April 6, 2020 Rick Warren Devotional :- This Is Not the End of the Story
Read previous Rick Warren Devotionals here
“We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again . . . because we know that God raised the Lord Jesus back to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14 (CEV)
You can’t lose! You win in the end, no matter what happens. Even if a global sickness takes your life, if you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, then you’re going straight into the presence of God.
Your story will just be beginning.
Have you ever watched a TV show where every single episode ended in a cliffhanger and left you thinking the hero might not survive. The tension can be enormous.
But what if you waited until the show ended, so you could watch the whole series at once.
Well, when you know the series will last for six more seasons, you’re not too worried about whether or not the hero will make it out of a tight spot. Each episode is not the end of the story.
We don’t know how much time we have left here on earth, but that doesn’t mean we live without hope. To live with hope in the middle of a crisis like a global pandemic, you have to change your perspective. You have to live in light of eternity.
One day, when you meet Jesus in heaven all of your pain, sickness, sorrow, sadness, stress, and grief are going to end.
Here’s what you have to look forward to: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NIV).
This is not the end of the story. We don’t know what the future holds, but we know who holds the future.