Thursday, April 25, 2024
The Certainty of Eternal Life
When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. (Romans 5:12 NLT)
Have you ever wondered why we even have to die in the first place? After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and disobeyed God, He barred them from the Tree of Life.
God didn’t want them to live forever in the state they were in. They had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and that brought sin into the human race. As a result, sin, like a disease, has spread to all of us.
The Bible tells us that “when Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12 NLT).
If Adam hadn’t sinned, we wouldn’t have died. If Adam hadn’t sinned, our bodies would not wear out. At the same time, if we had been in Adam’s shoes, we would have done the same thing. Why? Because we all have crossed the line.
Novelist William Boyd said, “We all want to be happy, and we are all going to die. . . . You might say these are the only two unchallengeably true facts that apply to every human being on this planet.”
All of us are getting older. It’s just the reality. We cannot stop the march of time. We cannot turn back the clock. Therefore, what happens to us when we die?
Jesus dealt with this question. He said, “And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live. The Father has life in himself, and he has granted that same life-giving power to his Son” (John 5:25-26 NLT).
Before I was a Christian, I didn’t really have any faith to speak of. My belief as a sixteen-year-old kid was that I would cease to exist after death. And that terrified me. I thought, “How could it be that I could simply cease to exist?” Thinking about it kept me up at night. And one of the great things I experienced after I became a Christian was to realize there is life beyond the grave.
Death is not the end of existence. The real you is not this body you live in; it is your soul. It is your spirit that lives on after your body has gone.
History tells of the renowned atheist Voltaire, who was one of the most aggressive antagonists of the Christian faith. He did everything he could to undermine Christianity. But the nurse who attended him on his deathbed reportedly said that for all the wealth in Europe, she never would watch another atheist die.
In contrast, the great evangelist Dwight L. Moody said on his deathbed, “I see earth receding; Heaven is opening; God is calling me.”
You can die like Voltaire. Or, you can die like Moody. But there will be a future judgment. And if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, then you won’t be there.
Copyright © 2024 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
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In thanks for your gift, you can receive a copy of Marvel at the Moon by Levi Lusko
In this fantastic 90-day devotional, author and pastor Levi Lusko uses illuminating stories, biblical teaching, and eye-opening surprises about outer space to show kids that they’re never alone because God is always with them. A copy of this beautifully illustrated book will be mailed to you when you make a gift of support to Harvest Ministries this month.
April 202404/25/2024
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If you are Christian, then you are born again. And if you are not born again, then you are not a Christian.
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The most important thing of all is what will happen to us beyond the grave. But if we wait until then to decide, it will be too late.
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He is pulling for you right now. Just as Jesus stood up for Simon, He is standing up for you.
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March 202403/30/2024
God is with us, whether we know it or not. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, He becomes a part of your life and promises that He never will leave you or forsake you.
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That is why Jesus went through all that anguish. He did it for all those who would come to faith in the world. We were the joy set before Him.
03/22/2024
03/21/2024
03/20/2024
03/19/2024
03/18/2024
03/16/2024
Prayer isn’t about changing God’s mind. In many cases, prayer is about changing our minds.
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03/12/2024
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03/09/2024
We should reflect our heavenly Father, who is truth. And if we are reflecting Him, it should be evident in what we say and in the way that we live.
03/08/2024
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He wants us to be involved in what He is doing, not just as observers but as laborers in the work that He has called us to do.
03/02/2024
There needs to be a balance between our beliefs and our practice, between our doctrine and the way that we live. We need both areas working together. That is what it means to walk worthy of the Lord.
03/01/2024
February 202402/29/2024
02/28/2024
02/27/2024
02/26/2024
02/24/2024
Maybe you’re facing a setback today. Maybe there’s a crisis going on in your life. Remember, you are a work in progress. You are under construction.
02/23/2024
02/22/2024
02/21/2024
02/20/2024
02/19/2024
02/17/2024
We can be in a perfect environment or a horrible environment and still sin. It is just our nature. Yet God shows us what we can become by His grace.
02/16/2024
02/15/2024
02/14/2024
02/13/2024
02/12/2024
02/10/2024
I believe that God has predestined every person to be saved. God wants us to be saved. He wants us to be forgiven. But the Bible also teaches that God gave us free will.
02/09/2024
02/08/2024
02/07/2024
02/06/2024
02/05/2024
02/03/2024
God will be with us, no matter what we face in life. That is a great assurance. That is where we find our contentment.
02/02/2024
02/01/2024
January 202401/31/2024
01/30/2024
01/29/2024
01/27/2024
But even when we mess up, even when we have failed, God gives second chances. Do you need a second chance? Do you want to get up and try again?
01/26/2024
01/25/2024
01/24/2024
01/23/2024
01/22/2024
01/20/2024
It was David’s faithfulness in the little things that led to the big things. He was faithful with whatever God set before him. Are you being faithful with what God has set before you today?
01/19/2024
01/18/2024
01/17/2024
01/16/2024
01/15/2024
01/13/2024
What God really wants from us is obedience. He’s interested in what is going on in our hearts. We can be worshipping outwardly but sinning inwardly. But with God, the heart is everything.
01/12/2024
01/11/2024
Sooner or later, our sins will find us out. It may not happen today or a week from now. It may not even happen a month or a year from now. But the Bible teaches that ultimately, we will reap what we sow.
01/10/2024
01/09/2024
01/08/2024
01/06/2024
Then I look at my life. I followed Christ. When they were out doing all their stuff, I was going to Bible studies, praying, and growing in the Lord. And what I gave up is so small in comparison to what I received in return. Life goes by so quickly.
01/05/2024
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01/03/2024
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01/01/2024
December 202312/30/2023
12/29/2023
12/28/2023
12/27/2023
12/26/2023
12/25/2023
12/23/2023
12/22/2023
12/21/2023
The same is true this Christmas. Because of the Father’s love, whoever takes the Son gets it all. God demonstrated His love by giving us the most important gift of all: the gift of His Son.
12/20/2023
12/19/2023
12/18/2023
12/16/2023
12/15/2023
12/14/2023
12/13/2023
We must recognize that nothing this world has to offer us will fill the void in our lives that was created to be filled by God Himself. No experience, no possession, and no accomplishment will fill it. Not even religion or morality will fill it.
12/12/2023
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, how inappropriate it would be for us to come to Him empty-handed. But what do we give to God? What does God want from us? What He wants is us.
12/11/2023
12/09/2023
12/08/2023
12/07/2023
12/06/2023
God is saying, “Submit yourself to Me, and I will tell you. First, give yourself over to Me.” Mary did that. She submitted her will to God. Have you surrendered your heart to Jesus Christ?
12/05/2023
12/04/2023
12/02/2023
12/01/2023
November 202311/30/2023
Maybe you think the way to reach your nonbelieving friends is to do what they do and simply blend in. You conclude that in doing so, you will win them over and they will come to Christ. The reality is that no one has ever been won to Christ that way.
11/29/2023
11/28/2023
11/27/2023
11/25/2023
God can use people in our lives, but we must never let people take the place of God in our lives.
11/24/2023
Little things lead to big things. That’s why we can’t make deals with the devil. We can’t negotiate with Satan. There can be no compromise.
11/23/2023
11/22/2023
11/21/2023
11/20/2023
11/18/2023
This is typical of some people today who call out to God in desperation. They find themselves in a mess they created, so they cry out to God for help. But when He graciously condescends and helps them, they essentially say, “Thanks, God! See You next crisis!”
11/17/2023
11/16/2023
11/15/2023
11/14/2023
11/13/2023
11/11/2023
11/10/2023
Would your lifestyle reach anyone? People are watching you. Are you being a positive witness for Jesus Christ?
11/09/2023
11/08/2023
11/07/2023
11/06/2023
11/04/2023
Reject conformity to this world’s system and its self-indulgent ways, and instead be conformed to the image of Jesus.
11/03/2023
11/02/2023
11/01/2023
October 202310/31/2023
10/30/2023
10/28/2023
Jesus is coming again. It may be in our lifetime. It could even be today. And ultimately, as Christians, we all are going to go to Heaven. That is our great hope.
10/27/2023
10/26/2023
10/25/2023
If God is number one in our lives, then everything else will find its proper balance. But if He is not, then everything else will fall into chaos.
10/24/2023
10/23/2023
10/21/2023
Death is the great separator. But Jesus Christ is the great reconciler.
10/20/2023
10/19/2023
10/18/2023
10/17/2023
10/16/2023
10/14/2023
Sometimes, the reason God doesn’t answer our prayers the way we want Him to is because He wants to do more than we’ve asked for. And when we get to the end of ourselves, we get to the beginning of God.
10/13/2023
10/12/2023
10/11/2023
10/10/2023
10/09/2023
10/07/2023
Those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ have nothing to fear. Because Jesus has forgiven us and justified us, we can be certain that we won’t stand at the Great White Throne Judgment, the final judgment for nonbelievers.
10/06/2023
10/05/2023
10/04/2023
10/03/2023
The Bible tells us that in the last days, Satan will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them.
10/02/2023
September 202309/30/2023
09/29/2023
09/28/2023
As Christians, we should talk about life after death and Heaven and Hell because the Bible does. And if we really believe there is an afterlife and a final judgment, if we really believe that we will be held accountable for things that we say and do, then it will affect the way we live.
09/27/2023
09/26/2023
09/25/2023
09/23/2023
There is something wrong in our lives when we need an image or an icon to worship God. We must understand that God forbids this.
09/22/2023
09/21/2023
09/20/2023
09/19/2023
09/18/2023
09/16/2023
We cannot say something is true because we experienced it. Rather, we should say we know something is true because we find it in Scripture, which verifies our experience.
09/15/2023
09/14/2023
09/13/2023
09/12/2023
The word blasphemy speaks of a conscious denouncing and rejection of God. It is a defiant irreverence, a uniquely terrible sin of intentionally and openly speaking evil against God.
09/11/2023
09/09/2023
09/08/2023
09/07/2023
09/06/2023
Maybe the problem in our society is not that we fail to love ourselves but that we love ourselves too much. We already do love ourselves. That’s obvious. It’s an established fact. Therefore, the Bible is telling us to love our neighbors in the same way that we love ourselves.
09/05/2023
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August 202308/31/2023
Light not only exposes what the darkness hides, but light also shows the way out. And in the same way, the light that shines from us not only shows people their shortcomings and their sins, but it also shows them the way out.
08/30/2023
08/29/2023
08/28/2023
08/26/2023
08/25/2023
08/24/2023
08/23/2023
Why do some Christians succeed spiritually when others fail? It’s because of the choices they make. Some don’t want to go forward spiritually, so they don’t. Others do want to go forward spiritually, so they do.
08/22/2023
08/21/2023
08/19/2023
08/18/2023
08/17/2023
If we want to impact our world as the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied.
08/16/2023
08/15/2023
08/14/2023
08/12/2023
08/11/2023
08/10/2023
You don’t have to be controlled or crippled by your past. You can become a new person in Jesus Christ.
08/09/2023
08/08/2023
08/07/2023
08/05/2023
08/04/2023
The Holy Spirit also will lead us, empower us, and fill us each day as we seek to live the Christian life.
08/03/2023
08/02/2023
08/01/2023
July 202307/31/2023
07/29/2023
That is what unconfessed sin is like. We may think we’ve buried it, but it will be back. There is only one way to get rid of our sin, and it’s at the cross of Jesus Christ. We can’t cover it. We can’t hide it.
07/28/2023
07/27/2023
07/26/2023
07/25/2023
07/24/2023
07/22/2023
A true friend, a true man or woman of God, will tell you the truth and try to keep you from hurting yourself.
07/21/2023
07/20/2023
07/19/2023
07/18/2023
07/17/2023
If God has been doing some pruning in your life lately, know that it isn’t to tear you down or make your life miserable. He wants your life to produce even greater spiritual fruit in the days ahead.
07/15/2023
07/14/2023
07/13/2023
07/12/2023
07/11/2023
If the thought that God is watching you and thinking about you brings joy to your heart, then that would tell me your life is probably right with God.
07/10/2023
07/08/2023
07/07/2023
07/06/2023
It’s great to carry the Bible in your pocket, backpack, or purse. It’s also great to have it on your phone. But the best place to carry the Bible is in your heart.
07/05/2023
If you will apply yourself wholly to the Scriptures and apply the Scriptures wholly to yourself, it will have an impact on your life.
07/04/2023
07/03/2023
07/01/2023
In this fantastic 90-day devotional, author and pastor Levi Lusko uses illuminating stories, biblical teaching, and eye-opening surprises about outer space to show kids that they’re never alone because God is always with them. A copy of this beautifully illustrated book will be mailed to you when you make a gift of support to Harvest Ministries this month.
