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Insight for Today

Written by Chuck Swindoll, these encouraging devotional thoughts are published seven days per week.

Articles of this Type: 2195

Home with the Lord

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. (2 Corinthians 5:1)

Remember this: Every time you attend a funeral or memorial service, you are merely viewing the physical remains of the deceased individual. You are seeing only the body, which is decaying, decomposing. You are not viewing the person—only the outer “shell.”

Hope for Everyone Who Believes

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. There is no judgment against anyone who believes in him. But anyone who does not believe in him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16–18)

Ready for Christ’s Return

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 14:1–3)

Now, the most important thing for you to understand is that He is coming again. And, secondly, that it is a comfort to you because you have believed in Him.

At Any Moment

And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30)

Until He Comes

“You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Luke 12:40)

In all my years of attending church services and hearing the Bible taught, I cannot remember hearing much said about the importance of worship as we await Christ’s coming. But it is clearly an emphasis in Scripture, just as important as occupying, purifying, and watching.

The biblical basis for my comments on worship is found in 1 Corinthians 11:23–26.

The Right Approach to Christ’s Return

“But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.” (Matthew 25:31)

Let me take you on a brief safari. To begin with, here are some facts about prophecy that will surprise most people:

The Wrong Approach to Christ’s Return

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)

The Remedy for Sin

For the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible. (Leviticus 17:11)

Christ’s Sacrifice on Our Behalf

Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5)

Crucial Questions about Salvation

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. (Ephesians 2:8–9)

Seems to me there are three crucial questions we must answer. Each has a two-word answer:

QuestionAnswer1. Is there any hope for lost sinners?Yes, Christ.2. Isn’t there any work for sinners to do?No, believe.3. Is there any way for the saved to lose the gift?No, never!