John 17:3 (AMP) Now this is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true [supreme and sovereign] God, and [in the same manner know] Jesus [as the] Christ whom You have sent.

This verse jumped out at me the other day. “NOW this is eternal life.” That means that when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we stepped into eternal life. We are a people that are looking to be satisfied. Will anything really satisfy us other than Jesus? What else could we be looking for?

We are being watched by those who do not know Christ that way. What are they hearing from us? Are they hearing us proclaim the Gospel? Or are they hearing us being divided on post tribulation or pretribulation rapture, the Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, whether we have to celebrate all of the feasts. What does any of that have to do with eternal life?

Matthew 22:36-40 (AMP) “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Love God and Love People. That is what you will want to do when you accept the fullness of who God is. The enemy is pretty good at getting us distracted. He wants us to look anywhere other than keeping our eyes on Jesus. He would use things that should bring us closer together. It is our choice though. The devil has no authority in a born-again believer’s life.

Whenever I get in a conversation with someone about any topic, can be worldview, social, economic, my heart position is to bring it back to our position in Christ. Somehow that conversation is going to be led back to us being rooted and grounded in the Love of Christ. That is where peace is found. You cannot take away the joy of someone who has found peace. Go back to what Jesus proclaimed while reading Isaiah 61:1-3:

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
Because the Lord has anointed and commissioned me
To bring good news to the humble and afflicted;
He has sent me to bind up [the wounds of] the brokenhearted,
To proclaim release [from confinement and condemnation] to the [physical and spiritual] captives
And freedom to prisoners,
To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord,
And the day of vengeance and retribution of our God,
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant to those who mourn in Zion the following:
To give them a turban instead of dust [on their heads, a sign of mourning],
The oil of joy instead of mourning,
The garment [expressive] of praise instead of a disheartened spirit.
So they will be called the trees of righteousness [strong and magnificent, distinguished for integrity, justice, and right standing with God],
The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

We are no longer captives. They keys of our bondage was taken by Jesus (Revelations 1:18). Those chains are there until we remove them (Isaiah 52:2). You have been raised up with Christ (Colossians 3:1-4). We have been called something new. We are now righteous through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). I believe this last part is why the enemy fights us in all of it, “That He may be glorified.” Does it glorify God?

What does it mean to be a tree of righteousness? Trees produce. We also call it the fruit of the Spirit. What if we looked at our fruit as not us having good morals, but at us being obedient. What does this have to do with eternity? This tells the world who we belong to. God is gloried when we exhibit who He is. Everything about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control is a direct reflection of who we are in Him. This is how He is gloried!

Now is eternal life. If we are in Christ, then we are in it. There is a coming back, but I do not need to fear it if I remain in Him. Getting ready because Jesus is coming should not bring us to more division, it should bring us to unity. Love God. Love People. If you do not know how to do that in Your life, ask the Holy Spirit. He will reveal it to you as you read your Bibles. Turn off the news and turn off your favorite preaching videos and get in the Bible for yourself. Read all of it. Read it to know who God is, with Christ as our example and the Holy Spirit as our Teacher. Are you secure in your eternity today? If not, here is a prayer for you:

Dear Lord, I acknowledge that I have sinned and strayed from Your will. I’ve lived selfishly, and for that, I am truly sorry. I repent and ask for Your forgiveness. I believe in Your sacrifice on the cross to save me, doing what I could never do for myself. I surrender my life to You now and ask for Your guidance. From this day on, help me to live each day in a way that honors You. I love You, Lord, and I am grateful for the promise of eternal life with You. Amen.