Promise for Today - Compared to Eternity

If the Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from death, lives in you, then he who raised Christ from death will also give life to your mortal bodies by the presence of his Spirit in you. 

Romans 8:11 (GNT)

God never promised that life would be fair. Heaven is where everything is done God’s way; life on Earth just doesn’t work like that. We live on a broken planet. But what happens on earth isn’t all there is to life.

You’ll spend 60, 80, or maybe 100 years on Earth. You’ll spend trillions of years in eternity. If you’ve placed your faith in Jesus, the Bible says you’ll spend eternity with God in heaven.

That’s one of the most important reasons Christians should be joyful—God has given us eternal life!

And eternity will be amazing!

What will heaven be like? You’ll be reunited with people you love. You’ll get rewards. You’ll rest. You’ll get responsibilities you love.

And, as Romans 8:11 says, you’ll get a new body. That’s one of the things I’m most excited about in heaven—no more decaying old body.

You were created because God wants a family. He wants to spend eternity with his family. He wants to spend eternity with you and me! And that truth can - and should - bring you great joy.

Talk It Over

How does knowing that life is short compared to all of eternity change the way you live?

If God wants you in heaven with him, why do you think you are here on earth now? What is your purpose for the time you are here?

How are you working to fulfill your purpose?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Help us to remember that life here is fleeting - over before we know it. But for those who have accepted Christ as our Saviour, we look forward to eternity in Heaven with You and with those we hold dear... and miss so much for the time being - but in Heaven, never again to be missed... As the writer of Hebrews encouraged us - "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."  Father, in our weakness, be our Strength. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - What On Earth Did You Do?

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? 

Luke 16:10-11 (NLT)

If you think you’re going to be bored in heaven, think again.

You’re not going to sit around on a cloud doing nothing in heaven. God wired you and knows what you’re interested in. All your hobbies, skills, and talents come from him. He shaped you with your spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences. God didn’t make you extraordinarily unique just for Earth. He’s going to use your shape in eternity.

You will have work in heaven. But here’s the difference between work in heaven and work on earth: In heaven, you’re guaranteed to enjoy your work. You won’t experience any heartache or stress over your work. It will be meaningful, enjoyable, and fulfilling all the time. You’ll have your dream job forever!

I don’t know what your specific roles or responsibilities will be in heaven. But I do know that they will be based on how faithful you are with the roles and responsibilities God has given you on Earth.

God is watching you, and he’s testing you. Life is a temporary assignment, and God wants to see how responsible, faithful, and trustworthy you are with the responsibilities you have now.

What are you doing with what you’ve been given? If you make the most of what you’ve been given, then God is going to give you more in heaven. You’ll make it into heaven because of God’s grace, but your rewards and responsibilities once you get there will be based on how faithfully you served God on Earth.

God is watching to see how you manage your time, your relationships, your health, your opportunities, and your finances

The way you manage your money is a test of your faithfulness, and it’s going to help determine what you do in heaven. If God can’t trust you with worldly wealth—you’re always in debt, you can’t afford to tithe, and you’re not generous—then what do you think he’s going to trust you with in eternity?

God is watching how you handle your responsibilities, too—not because he wants to make you feel guilty but because he wants you to enjoy all the wonderful things heaven has to offer.

When you choose faithfulness in everything God has entrusted to you on Earth, then you will be entrusted with much more in heaven.

Talk It Over

What difference does it make when you see your work as a test of faithfulness?

What do you think God wants you to do with a job that does not feel fulfilling or meaningful?

How can you choose faithfulness in your work today?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for helping us to see that living here on Earth is not just something we have to put up with till we get to Heaven. Help us fully understand the importance of being faithful with all You have entrusted to us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Keep Us Ever Mindful

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great. 

Luke 6:35 (NLT)

Heaven probably already sounds pretty good to you. But did you know there are also going to be rewards in heaven?  You will be rewarded for everything you did in obedience to Jesus while on this earth. God is watching everything in your life. You will be rewarded in heaven for your good actions, speech, and thoughts; for your character and good decisions; and for your generosity and sacrifices. You’ll be rewarded for loving your enemies and for not giving up when it was difficult to do the right thing.

You will be rewarded for bringing other people to Jesus Christ. (Is anybody going to be in heaven because of you?)

You will be rewarded for putting up with criticism for being a Christian and for being persecuted as a believer. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12 NIV).

God is watching it all and will reward it all.

These rewards have nothing to do with your salvation. The only way you get into heaven is by faith in what Jesus Christ has already done for you. You can’t get into heaven by your good works. But the Bible says that when you get to heaven, you will be rewarded according to your good works.

There are all kinds of verses about this. Matthew 10:42 says, “If you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded” (NLT). It seems like such a simple thing to give a cup of water to someone or to share a meal. But every time you do that, it’s like God says, “I’m writing that one down. I’ve got them all recorded.”

You get to decide where you want your rewards. Do you want them in this life, or do you want them in the next life? If you choose this life’s rewards—like popularity, wealth, fame, success, and comfort—then you will enjoy them for only 80 years or so. But if you build up rewards in heaven, you’ll get to enjoy those rewards forever.

Don’t settle for the rewards this world has to offer. As a child of God, you have so much more to look forward to!

Talk It Over

The phrase, “What would Jesus do?” may seem overused in Christian culture, but how is it helpful for making choices that will be rewarded in heaven?

Why do you think God wants to reward you for your obedience?

In what ways are you working for rewards on earth? In what ways are you working for rewards in heaven?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          You are SO good to us. Help us to keep love as the motivator in our lives for doing good works. Keep us ever mindful of giving as You and Your Son gave and continue to give - lavishly, selflessly, lovingly.  In Jesus' Name we pray.  Amen

Promise for Today - Not In Heaven

Can you understand the mysteries surrounding God All-Powerful? They are higher than the heavens and deeper than the grave. So what can you do when you know so little, and these mysteries outreach the earth and the ocean? 

Job 11:7-9 Common English Version

When I was a little boy, we traveled to Disneyland for a family vacation. On the way there, my dad explained to me what it was going to be like. But no matter how he tried, there was no way for me to understand just how amazing that place was until I walked into the park for the first time. It far surpassed anything I had imagined it to be!

Heaven is a mystery that you will not fully understand until you arrive there. But the Bible does give important information about eternity, including five things that will not be in heaven.

In heaven, there will be no sickness. 

The Bible says, “This is how it will be when the dead are raised to life. When the body is buried . . . it is ugly and weak; when raised, it will be beautiful and strong” (1 Corinthians 15:42-43 GNT). There won’t be any sickness because you’re going to get a new, perfect body.

In heaven, there will be no sadness. 

God “will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4 NIV). God has kept a record of your tears and pain because he cares about you. But when you get to heaven, there will be no more broken hearts, rejection, loneliness, grief, or heartache.

In heaven, there will be no suffering. 

The Bible says, “‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat” (Revelation 7:16 NIV). Every one of your needs will be satisfied in heaven.

In heaven, there will be no sin. 

“God . . . will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault” (Jude 1:24 NLT). Jesus Christ died on the cross and paid for all your sin so that when you see him face to face, your character will be instantly changed to be like him.

In heaven, there will be no death. 

“There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever” (Revelation 21:4 NLT). Heaven is glorious in many ways, but the best part is that you get to be in God’s presence—forever.

The Bible says, “We don’t know everything, and our prophecies are not complete. . . . Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us” (1 Corinthians 13:9, 12 CEV).

One day, it’s all going to be clear. It’s all going to make sense. You’re going to be able to say, “So that’s why God allowed that in my life!” Until then, God wants you to trust him.

Talk It Over

Is it enough for you that in heaven God promises to take away all suffering, sickness, and sadness, even though you must endure those things now? Why or why not?

What are you most looking forward to about heaven?

In what ways can you become more like Christ while you are here on earth? Why is it important to do so?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for Your Word. Thank You that all of it is Truth and everlasting proof of Your love for us. Thank You for all the promises of Yes and Amen. Thank You for the hardships in this life that have shaped and molded us into Your desired image for us. Thank You that there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things will be gone forever! We look forward to that glorious day. Even so, Come, Lord. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - The Certainty of Forever

I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. 

1 John 5:13 (NLT)

You probably have a picture that comes to mind when you think about what hell must be like. Your image likely has some red and black tones in it, a lot of fire, and maybe the devil looming over everything.

Hell is described in the Bible as a place of torment. Matthew 13:42 says it is a “blazing furnace, where the people will cry and grind their teeth with pain” (NCV). That description sounds terrible, but do you know what the worst part of hell is? Hell is total separation from God, which means hell is the exact opposite of everything God is.

The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (NIV). The opposite of love is fear. Living without love means you’re scared to death all the time. God is love, so there is no love in hell. God is light, so hell is complete darkness. God is good, so there is absolutely nothing good in hell. God is life, so that means hell is eternal death. God is gracious, so that means there’s no grace in hell.

Just think what eternity would be like without the joy of knowing God and being loved by him—an eternity without any joy at all.

It would be terrible—unthinkable, really. But that is the reality for anyone who does not choose to love and follow Jesus in this life. The Bible says, “If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be separated from God—lost forever!” (1 Corinthians 16:22 NCV).

If you go through your entire life saying, “I don’t want God in my life,” then that means you will also spend eternity without God. Whatever you choose on earth is your forever choice.

But there is good news! There is a way for you to be absolutely certain you’re going to heaven and not hell. The Bible tells you how to settle your destiny: “I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13 NLT).

You don’t have to guess or wonder about something that is inevitable and could happen at any moment. You can know for certain today that when you die, you will spend eternity in God’s presence. Don’t put it off any longer.  Settle your future today.

Talk It Over

Why do you think so many people put off deciding something so important when they know death could come at any moment?

What would you say to someone who thinks they have been good enough to get into heaven?

How do you live differently because you are certain about where you will spend eternity?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

           Open our eyes to see Your Truth. Open our hearts to receive it. Open our minds to understand the importance of how we live to be certain of spending eternity with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Heaven via G.P.S.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (NIV)

Over the years, I’ve encountered people who want to deny the existence of evil. They think that people are basically good and by nature unselfish, and that they naturally put the needs of others before their own.

I always wonder if those people have ever read the news! You don’t have to look far to see that the world is filled with broken relationships, broken promises, and sin. Evil is all around you—from world politics to local conflicts, you can see hatred, bitterness, and corruption. And because sin and evil exist, hell also exists.

What was true in Noah’s day is still true today: “The LORD observed the extent of human wickedness . . . and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart” (Genesis 6:5-6 NLT).

When God looks at all the wrong, evil things that are done in the world, it breaks his heart—because he loves everyone and wants us to learn to love each other.

But God is also holy and just. He is perfect and cannot sin. So one day he will settle the score and right the wrongs: “He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with justice, and the nations with his truth” (Psalm 96:13 NLT).

Until then, God has given you free will so that you can choose to love him—and love involves a choice. That’s why this world is still broken by sin. But in heaven, there is no sin. It’s a completely perfect place.

If heaven is a perfect place, then that means only perfect people get to go there. Of course, that’s a problem—because you’re not perfect, and neither am I. No one is perfect! If you’re made to last forever and you’re not perfect, you can't go to a perfect place like heaven. So, where will you go? The Bible says hell.

But thank God! He has made a way—through Jesus Christ, his Son—for you to join him in heaven. [You need GPS - God's Perfect Son]

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18 NIV).

Hell is real. So is heaven. Choose Christ, and there is no condemnation. The choice is yours!

Talk It Over

Why is it important to be straightforward about the existence of hell when you talk to people about the gospel?

How would you respond to someone who asks, “Why do you believe hell exists?”

Do you think God can have love without exacting justice? Why or why not?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for making a way for us to stand before You holy and without sin, through Christ our Lord, according to Your Word. It is only in our choosing to follow Jesus and accept His atonement for us that we can make Heaven.  Give us Your strength to walk in righteous choices so that we have eternity with You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

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SPECIAL NOTE from Pastor Rick

Will you choose to spend eternity with God?
The Bible says, “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are” (Romans 3:22 NLT). If you’re ready to turn away from your sins and surrender your life to Jesus Christ, start by praying this simple prayer:

“Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is your Son. I believe that he died for my sins and that you raised him to life. I want to trust him as my Savior and follow him as Lord from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at Rick@PastorRick.com and let me know. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.

Promise for Today - No Putting It Off

We are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8 (NKJV)

We’ve been talking about eternal realities so that you can clearly see why you need to choose heaven.  Yes, you get to choose where you’re going to spend eternity. But you have to choose now while you’re alive, not after you’re dead. There’s no going back! God gives you an entire lifetime to make the right decision. If you keep putting it off, then there will be no second chance to get it right once you’ve died.

The Bible talks about what happens when we’re away from our earthly bodies—“for then we will be at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8 NLT). There is no halfway house between heaven and hell. There’s no intermediate state. There’s no limbo. You may have heard the term “purgatory.” Although the idea developed over time in church history, it is not taught in Scripture.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, there was a man next to him who had been a criminal his entire life. In his last seconds, the man surrendered his life to Jesus and said, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (Luke 23:42 NKJV). All he knew about salvation was that Jesus could save him. He didn’t know all the doctrines or theology. He didn’t know all the “right” words. He just said “yes” to Jesus. Because of the man’s faith, Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NIV).

To get into heaven, all it takes on your part is saying “yes” to Jesus Christ. That’s it! The promise is that you are then guaranteed to be with God when you die and to spend eternity in the joy of his presence.

But you have only one life to make the choice to follow Jesus. And God has done everything to make sure you can get into heaven. Now you just need to receive his promise.

Today, you have the opportunity to choose where you’ll spend eternity. Don’t put it off!

Talk It Over

Why do you think so many people believe they can put off making the decision of whether or not to become a Christian?

How does the story of the criminal on the cross next to Jesus give you hope?

This week, who will you share with about the urgency of making a choice to follow Jesus?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for sending Your Son to redeem us from our sins and make the way for us to be in right relationship with You. Give us divine opportunities and the boldness to lift Him up so that His love story will draw all hearers to salvation. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen