“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.”Psalm 23:6 (NLT)
Someday your life on earth is going to end, but that’s not going to be the end of you. You’re going to live forever in one of two places: heaven or hell. Your body is going to die, but you’re not going to die, because you were made to last forever.
How long is forever going to last? Forever!
The Bible tells us why Christians should be the most confident about the future: “Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord . . . We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:6, 8 NIV).
You will never know how to really live until you’re ready to die. Only a fool would go through life totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable.
You’re going to die someday. If you’ve accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to heaven, to “live in the house of the LORD forever” (Psalm 23:6 NLT). In heaven, you’ll be released from pain, sorrow, suffering, depression, and fear. The Message paraphrase says it like this:“He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone” (Revelation 21:4).
For Christians, death is a transfer, a promotion. It’s on to better things and no more problems.
Those truths should change everything for you! It doesn’t mean life is going to be easy. And it doesn’t mean you will always be happy or always know what you should do or that you will never sin again.
But it does mean you can face the future without fear. God has taken care of your biggest problem, your salvation. He is never going to leave you, and you will live with him forever!
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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