Topic: How to Live in Light of Eternity [RICK WARREN Devotional 23 May 2023]
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How to Live in Light of Eternity
“For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!”
2 Peter 1:3 (TLB)
The vast majority of people pay no attention to eternity. They’re living for the here and now, which is a waste. Everything that’s “here and now” isn’t going to matter in five minutes, much less 50 years—and certainly not for eternity.
If we stretched a rope from California to Tokyo, and that represented all of eternity, your life on Earth would be represented by less than one millimeter.
So how do you live in light of eternity? You live for God’s glory, because he’s going to share his glory with you in heaven.
The Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3, “For as you know him better, he will give you, through his great power, everything you need for living a truly good life: he even shares his own glory and his own goodness with us!” (TLB).
You don’t get to choose what’s going to happen to you the rest of your life. But you do get to choose how you respond.
You can face the future as a cynic, as a critic, as a pessimist, or as a doubter. You can face the future expecting the worst and experiencing the worst. You can face your future being ungracious to other people, and you can live for your own glory.
Or you can face the future with gratitude, generosity, and graciousness and live for God’s glory.
Which one do you think will make you happier? Which one do you think will make you more successful? Which one do you think will bring a smile to God and rewards in heaven?
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (ESV).
We were created because God wants a family. He wants to spend eternity with his family. He wants to spend eternity with you and me! Heaven is one of the main reasons you can have joy—God has given us eternal life, and living in heaven with him will be amazing!
Talk It Over
- In what ways does God use your time on Earth to prepare you for eternity?
- How does being grateful and generous make you happier?
- When you expect the worst in life, what does that say about what you believe about God?
You can be certain about eternity
The Bible says you can only get to heaven by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV). If you’re ready to confess your sins and to trust Jesus with your life now and for eternity, start with this prayer:
“Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in Jesus, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.
“I confess my sin, and I submit to Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Jesus, I want to follow you and serve you. I humbly commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”
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