1 JOHN 5:13

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.

TO PONDER

Do you know you have eternal life? I say this all the time but I think it is something most of us have trouble keeping hold of; in Christ, you have eternal life! You have it right now! It is not something you have to wait and hope for, in Christ, you have eternal life!

So many Christians are living as if their eternal life is the final destination of their faith journey when we should be seeing it as the launching pad and starting point. When we see it as something still far off, then we tend to fall into the trap of thinking that we still have to do something to ensure that we will receive it when our life on this earth ends and so we walk through this life very carefully trying to ensure we don't do anything that might get us thrown off the eternal life train.

Having the assurance and KNOWING that in Christ, eternal life is already yours changes the game entirely. Instead of protecting your potential eternal future, you can be assured of it because you already have it and you can life this life more freely for others. Our motivations and priorities can really change when we have the knowledge and assurance of eternal life because this life is no longer all we have to live for.

Now I am not suggesting that we disregard this life and stop caring for our bodies, throw caution to the wind and adopt a 'devil may care' attitude towards the precious gift of life which God has given us, but when life is eternal you kind of have to ask the question, "what have I got to lose?"

How could your life look different if you started living an eternal life in Chris today!?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift and promise of eternal life for those who put their faith and trust in you. Help me to make the most of that gift today and to use every moment of my eternal life with you to bring glory to your name and bring others into your kingdom. Amen

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle