“The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”2 Corinthians 4:18 (TLB)
Only a fool would go through life unprepared for what they know is inevitable. And there’s one thing that’s inevitable for all of us: death.
You may die in a week or in a year, or in 50 years. But you will die. And because death is inevitable, you need to make sure you’re ready for it by making sure you’re at peace with God.
Death has been part of the equation here on earth since sin entered the world with Adam and Eve. The Bible says, “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23 NLT). Sin brought death into the world.
Even though death is inevitable, talking about it is taboo in our society. Invite a bunch of people to your house, serve a big meal, and say, “Let’s talk about dying”—and your guests will likely head to the door!
In fact, we don’t even like to use words like death, dying, and dead. We’ve come up with all kinds of euphemisms to avoid them. We say, “He’s passed on,” or “She’s pushing up daisies,” or “He kicked the bucket.”
But you don’t have to be afraid to die. In fact, one of the things Jesus came to do is to take away your fear of death. How? First, he died on the cross, paying for all your sins so you could go to heaven. Then he was resurrected, showing that there is life after death.
The Bible says, “For only as a human being could [Jesus] die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying” (Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT).
I’m not afraid to die—and I don’t want you to be either. Instead of looking to your fear and to your pain, God wants you to look to him and to the hope of heaven. The Living Bible paraphrase tells us how: “So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18).
If you were to die today, are you certain that you would go to heaven? If you aren’t, it’s time to settle the issue—and erase the fear of death—by praying something like this:
“Dear God, I don’t want my sin to separate me from you any longer. I ask for your forgiveness. You have promised that if I believe in Jesus, you’ll forgive me for everything I’ve ever done wrong, you’ll show me the purpose of my life, and you’ll accept me into your family and bring me to heaven one day to live with you for eternity.
“Jesus, I confess my sin, and I believe you are my Savior. I trust you when you say salvation comes by grace, through faith, and not by anything I do. I ask you to come into my life as my Lord. Today, I commit my life to you.
“I want to live the way you created me to live—at peace and without fear—and to use the remainder of my life to serve you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.”
If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.
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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