Encouragement Devotion: Everlasting Blessings - Luke 20:36

Luke 20:36     “And they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection.”

I love verses like this from the Bible because they offer an everlasting hope of blessings yet to come. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wishing for death – life is beautiful – but at the end of all this beauty and wonder, it’s comforting to know that there is something more wonderful yet to be experienced. This is why I am a Christian, and this is why I believe that Christianity offers the best hope of our earthly lives.

To be like an angel and a child of the resurrection is a precious gift that only Jesus can bring. When He spoke to the Sadducees, who did not believe in life beyond death, He did not condemn them for their beliefs. Instead, Jesus attempted to enlighten them in a charming and attractive way. He told them that all are alive to God, even those who are dead, because we all have eternal souls. I recently read a wonderful statement about this: “We are not human beings seeking an everlasting spiritual experience; we are eternal spiritual beings having a human experience.”

As a Christian, I want all of my family and friends, my neighbors and colleagues to live in the eternal blessings of God’s loving presence, so I have to try to share my faith with them. And I am certain that you want those blessings for your loved ones as well. The great news is this: Jesus can show us how to do that in a charming, attractive, and effective way.

Questions for personal reflection

Whom do I dearly love in this earthly life? Have I lovingly shared my Christian faith with them?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, they are people in our lives whom we dearly love and yet they do not truly know You. Help us to share our faith with them in loving and charming ways, so that they may be drawn closer to You and receive Your Gospel in their hearts. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.

Today’s image is John’s latest nativity drawing called “Star Song.” Every year, John draws unique nativity scenes which are used by many Christian groups and churches all across the world. If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8328/8075856657_2c44d4c75a_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotions: Dealing with Death

Years ago, I saw a person actually die. He was a stranger to me, but both he and his daughter taught me an important faith lesson.

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Job 38:17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?

It was the first time that I saw someone actually die and he was a stranger to me. I had just started as a part-time chaplain to a local hospital and received a call very early one Saturday morning.

“Can you come and help a patient’s family member?” a nurse asked. “She’s all on her own and has asked for a minister to be with her. Her dad is dying”

It took me about fifteen minutes to get ready. I was at the hospital within half an hour. A young woman was in a side room sitting next to her father’s bed. He was an old man that I had never seen in my life before. He looked tired and weary. She looked exhausted and frail.

“Thank you for coming, “she quietly said.” I just needed someone to be here. I didn’t want to do this on my own.”

We talked for a couple of minutes and I read some scripture. Time passed so slowly. Her father was breathing intermittently and the young woman clasped his hand. She told her dad that she loved him and once or twice she tenderly stroked his hair.

And then the moment came. His face slightly changed color and the breathing stopped. It was very peaceful. The young woman quietly sobbed. I read from Psalm 23 and said a soft, comforting prayer. She graciously thanked me for being there and then the nursing staff arrived to take care of the body. The young woman thanked me once more and allowed me to quietly leave. I never saw her again and to this day I do not know their names. But the woman and her father taught me a lesson: death does not need to be feared and dying can be very peaceful.

That’s why I’m still a minister today and it’s also why I preach the Good News. Jesus has defeated death and His great victory vanquishes all of our fears. Christ not only saw the gates of death; He took them apart forever. We may pass away but once on earth, but death no longer imprisons us, for Jesus has won our eternal freedom.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Savior of our souls and the Deliverer from death. You grant us an everlasting opportunity to be reunited with our loved ones in the holy realms of God. We can never repay the immortal debt that we owe to You, but we will praise Your Name forever. Amen.

4 Minute Devotions: More than We Deserve

God's grace is astonishing. Even although we do not deserve it, He makes us co-heirs with Christ. A short reflection on Romans 8 v 17.

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Evelyn and I had to sign a couple of financial forms the other day, designating our children as co-heirs. I guess we’ve reached that time of life when we have to think carefully about our future. It’s not easy to process internally, because it involves thinking about a time when we will no longer be in the world and our children will continue with their own lives. What we wanted to ensure was that our finances would be shared equally amongst them, should anything ever happen to us.

Romans 8:17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs-heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

It’s not a very happy subject for a devotional, but it is an important one. What we leave to our children expresses how much we love them. Now a stewardship orientated pastor would use this lesson to get people to thinking about how much they should leave to the church, as an expression of their love of God, but that’s not what this text is about.

What Paul is describing is the grace of God. Think about it: Jesus does all the hard work of laying down His life for our sins, of giving up everything so that we might be forgiven. You would think that because Jesus does this, He would inherit all of God’s blessings. And yet God’s grace goes beyond that, because He makes us co-heirs with Christ.

Some people don’t get it when they first glance at this passage. They don’t understand how profound a blessing this is. We, who are wretched and unholy compared to God and Christ, become co-heirs of everything that God has to offer. We, who once were sinful creatures, become the joint heirs of heaven, earth, and the whole of creation. It is astounding. It is astonishing. It is amazing.

Prayer: Lord God, we know that we do not deserve Your grace. We perfectly understand how unworthy and unholy we actually are. And yet, through the abundance of Your love and by Christ’s sacrifice, we are destined to become the heirs of everything You have made. This is so remarkable that mere words cannot express our delight. Thank You, Lord. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Daily Devotions: Abundant Life

It’s a question that we all ask at sometime in our lives: “How can I beat death and obtain everlasting life?”

When I was eighteen, I overdosed on tranquilizers and almost died. I was saved by three friends, to whom I will ever be indebted. I spent three days in hospital to get my stomach cleaned out and to check if my organs were still working. What I didn’t realize through my act of stupidity was that I could have permanently damaged my kidneys and other vital organs, which would have meant that I would have unavoidably died days later. Thankfully, and providentially, that did not happen. My life had been spared by the quick action of my friends.

Podcast version here

Through being so close to death, it made me think about Life. I was unsaved at the time, so if I had died, I would have been separated from God forever. I did not know that at the time because I held a kindergarten belief of God in my heart. But when I turned to the scriptures to learn more about God, He startled me with the forthright views of Christ.


Bible Verse of the Day


Mark 10:17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"



I no longer dabble with death or take my life for granted. It’s given me a different perspective from most people. Life is something to be cherished, but it is also a gift of God that shouldn’t be squandered. The purpose of life is to give it back to God. Everything that we accomplish, all of our achievements, and every resource that we own, are nothing compared to the riches of God’s grace and His everlasting love. That’s why Jesus asks the young man to give up his wealth and esteem – for when he is old and dying, he is going to have to give them up anyway.

Health and wealth won’t last forever, but faith and love do. If we want life, real, abundant, and everlasting life then we need to surrender ourselves to God through Jesus Christ. There just isn’t any other way.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, each day You challenge us to give up our lives and place them in Your hands. In other words, You’re asking us to have faith in You by surrendering ourselves to Your Church and Kingdom. Help us to do this willingly and to at last realize that our lives are gifts from God, which we must eventually give back to Him. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.