John 3:36

Devotional Thoughts

By Tim Dilena

“There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18, MSG).

These words spoken by the apostle Paul are powerful. He reminds us of things beyond this life that are far out of sight. Eternal things! Our life on this earth is but the first page of a never-ending story that goes on into eternity. We have a hard time conceptualizing the vastness of eternity. In fact, we have difficulty even comprehending the word billion. For example, a billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive, walking on the planet. A billion hours ago the characters in Genesis were alive: Adam, Abraham, Noah. Think about that!

David says, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more” (Psalm 39:4, TLB). We will not be here forever; in fact, we will not be here very long at all. But in a billion years from now we will be somewhere — so the question is: where will you be?

Markers on burial sites typically contain the date you were born and the date you died — separated by a dash. And it is what happens during the “dash” that determines where you will spend eternity. During your seventy, eighty, or even more years, you will make many choices that determine the way you live, but your most important decision will be regarding your eternal destiny. Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

God provides a way — one way — to heaven and it is through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). God made it simple when he said, “The only way to eternal life is through Jesus.” Eternal life — billions upon billions of years — with our Lord and Savior. Such a glorious hope! Now is the time to make sure you have made your decision to spend eternity with him.

“There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever” (2 Corinthians 4:18, MSG).

These words spoken by the apostle Paul are powerful. He reminds us of things beyond this life that are far out of sight. Eternal things! Our life on this earth is but the first page of a never-ending story that goes on into eternity. We have a hard time conceptualizing the vastness of eternity. In fact, we have difficulty even comprehending the word billion. For example, a billion seconds ago it was 1959. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive, walking on the planet. A billion hours ago the characters in Genesis were alive: Adam, Abraham, Noah. Think about that!

David says, “Lord, help me to realize how brief my time on earth will be. Help me to know that I am here for but a moment more” (Psalm 39:4, TLB). We will not be here forever; in fact, we will not be here very long at all. But in a billion years from now we will be somewhere — so the question is: where will you be?

Markers on burial sites typically contain the date you were born and the date you died — separated by a dash. And it is what happens during the “dash” that determines where you will spend eternity. During your seventy, eighty, or even more years, you will make many choices that determine the way you live, but your most important decision will be regarding your eternal destiny. Jesus told Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

God provides a way — one way — to heaven and it is through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). God made it simple when he said, “The only way to eternal life is through Jesus.” Eternal life — billions upon billions of years — with our Lord and Savior. Such a glorious hope! Now is the time to make sure you have made your decision to spend eternity with him.