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Already Have Eternal Life
Andrea Lende • May 30, 2020
John 5:24
You Already Have Eternal Life
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Daily Word:
John 5:24
“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment, but he has already passed over out of death into life.”
Jesus was talking to a crowd of people in Chapter five.
He told the crowd about eternal life.
He told them that they had access to it now.
All they had to do was believe the Lord.
They had to believe in the words of Jesus.
First, they had to be able to hear His words.
That was most difficult.
He was talking about things they were unfamiliar with and had not heard before.
They didn’t have to wait until they died to meet God, and experience heaven.
It was already available to them.
It is also already available to us.
I seek that heaven on earth.
The more I seek the Lord, the closer I come to finding it.
The more I read the Word and experience God’s leading, guidance, mercy, and love I find this precious gift that Jesus came to give us.
For most of my life I have looked forward to going to heaven – paradise.
But according to Jesus’ words here in this passage we can experience that here on earth as well.
If I stay in a place of peace, which is only found in the Lord, then I live in paradise.
It is easy to get caught up in the cares of this world.
There are so many that there are too many to even mention.
All I can do is pray that the Lord will handle those cares and grant me His peace.
It is, after all, His peace that I am seeking.
I find it in nothing else that this world can offer.
So, I pray.
I pray that the Lord will grant me His peace.
I pray that the Lord will deal mercifully with me.
I pray that His grace will be upon me.
And, I pray for favor.
I do not have any of these with God and without His help in having them.
As He grants me my requests and blesses me, I find Him.
I find peace, mercy, grace, and favor.
I find eternal life.
Today I choose to listen to the words of Christ and believe that I already have what He came here to grant me – eternal life.
May you find that He is life eternal for you and grants you peace, mercy, grace, and favor as He brings you to Himself.
Daily Prayer.
O Lord, my God, thank You for being the God of this universe and God of my heart. Thank You for calling me close to You. Thank You for choosing me to know You. Thank You for showing me Who You Are and all You desire to grant me. Thank You for sending Your Son so that I have access to You and Your great wonders. Thank You for not withholding anything from me. As I Ask, You grant me my requests. As I seek You, I find You and perfect sweetness. I find all things wonderful. Your gift of eternal life and paradise are found here and forever. Help me to stay in this perfect precious place of Your presence today, Lord. Lead and guide all that I do. Help me hear Your every whisper and obey Your gentle voice. Help me feel Your love, Father. Thank You for every wonderful generous gift You have given me and desire to give me. May I be Yours forever, Lord. Keep me Yours. Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: You are My precious child, and You are Mine forever.
Response: Undeservedly Yours, Lord, thank You most gracious and merciful God.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.