April 23
Bible Reading: John 17:1-5
John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Throughout history, many explorers and adventurers looked for an elusive Fountain of Youth which allegedly held the power to restore the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. In fact, there is a park in St. Augustine, Florida—the “Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park”—which serves as a tribute to the spot where Ponce de León was supposed to have landed in his search for the fountain. But a visit to the park will yield no life-imparting miracle. Jesus alone can provision eternal life, and it’s about far more than life extended.
The essence of eternal life is a personal, intimate relationship with God. It is something that is received as a gift from God because of placing one’s trust in Jesus. Eternal life is not something you wait to possess after you die, it is something you even now possess if you are a believer in Jesus. It is as John 5:24 declares: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life (not ‘will have’ but ‘has’), and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
Jesus came for this purpose, to reconcile lost sinners to God, even as 1 Peter 3:18 makes clear: “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.”
I love this quote by A. W. Tozer: “Why did Christ come? Why was He conceived? Why was He born? Why was He crucified? Why did He rise again? Why is He now at the right hand of the Father? The answer to all these questions is, in order that He might make worshipers out of rebels; in order that He might restore us again to the place of worship we knew when we were first created.” Eternal life is the fruit of that restoration.
A. W. Tozer
If you are a believer in Christ, you even now possess eternal life. Its value lies not in added days, but in knowing the God of eternity, in a personal and intimate way, in your now and in your always!
If you are believing in Jesus, then you possess eternal life, even now!
NOW I BELONG TO JESUS
Jesus, my Lord will love me forever,
From Him no pow’r of evil can sever,
He gave His life to ransom my soul;
Now I belong to Him;
Chorus
Now I belong to Jesus,
Jesus belongs to me,
Not for the years of time alone,
But for eternity.
Once I was lost in sin’s degradation,
Jesus came down to bring me salvation,
Lifted me up from sorrow and shame,
Now I belong to Him; (Chorus)
Joy floods my soul for Jesus has saved me,
Freed me from sin that long had enslaved me
His precious blood, He came to redeem,
Now I belong to Him; (Chorus)
LookingtoJesus 