Real Life

“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. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” -1 John 5:11-13

A great life lived without Jesus is not truly great! It’s a short-term illusion that will end in destruction.

On the other hand, no matter how difficult life is for a believer in Jesus here on earth, the end result is eternal life in heaven!

Real life is only found in Jesus (v.12)! The path may at times look easier elsewhere or the grass may occasionally seem greener in the world, but there’s no good alternative to real life in Jesus!

Jesus offers eternal life in heaven, life to the full here on earth (John 10:10), and the opportunity to experience amazing grace, authentic love, and deeply fulfilling purpose! In Jesus, despite any difficulties you face, your best is always yet to come!

No matter how hard the journey is and no matter how distracting the world may be, never forget that the only life you really want is in Jesus! Real life is only found in Him!

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 John chapters 4-5 and 2 John chapter 1

Prayer focus: talk to God about any temptations or distractions pulling you toward the world, and thank God for real life in Jesus, regardless of what challenges you face

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One Thing That Changes Everything

“We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love each other. Anyone who does not love remains in death.

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” -1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭14‬, ‭16‬-‭17‬

There’s one thing you can focus on that will change absolutely everything about how you relate to other people. This one decision can totally transform how you connect with others. That choice is to authentically love other people well.

The Bible tells us to be devoted to each other in love (Romans 12:10). When we genuinely love people from our heart it impacts how we talk to them, how we listen to others, how we work with people, how we live around each other, and everything else that we do with others.

Not only does loving other people well change your relationships, but it shows how your relationship with God has changed you! By placing your faith in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you begin to be transformed from the inside. Love not only changes you, but you start to change how you love others, which is a sign that we have crossed over from death to life (v.14).

We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). God gave us a model of what it looks like to really love well! He so loved you that He gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross for your sins (John 3:16). And because He so loved you, you know what it looks like to so love others.

We can now give like He gave to us! We give up our time, our listening ears, our helping hands, and love in every way that we can because we want to love as He loved us!

Never forget that you are so loved by God and are called to so love others with that same love!

When you make that decision to focus on genuinely loving others well, it changes everything about how you relate to other people!

Right on?

Read/listen to 1 John chapters 1-3

Prayer focus: thank God for the way that He gave Jesus to die for your sins out of His love for you and talk to Him about how you want to follow His example by loving others well

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Time Is Short

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.” -‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭3‬:‭8‬-‭10‬

If you want to make the most of your life, you need to learn to maximize your time! It’s a steep challenge, though, because people are generally good at wasting time, not understanding the time or season, losing track of time, not being on time, and mismanaging time!

With God‘s help, we can make significant improvements with the use of our time, but there are a couple of things we need to understand.

First of all, we need to know that God sees time differently than we do and He is over and outside of time. He knows the future and He sees all the past. He always has been and He always will be (Revelation 1:8). God’s Word tells us that with God, a thousand years are like a day (2 Peter 3:8).

God has a better grasp of time than you do, He is fully aware of all aspects of time, and He is always right on time. This means you can trust Him with time and He can help you with time.

When you realize that God‘s timing is better than yours, it helps you be patient when you’re starting to get ahead of what God wants. You can rest with peace, knowing that your time is in His hands (Psalm 31:15).

Second, you need to understand that God connects time with His desire for every person to be saved (2 Peter 3:9). God manages time so that salvation can come to a greater number of people! This has really important implications for how we manage time. We want to follow His example and do the same in managing our limited time for that higher Kingdom purpose!

We want to make the most of every opportunity (Colossians 4:5) not just to live a better life or generally do good things, but so more souls are saved by God’s grace!

Are you managing your time to the best of your ability so that more people can come to place their faith in Jesus Christ? Are you walking in the Spirit, seeking God’s wisdom for time, and resting with peace when you don’t get it all right? Know that God is ultimately in control of your time and His timing is always perfect!

Go to work on maximizing your time so that God can receive great glory through your life and so that more people will experience the fullness of life that is only available in Jesus Christ!

Right on?

Read/listen to 2 Peter chapters 1-3

Prayer focus: ask God to give you wisdom to maximize time for His purposes and talk to Him about where you struggle with time

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