savior will spend eternity in the new heaven and the new earth, those who have rejected Christ will spend eternity in the lake of fire with Satan and his demons. “Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever……And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev.20:10, 15 nlt)

Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels.com

When you were born, you were born for eternity. Your body will die, but your soul will live on. You are living in the beginning of eternity. Where will you be living when your earthly life has ended? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (Jn.14:6 nlt) The time is now to make the choice where you will spend eternity while you are still living ‘in the beginning.’

(1) https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/what-is-an-exoplanet/what-is-the-universe/

Devotionals

The Future Resurrection 

Loring Schultz

Read: John 5:25-29 NLT – “And I assure you that the time is – Bible Gateway

“Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.” Daniel 12:2 NLT

Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com

The Bible speaks of a future resurrection of the dead in several places. Jesus, Himself referred to this in the gospel of John. “Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all the dead in their graves will hear the voice of God’s Son, and they will rise again. Those who have done good will rise to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in evil will rise to experience judgment.” (Jn.5:28-29 nlt)

Jesus confirms there will a future resurrection of the dead. That includes everyone. Those who have died in the Lord and those unsaved at the time of their death. It is true that those in Christ at their death are in the presence of the Lord, and those outside of Christ are in eternal punishment. (Lk.16:23-24) But Scripture is clear, our physical bodies will be raised from the dead to face final judgement. This is not only a New Testament reference but is noted in the Old Testament as well. In Daniel chapter 12 it says, “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting disgrace.” (Dan.12:2 nlt) Sounds a lot like Jesus’ words.

So, in the future resurrection of the dead, what will be your status? Will you be granted eternal life with Christ or will you stand in judgement and be condemned for all eternity. You can be certain where you’ll stand, but you need to make that decision in this lifetime. There are no second chances at the future resurrection. Today is the day of salvation. “And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Rev.20:15 nlt)

Devotionals

God’s Promise of Eternal Life  

Loring Schultz

“This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life.” 1 John 2:25 NASB

Photo by wisconsinpictures on Unsplash
 

Do you know the number of promises God has given to us in the Bible? I did not. To me they are countless, but there is an actual number. Whether any human being could count them all and be accurate I’m not sure, but what I do know is that God knows the exact number for they are His promises. Many Biblical scholars put the number at 7,487 promises of God found in Scripture. So, I’ll go with that. God is not a God that He should lie. When God makes a promise, He sees it through. The responsibility now falls on us, do we believe His promises?

Of all the promises God has made, perhaps the greatest is His promise of eternal life. “This is the promise which He Himself made to us: eternal life…..And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.” (1Jn.2:25, 5:11 nasb) If you believe there is a God, then you should believe He is not a deceiver and would not lie. What He promises will come about, because He Himself is God. He has promised those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, will have eternal life.

The only sure thing we can count on in this world is the promises of God as recorded in Scripture. As noted, there are many to read about in His Word and be encouraged, but we need to take first things first. The first promise of God for us to learn is His love for us and His salvation plan through Jesus Christ that guarantees us eternal life. Every one of His promises is true but let us start with the most important one. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (Jn.3:16 nasb)

Devotionals

Sin’s Deadly Destruction

Loring Schultz

‘“Repent and turn from your sins. Don’t let them destroy you! Put all your rebellion behind you and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel? I don’t want you to die,’ says the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn back and live!’” Ezekiel 18:30b-32 NLT

Photo by Rhodi Lopez on Unsplash

Sin has a way of ruining our lives. You can bet, if you’re involved in some illegal activity long enough, you’ll get caught and pay the price. Illicit sexual behavior will result in broken homes, broken relationships and broken individuals. Habitual lying disgraces your reputation where you can’t be trusted even when you are telling the truth in an urgent manner. Yes, sin is known to ruin us, for the author of sin is Satan, the father of lies and all things contrary to God.

The prophet Ezekiel prophesized to the remaining people left in Judah to repent of their sins as they were about to be destroyed by the Babylonians. There was still a chance for them to escape the same fate their predecessors faced if they repented their sins and turned to the Lord. The Lord speaking through Ezekiel says, “Put all your rebellion behind you, and find yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die, O people of Israel?” (Ez.18:31 nlt) A holy God must judge sin, and the people of Israel were guilty on all counts, and judgement was coming. But God also said, ‘“I don’t want you to die, says,’ the Sovereign LORD. ‘Turn back and live!’” (Ez.18:32 nlt)

The Lord God gives us the same message today, ‘I don’t want you to die, turn back and live!’ God is a merciful, just and holy God, and because He is just and holy, He must judge sin. “For the wages of sin is death.” (Ro.6:23a nlt) All of us die physically due to our sin nature. Our spiritual death is just payment for our sins and rejecting Christ as savior.  But God is also a merciful God who does not want us to die spiritually and be separated from Him, but to turn to His Son Jesus and live eternally. “But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ro.6:23b nlt)

Sin does have a way of ruining lives, and if not dealt with can bring about deadly destruction and even an early death. But even more tragic is the deadly destruction of your soul if you haven’t repented and accepted Christ as your savior There will be an eternal separation of spiritual death from God the Father and eternity in heaven. Don’t go another day without making it right with the Lord, He wants you to live.

Find Peace with God | Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

Devotionals

Living with an Eye on Eternity

Loring Schultz

“He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior. Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” Titus 3:5-7 NLT

Photo by Victor Freitas on Pexels.com

People are always looking for something to better their life. It may be a move to a more desirable neighborhood. A change in vocation is an often-desired life change for many. Healthy choices are also at the top of the list such as regular exercise, a well-balanced diet, adequate rest, and avoiding dangerous situations. These are all sound choices to pursue in life and will help you live a satisfied, safe and healthy life. But how many of the choices you make in this life pertain to your next life? Are you living with an eye on eternity?

James tells us that, “Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” (Ja.4:14b nlt) The psalmist writes, “Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble; soon they disappear, and we fly away.” (Ps.90:10 nlt) So, maybe it is time for us to think ahead.

Living with an eye on eternity helps us keep our focus on what really matters. The motto for ‘Word for the Soul’ expresses this, ‘Only Two Things Will Last Forever; The Word of God and the Souls of People.’ The main priority in this life for all Christians is based on those two things. The way we live our lives matters. We are going to be in eternity a lot longer than our life here on earth. There is only so much time for us to complete the Lord’s work here on earth, and the work we do here will either be rewarded or rejected in the kingdom. (1Cor.3:10-15) But praise God our salvation is secure in Christ as Paul writes, “He saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…… Because of his grace he declared us righteous and gave us confidence that we will inherit eternal life.” (Titus 3:5a, 7 nlt) For all of us who have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord let us now live with our eyes on eternity.

Devotionals

Humble Yourself Before God

Loring Schultz

“Show me what sins hide thee from me and eclipse thy love;                             Help me to humble myself for past evils, to be resolved to walk with more care, For if I do not walk holily before thee, how can I be assured of my salvation?” (1)

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

                                                                                                      

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” James 4:6 ESV

Are you one who finds it hard to admit you’re wrong? You just cannot find it in yourself the possibility you didn’t have it right. This demeanor will eventually cause distance between you and others over time. Having this attitude, ‘I am always right’ will lead you into a false perception of right and wrong. It’s a sad way to live in this world, but more tragic when it comes to the things of God and eternal life after this life is over. A person will lose friends in this life by on-going pride but will forfeit eternal life with Christ in heaven by not humbling themselves before Him and acknowledging Jesus is the only way to heaven.

Human pride gets in the way of a lot of things in this life. There are times when we think we can do better with what is presented to us adding our own recipe. The good news about salvation is that there is nothing you can add to the presentation of the gospel. In fact, what is required is to take away your pride, recognizing and admitting that you are a sinner in need of a savior. The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short on God’s scale. (Ro.3:23) It takes rejecting our pride in an admission and confession of our sins by accepting Christ as savior to be assure of heaven. God does indeed oppose the proud but gives grace to those who humble before Him.

“It is the meek and humble who are shown thy covenant, know thy will, are pardoned and healed, who by faith depend and rest upon grace, who are sanctified and quickened, who evidence thy love.” (1)

(1) Bennett, Arthur. The Valley of Vision. East Peoria: Baer of Truth Trust, 2023. Pg 9, The Divine Will.

Devotionals

Be Ready to Give an Answer    

Loring Schultz

“And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” 1 Peter 3:15b NLT

Photo by George Milton on Pexels.com

Presidential campaigns here in the United States have a lot of criticism between candidates the closer to election day. The opposition is quick to point out deficiencies in their opponent. Once noted it is hard to overlook. One example is the claim of not being ready to give an answer when asked a question. This is a relevant concern, of course, as the future and safety of the people are at stake. How much more the future of eternity for those who do not know Jesus Christ as their savior if we are not ready to give an answer.

Peter in addressing Christians scattered throughout the world suffering severe persecution wrote, “But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” (1Pt.3:14-15 nlt) Especially when they were suffering for doing good, Peter instructed them to always be ready to explain to those who asked about their Christian hope. Peter knew most definitely that some would be asked when people observed their demeaner during insults and ridicule. (1Pt.3:9-11)

Christ followers have always suffered ridicule and persecution. Christians today are being murdered at a faster rate as any time in history. Still, we are told to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us. You can be certain when those outside of Christ see Jesus’ light in you pursuing peace and working to maintain it during ridicule and persecution they will ask, where did you get this hope that is in you?

You can respond with Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:18, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.” (nlt) And you can conclude with ‘I am safely brought home and have eternal life.’ So, be ready!

Read: 1 Peter 3:8-22 NLT – All Christians – Finally, all of you – Bible Gateway