Christianity / Devotionals / Daily Hope with Rick Warren / Don’t Just Hope You’ll Go to Heaven - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - October 3, 2022

Don’t Just Hope You’ll Go to Heaven - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - October 3, 2022

The Bible clearly states that having Jesus is the only way to have eternal life, and it's your choice whether you accept or reject Him. By making a conscious decision to follow Jesus, you can secure your place in heaven and avoid an eternity of separation from God.

rick warrens daily hope new banner may 2022

Don’t Just Hope You’ll Go to Heaven
By Rick Warren

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12 NIV).

If you went to a shopping mall today and asked people if they were going to heaven or hell, you’d likely hear many of them say, “I hope I’ll go to heaven.”

But hope just isn’t good enough. I pray that’s not your answer. Your eternal destiny is too important not to know for sure.

You’re not guaranteed another minute on this planet, much less another hour. The most recent statistics show that mortality rates in the world remain 100 percent! Death is inevitable—so it’s foolish not to be prepared. Don’t put off the most important choice you’ll ever make.

The Bible says in 1 John 5:11-12, “And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (NIV).

That’s about as clear as you can get. If you have Jesus, you have life. If you don’t have Jesus, you do not have life. You have a choice.

You won’t go to heaven because of someone else’s faith. You’ll never go to hell because of someone else’s choice.

It’s your choice! You get to decide where you’ll spend eternity.

This is why we celebrate Christmas and Easter. If Jesus hadn’t come at Christmas—and then if he hadn’t died and come back to life on Easter—our situation would be hopeless. Nothing you do would matter. You wouldn’t have this choice.

The Bible says, “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross (Colossians 2:13-14 NLT).

The cross is the answer to your deepest problem: your separation from God. Make the choice today to be reconciled to God through Jesus and to secure your eternity in heaven.

PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!


40 Days of Prayer Scripture Cards: Rick WarrenYour Gift Brings Hope to the World

Transform your prayer life with God’s Word! 

True breakthrough from the struggles of life begins with prayer—and there is no better place to start cultivating a powerful prayer life than the Bible. 

Discover the biblical wisdom you need to transform the way you pray when you dive into this special collection of verses from God’s Word. You’ll be inspired and encouraged by Scripture as you learn to trust in his promises. 

Drawing key verses from Pastor Rick’s "40 Days of Prayer" teaching series, this set of 52 beautifully designed cards will help you memorize God’s Word so you can access it when you need it most—and it’s our thanks for your gift today to help more people experience the transformative power of prayer through Daily Hope! 

Thank you for helping share the hope of Jesus Christ. May you enjoy a time of breakthrough as you fill your heart and mind with the truth of Scripture. 

*The USA IRS code permits you to deduct the amount of your financial gift to Daily Hope that exceeds the fair market value of “current offer” materials you received from Daily Hope.

This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

You can listen to Rick Warren on OnePlace.com.

SHARE