“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’” (John 11:25–26 NLT)

Because Jesus lives, everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.

Jesus demonstrated His power over death when He raised His friend Lazarus from the dead. Before Lazarus died, his sisters Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus, letting Him know that Lazarus was gravely ill. Instead of coming right away to heal Lazarus, as Mary and Martha likely hoped, Jesus waited until Lazarus died.

When he finally came, “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if only you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (John 11:21 NLT).

“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?’” (verses 25–26 NLT).

Jesus was saying to His grieving friend, “Martha, listen to Me. Death is not the end! You’re acting as though it is over with. It is not over with.” At this point, I think He was speaking of something more profound than the resurrection of Lazarus. After all, raising Lazarus from the dead—as exciting and joyful as that may have been—was only a temporary proposition. Lazarus would just die again in a matter of years.

I think the bigger message was this: “Death is not the end. This is temporary. One day I will get rid of death altogether, and whoever believes in Me will live forever.”

Jesus wept at the death of His friend and at the sorrow of Lazarus’ two grieving sisters. But the death of His friend also brought Him anger.

John 11:33 tells us, “When Jesus saw her weeping and saw the other people wailing with her, a deep anger welled up within him, and he was deeply troubled” (NLT).

I think Jesus was angry at death itself because this was never God’s plan. God’s plan was to have us live forever. God’s plan was that our bodies would never age or wear out or experience sickness or limitations.

So, He was angry over that, and He wept. But these weren’t tears of frustration. God is never frustrated. Jesus was angry and then did something about it that had been planned from eternity past. He gave up His life on a Roman cross, dying for the sins of the world, and then He rose again from the dead. The Bible says He has become the “firstfruits” of those who sleep, which means that He went before us.

And because He went before us into death and came out victorious on the other side, those of us who now live and will face death someday can be confident and unafraid. Because we will live forever.

Reflection question: How does the assurance that you will have eternal life impact your daily life in the here and now? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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“To all who mourn in Israel, he will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations.” (Isaiah 61:3–4 NLT)

Because Jesus lives, all those who follow Him are no longer slaves to sin. And that means we’re capable of an amazing transformation.

I’ve been astounded by the testimonies of certain people who tell me the way they used to be. I’ve looked at them and thought, “There’s no way they used to be that way,” because Jesus Christ has so radically changed them.

Isaiah 61:3–4 promises that God “will give a crown of beauty for ashes, a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory. They will rebuild the ancient ruins, repairing cities destroyed long ago. They will revive them, though they have been deserted for many generations” (NLT).

For those who have made a mess of their life—a pile of ashes, so to speak—God says, “I will bring beauty.” For those who mourn because of the people they’ve wronged and the sins they’ve committed, God says, “I will bring joy out of it.”

Only God can take a tangled mess of a life and transform it so completely that you wouldn’t even recognize the person it used to be. The Bible offers several such examples.

Think of the demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes who met Jesus when He got out of the boat. Luke 8 says, “For a long time he had been homeless and naked, living in the tombs outside the town. . . . Even when he was placed under guard and put in chains and shackles, he simply broke them and rushed out into the wilderness, completely under the demon’s power” (verses 27, 29 NLT). Moments later, “He was sitting at Jesus’ feet, fully clothed and perfectly sane” (verse 35 NLT).

Think of Saul, the zealous defender of the Jewish faith who terrorized the early Christians. After an encounter with the risen Christ, he became the apostle Paul. He was speaking from personal experience when he wrote, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT).

Every such transformation gives hope to others who may still despair over the condition of their lives. If you come to Christ and say, “Lord, here I am, forgive me of my sin,” He can transform you and change you. He can take your mistakes and your sins, turn them around, and even use them for His glory. When you commit your life to Christ, putting the broken, stained, twisted pieces into His hand, He will transform it into a thing of beauty.

Reflection question: What evidence of transformation can you see in your life? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

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“So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.” (Ephesians 1:6–8 NLT)

Because Jesus lives, you can be forgiven of your sins. The apostle Paul wrote, “So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding” (Ephesians 1:6–8 NLT).

That’s important to remember because your spiritual enemy will use guilt to make you question your relationship with the Lord. He will try to convince you that your sin makes you unworthy to be part of God’s family.

Remember, though, that everything God has done has been because of His grace, which means “unmerited favor.” You aren’t merely forgiven, justified, and cleansed of your sins; you have been received in love by God Himself. This is because of His deep love for His own Son, Jesus. Because His Son lives in you, you have found His favor. You have the approval of God because of what Jesus has done.

Some people have been raised in homes where their father never demonstrated any kind of love toward them. Maybe he was cold and distant. Or maybe, like me, you were raised in a home where there wasn’t a father at all. We can transfer those emotions to God the Father. We can walk around in life feeling as though we don’t have the approval of God. We might think, “If I just did this, God would notice,” or “If I worked a little harder, then God would love me.”

But that’s not the kind of Father we’re talking about. The psalmist wrote, “Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy” (Psalm 68:5 NLT). Paul wrote, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ” (Ephesians 1:3 NLT). And James wrote, “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father” (James 1:17 NLT).

God approves of you. You are accepted and loved—not because you read your Bible a little longer, share Christ with more people, or give a little more in the offering. You are still accepted even when you don’t do all of that. You are accepted when you fail, when you slip up, when you give in to a familiar temptation. You are accepted not because of what you have done, but because of what Jesus has done.

In understanding this great truth, you should want to do everything for the Lord’s glory—not to earn His approval, but because you already have it.

Reflection question: What might cause you to question God’s forgiveness, acceptance, and love? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

Support the show: https://harvest.org/support

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.