Moody Media Latest Blog Entries

Borrowed Light

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

I am the light of the world. John 8:12

D.L. MOODY
I heard of an unbeliever once who said, “Look at your convert; it is all moonshine [total lies].” The young convert replied to him, “I thank you for the compliment. We are perfectly willing to be called that. The moon borrows the light from the sun, and so we borrow ours from Christ.”

ERWIN LUTZER
Again, we are reminded that the moon has no light of its own, it only reflects the light of the sun. Just so, we have no spiritual light apart from our dependence on Christ. The moon is 400 times smaller than the sun. but it appears to us as just as big as the sun because it is also 400 times closer to Earth. My point: When there is an eclipse of the sun, it’s because the moon blocks the light of the sun, but the sun itself isn’t affected—it’s just as powerful as ever. Just so, when we experience spiritual darkness, God is unaffected; He remains powerful and remains the God of light.
Moody’s point emphasizes that we do indeed receive our light from God even as the moon receives its light from the sun. We read, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8). Jesus talked about the unbelieving world walking in darkness, and here Paul talks about believers walking in the light.
We walk in the light because of what we know and have experienced. We walk in the light by what we think and say. In context, Paul tells us to not let any unwholesome talk come out of our mouth. And of course, we have to abstain from sensuality and anger so that we don’t grieve the Holy Spirit (see Ephesians 4:17–31).
Do you feel weary today? Tired because of the demands of life? Tell the Lord how you feel; remind yourself that your light comes from Him. And give God praise that He be glorified.

PRAYER
Father, today, I confess that I have no light of my own. I trust you to be light and life in me.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What helps you reflect Christ’s light?

What hinders you from reflecting Christ?

Our Example

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you. Matthew 5:11

D.L. MOODY
Listen to Paul in the jail at Philippi. “If God wants me to go to heaven by way of this prison,” he says, “it is all the same to me; rejoice and be exceeding glad, Silas. I thank God that I am accounted worthy to suffer for Jesus’ sake.” And as they sang their praises to God, the other prisoners heard them; but, what was far more important, the Lord heard them, and the old prison shook. Talk about Alexander the Great making the world tremble with his armies, here is a little tentmaker who makes the world tremble without any army!

ERWIN LUTZER
The better the world understands Christ, the more they will come to hate Him. Paul and Silas were not in prison for doing evil, but for doing good. The authorities rejected the gospel, the one message that could show them their sin and the way of forgiveness. The gospel is so contrary to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life that its message can only be accepted by the convicting work of the Spirit.
Jesus told His disciples, “‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20). Jesus tells us to expect hatred from the world. That is why Paul and Silas could sing in prison: they knew they were there by divine appointment.
We think we are suffering for Christ when someone cancels us on social media. But historically, the church has often experienced horrendous personal, physical, and emotional suffering for the gospel. Blessed are those who can sing in the midst of such trials.

PRAYER
Father, teach me to sing your praises today, no matter how my day goes.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why might God allow you to go through suffering and trials?

Read 2 Corinthians 4:17-18. Why can you trust in God through difficulties?

Against the Current

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Faith apart from works is useless. James 2:20

D.L. MOODY
You may very often see dead fish floating with the stream, but you never saw dead fish swimming against it. Well, such a fish is a false believer. Profession is just floating down the stream, but confession is swimming against it, no matter how strong the tide.

ERWIN LUTZER
I like Moody’s phrase, “profession is floating down the stream, confession is swimming against it.” Confessing Christ as Lord brings with it a transformation of the heart, a transformation of values. We begin to hate what we once loved and love what we once hated.
Yet the cultural currents are swirling around us. Solzhenitsyn recounts a chilling tale from Russia: A deputy’s fervent praise of Stalin led to a standing ovation that went on for minutes without end. After a factory director dared to sit after eleven long minutes, he was imprisoned for a decade. Solzhenitsyn’s point? Freedom dies with “thunderous applause.”
We cannot go along with the cultural currents that conflict with our Christian convictions—especially if evil is accepted and applauded. We need heroes who are willing to stand against the culture. Just because you are under pressure does not mean you should ever violate your conscience. The Bible says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
Churches need to stand against the current of society, even if we become known as counter-cultural for what we stand for.
Let us be faithful to our conscience and to the Word of God, swimming against the stream of the sins and confusion of our culture.

PRAYER
Father, I seek not just profession but confession, with my faith firmly rooted in you.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How do we practically discern the line between an inconvenient cultural compromise and a genuine violation of Christian conscience?

What does a church look like that successfully stands against societal sins without losing its gospel witness and love for the lost?

Temporary Suffering, Eternal Victory

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

D.L. MOODY
The heir to some great estate, while a child, thinks more of a dollar in his pocket than all his coming inheritance. Just so, even some professing Christians are more elated by a passing pleasure than they are by their title to eternal glory.

ERWIN LUTZER
A mark of maturity, we are told, is delayed gratification. Some people live for the pleasures of this fleeting world without much thought about their eternal existence. And when suffering comes, they find themselves unable to look beyond it to God.
Satan’s intention is to use our suffering to distract us and make us so miserable and cynical that we no longer trust God. So, Satan wins temporary victories in our lives. I say “temporary” because the Christian’s future is secure, however, the enemy can still win in this life by making us forget about our life to come. God’s own purpose for suffering is very different. It is to break us, to humble us, and to develop our relationship with Him. We should see suffering as a divine gift, coming from God’s hand for God’s purposes. To put it clearly, suffering is actually God putting His arms around us.
Remember what Paul endured: a thorn in the flesh, people trying to undermine him, he was beaten, stoned, and left for dead. Yet despite all of that and more, he said, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
The key to life is not to be absorbed by the things that are seen but rather the things unseen.

PRAYER
Father, show me your grace even in my affliction; help me to focus on eternity and not just time.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why is it hard for us to see God in our suffering?

How have you seen God grow you through trials and persecution?

Under New Management

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The LORD will give grace and glory. Psalm 84:11, KJV

D.L. MOODY
There is not such a great difference between grace and glory after all. Grace is the bud, and glory the blossom. Grace is glory begun, and glory is grace perfected. To people who are serving God down here, glory will not come hard when they go up yonder to heaven. They will change places, but they will not stop serving.

ERWIN LUTZER
The word glory has a variety of meanings. When applied to God, it means majesty, worthiness, and eternality. We, too, will enjoy glory, though not of our own doing but because of what Christ has done for us. Jesus prayed, “The glory that you have given me I have given to them” (John 17:22).
We can’t comprehend what that really means. After all, our eyes cannot see and our hearts cannot grasp the wonder of our salvation and our eternal bliss. All we can be certain of is that everything we have is because of the undeserved grace of God. I told my wife, Rebecca, that if, for the first 1,000 years in heaven, I will be on my face thanking and worshiping Jesus, that would be fine with me. Being reunited with my relatives and friends can come later.
Meanwhile, we have a battle we must win. Until we see Jesus, we must realize we are in a war. Galatians 5:16–17 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”
The Holy Spirit not only wants to subdue the sinful flesh, He seeks to birth in us the fruit of the Spirit. And, I believe that the greater our victories on Earth, more glory that awaits us in heaven.
For us who believe, we receive grace today and glory tomorrow!

PRAYER
Father, help me to keep eternal glory in mind and daily kill the desires of the flesh.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Does your heart long more for the gifts of heaven, or the Giver Himself?

How can we use the certainty of tomorrow’s glory to endure the heavy battlefield of today?

Ambassadors of Glory

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work.
Mark 13:34, KJV

D.L. MOODY
If you notice that verse carefully, it does not read “to every man some work,” or “to every man a work,” but “to every man his work.” And I believe that every man and woman living has a work laid out for them to do; that every man’s life is a plan of the Almighty, and that way back in the councils of eternity, God laid out a work for every one of us. There is no man living who can do the work God has for me to do, no one but myself. And if any man’s work is not done, he will have to answer for it when he stands before the bar of God.

ERWIN LUTZER
Paul clearly notes that God has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). As Moody said, we each have a different work, but we work together for the good of the gospel. The church in Corinth was imperfect, but they were still called to be ambassadors. They were called to represent Christ, and if they did it in humility, even their imperfections would not stand in the way.
An ambassador is to convey the message of his king to the place he is appointed to serve. He is a conduit, taking the message of one kingdom and giving it to another. The kingdom we represent is invisible, but it’s very real; we bring the message of that kingdom to Earth. We have a message that says, “Heaven is interested in you, heaven is available to you, and grace can be extended to you.” Jesus said, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you” (John 20:21).
Another characteristic of an ambassador: He is commissioned; he represents his kingdom, not himself. Finally, an ambassador looks to his king for resources. God has given us the Holy Spirit; we have all we need to be ambassadors of hope to a hopeless world.

PRAYER
Father, remind me each morning as I wake that I am an ambassador for reconciliation, ready to introduce people to my King.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
What work has the Lord equipped you for in your vocation – how can you serve the Lord in your day to day life?

How can you live as an ambassador to advance God’s kingdom?

The Blessed Gift

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

And the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. Acts 3:16

D.L. MOODY
Faith is the hand that takes the blessing. But don’t look too much at the hand. Suppose I ask a man who has just received a thousand dollars from a friend: “Did he give it to you with his right hand?” He would reply: “What do I care about which hand? I’ve got the money.”

ERWIN LUTZER
Faith takes the gift of salvation from the hands of Christ. Our problem is that our sin is so great and God is so holy, we can do nothing to bridge the gap. Martin Luther, a German monk from over 500 years ago, began his quest for perfection by taking advantage of all of the means of grace that were afforded him in the monastery. He lived a life of strict discipline. He wore coarse clothing, hoping this discomfort would help mortify the flesh. He sometimes fasted so long that some of his friends saw his emaciated body and worried that he might die.
Then Luther saw something in the Bible he hadn’t realized before. There was not only a righteousness of God, but there was a gift of righteousness given to needy sinners. When we believe in Jesus as our Lord and Savior and believe that God raised Him from the dead, God places upon Christ all of our iniquities and all of our sins and, in return, we receive Christ’s righteousness to stand before God.
So, we receive salvation freely from the hand of God.

PRAYER
Father, thank you for the blessed gift of Christ’s righteousness purchased by the wounded hands of Christ.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Have you ever tried to earn your relationship with God through acts like Luther?

Now that you are clothed in Christ’s righteousness, how should you interact with Sin?

Glorious Treasure. Ordinary Vessel

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

God chose what is low and despised in the world. 1 Corinthians 1:28

D.L. MOODY
Notice that all the men whom Christ called around Him were weak men in a worldly sense. They were all men without rank, without title, without position, without wealth or culture. Nearly all of them were fishermen and unlettered men, yet Christ chose them to build up His kingdom. When God wanted to bring the children of Israel out of bondage, He did not send an army, He sent one solitary man. So in all ages, God has used the weak things of the world to accomplish His purposes.

ERWIN LUTZER
Can you and I open anybody’s eyes to the glories of the gospel? Of course not. But we are coworkers together with God. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.” Paul is saying that the treasure we have is the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. In other words, the treasure is the good news of the gospel. God says, “I’m going to use imperfect people, just common jars of clay, to spread the message of hope and forgiveness to a very hurting world.”
What a word of encouragement. It’s okay for you and I to be weak in the world’s eyes. We may have limited gifts and continue to struggle with sin—we are just ordinary people, but we have an extraordinary message. Do you realize how freeing this is? Clay pots were everywhere during the time this was written, and Paul says, “That’s all you are, but that’s all you have to be.”
We are imperfect people pointing people to a perfect Savior.

PRAYER
Father, may I never lose sight of your wonder. Thank you, Lord, for using me in my ordinariness.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How do you feel when you think about 2 Corinthians 4:7

What are the implications of this for evangelism?

A Daily Witness

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Will you not tell us what these things mean for us? Ezekiel 24:19

D.L. MOODY
We may not be able to do any great thing, but if each of us will do something, however small it may be, a good deal will be accomplished for God. For many years I have made it a rule not to let any day pass without speaking to someone about eternal things. I commenced it way back years ago, and if I live the life allotted to man, there will be more than eighteen thousand persons who will have been spoken to personally by me. How often we as Christians meet with people when we might turn the conversation into a channel that will lead them to Christ.

ERWIN LUTZER
Ezekiel tells them what it all means. He warns them that their sinful rebellion will result in destruction. That’s the same message we have today. Don’t you wish we had the same burning desire to witness as Moody had? Those who knew him personally said Moody appeared flighty; he was a restless man, but a man with a mission. His agenda was clear. He talked to as many people about Christ as he could.
Witnessing to unbelievers was a task God left to the church. When we speak of the church, we are not speaking of a building. The church is the body of Jesus Christ. The church is people. The church is the people whom God has called out of the world, and now sends back into the world to represent Him in the midst of each generation. The church must be burdened to see people come to know Christ as Savior through the proclamation of the gospel.
Would you pray right now that God would lead you to someone who needs the hope of the gospel? I’ve learned that when I do so, God leads me, doors open, and hearts are more receptive than I imagine they would be. Let’s ask God for the passion of Moody.

PRAYER
Father, I pray that I would have a heart for your church and for a lost world. Lead me to people whose hearts you have prepared to hear the good news of the gospel.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How did you come to faith?

How can you be faithful in looking for opportunities to proclaim the Gospel?

The Last Thing

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Arise, shine, for your light has come…And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Isaiah 60:1, 3

D.L. MOODY
Love must be active, just as light must shine. As someone has said: “A man may hoard up his money; he may bury his talents in a napkin; but there is one thing he cannot hoard up, and that is love.” You cannot bury it. It must flow out. It cannot feed upon itself; it must have an object.

ERWIN LUTZER
Isaiah was talking about God showering Israel with His glory and love, and the nations being drawn in as a result. God’s love for us, and our love for others can be a testimony to a watching world. Let me give you a parody of the famous love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13. “Though I sing in the choir, though I volunteer for Sunday school, though I am willing to be on the parking committee and thereby miss a Sunday morning church service, and though I volunteer for many projects, if I have not love, I am nothing.”
Paul writes, “So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Why is love the greatest? The day is going to come when our faith in Christ is going to be unnecessary because we will see Him. Hope is going to be unnecessary, because hope will be reality. But love will abide forever. Love is what God says is the more excellent way (1 Corinthians 12:31). Love is at the heart of it all.
Paul is talking about a supernatural kind of love that is contrary to our nature. That’s why it is so important to realize that love is the distinguishing mark of the church; it is unique, it is a gift from God.
May God rebuke us for our lack of love.

PRAYER
Father, help me to love others as you do. May others see Christ’s love in me.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Why must love be the foundation for our service in the church?

What is the most difficult thing for you to do out of love?

The Sweetest Fruit

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. Isaiah 35:10

D.L. MOODY
I think there is a difference between happiness and joy. Happy-ness is caused by things which happen around me, and circumstances will mar it, but joy flows right on through trouble; joy flows on through the dark; joy flows in the night as well as in the day; joy flows all through persecution and opposition; it is an unceasing fountain bubbling up in the heart; a secret spring which the world can’t see and doesn’t know anything about. The Lord gives His people perpetual joy when they walk in obedience to Him.

ERWIN LUTZER
There was a pastor who was baptizing a new convert. This new believer had the kind of joy that we, who are older converts, ought to have; and this convert, after being baptized shouted, “I am so full of joy, I will never be tempted again.” The pastor wisely said to him, “In order for you to have that blessing, I would have had to keep you under the water a little longer.” Yes, that’s right. Someday, we’ll never be tempted again, but not right now.
We must ever realize that when we get saved, God does a great miracle. He creates something within us that wasn’t there before: a new nature. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God makes a place in our lives where His Holy Spirit, whom we love and whose companionship we crave, can dwell within us. And He births within us qualities that are supernatural, things that are totally contrary to the flesh. When we walk in the Spirit and obey God’s Word, we grow in Christ’s likeness. The result is that we bear fruit, including the fruit of “joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8).

PRAYER
Father, thank you for the joy of my salvation. Grant me the healing fruit of a joyful heart.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How have you seen the fruit of the Spirit grow in your life?

What are something things in your life that need to be pruned so that you can bear more fruit?

A Better Way

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sun, 07 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

You are not under law but under grace. Romans 6:14

D.L. MOODY
When Moses was in Egypt, to punish Pharaoh, he turned the waters into blood. When Christ was on Earth He turned the water into wine. That is the difference between law and grace. The law says, “Kill him;” grace says, “Forgive him.” Law says, “Condemn him;” grace says, “Love him.” When the law came out of Horeb, three thousand men were destroyed. (Exodus 32:28). At Pentecost, under grace, three thousand men found life (Acts 2:41). What a difference! When Moses came to the burning bush, he was commanded to take the shoes from off his feet (Exodus 3:5). When the prodigal came home after sinning, he was given a pair of shoes to put on his feet (Luke 15:22). I would a thousand times rather be under grace than under the law.

ERWIN LUTZER
Reread what Moody said. He used vivid imagery and always pointed to grace and love, not condemnation and law. However, we need to keep in mind that the God of Calvary is also the God of Sinai. Yes, there is a difference between the Old Testament teaching and the New. We have a better demonstration of grace in the New Testament and Christ is the clearest picture of grace.
We come before God with all of our needs, with all of our sins, and it is God who acquits us and basically says, “In Christ you are righteous legally, even though you may continue to be a sinner and struggle with sin in your experience.”
During the process of sanctification, we should not only sin less, we should become more aware of how sinful we are. This helps us appreciate God’s undeserved blessing of grace. Christ pleased the Father and is our only grounds of acceptance before a holy God.

PRAYER
Father, thank you that my salvation is by grace through faith. Give me a grateful heart for your gift of righteousness.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read Ephesians 2:8-9. What do you contribute to your salvation?

How has Christ fulfilled the law?

Our Bridegroom

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Sat, 06 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. 1 Corinthians 13:12

D.L. MOODY
For now, we see God, as it were, in a mirror, but then, face to face. Suppose we knew nothing of the sun except what we saw of its light reflected from the moon? Would we not wonder about its immense distance, about its dazzling splendor, about its life-giving power? But all that we see, the sun, the moon, the stars, the ocean, the Earth, the flowers, and above all, man, are a grand mirror in which the perfection of God is imperfectly reflected.

ERWIN LUTZER
Yes, Paul said that we do see through a mirror “dimly” but, thank God, we do see! God has a Son, Jesus, and He is known as the last (or second) Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). Whereas the first Adam took the image of God and messed it up, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, is the perfect image of the invisible God. He is not just a replica of God; He is God of very God.
And God says in effect, “I’m going to begin a new humanity. Adam is still going to be the head of the human race, but I’m going to begin a redeemed race with Christ as the head, the second Adam.” And so, just as God created Eve to be a helper for Adam, He has redeemed the church to be a bride for Christ as an eternal companion.
At the marriage supper of the Lamb, we shall be wedded with Christ forever. For now, we see God dimly, and His best representation on Earth is the bride of Christ.

PRAYER
Father, grant me the ability to see beyond all the superficial things to those which are eternal. I pray that we who are the bride of Christ might represent you well. May others see a glimmer of your love through us.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Read Hebrews 1:1-4, what does it mean that Christ is the exact representation of the father?

How might you learn about the father through the Son?

Get Off the Fence

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Who is on the LORD’s side? Exodus 32:26

D.L. MOODY
When I was in England in 1867, a friend happened to introduce me to a man from Dublin. Alluding to me, the latter said, “Is this young man all O O?” Said the London man, “What do you mean by O O?” Replied the Dublin man, “Is he Out-and-Out for Christ?” I tell you it burned down into my soul. It means a good deal to be O O for Christ.

ERWIN LUTZER
After the people of Israel worshiped the golden calf at Mount Sinai, Moses burned the gold and made the sons of Israel drink the water with the powder and ashes within it. He wanted them to feel the negative effects, the backwash of their idolatry. Eventually, the very thing they craved had a bitter taste. Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD’s side? Come to me.”
Through Moses, God was saying, “You can’t be on the fence; either your heart belongs to me or to an idol.” This represents the source of conflict within the human soul. We are idol lovers and God is an idol hater. God deals severely and drastically with our idols. Our temptation is to think we can actually serve our idols and God at the same time.
Not a one of us is capable of turning away from our idols. We must come to God who is the one and only idol smasher. We come to the true and the living God who has trampled on all idols, and we come to a Savior who has been raised from the dead and taken to heaven as proof of His absolute total triumph.
Being number two in life is the essence of life if God is number one. Please take an unhurried moment and ask God to show you your number one idol. Fight against it by turning to God in repentance and faith. As Moody said, let us be O and O for Christ!

PRAYER
Father, in the presence of my idols, I am helpless. Deliver me from idols for your name’s sake, not just today, but each day of my life.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
Where are you currently tempted to compromise, trying to secretly serve an idol while publicly trying to stand on the Lord’s side?

What is one concrete area of your life where you need to step down to "number two" so that Christ can be the undisputed number one?

Heaven or Hell

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer (media@moodychurch.org) — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Arise and go, for this is no place to rest. Micah 2:10

D.L. MOODY
Though some think of this world as heaven, it is the home of sin, a hospital of sorrow, a place that has nothing to satisfy the soul. Men go all over the world to get out of it all they can—and yet are unsatisfied. People soon grow tired of the best pleasures it has to offer. Someone has said that the world is a stormy sea whose every wave is strewed with the wrecks of mortals that perish in it. Every time we breathe, someone is dying. We all know we are going to stay here but a very little while. Only the other life is enduring.

ERWIN LUTZER
A number of years ago, I was asked to take a funeral. I didn’t know the family, and when I went to the funeral home the son said to me, “I want you to know that we are not religious. We don’t believe in God. The only reason you are here is because some member of the family thought that a minister should be present.” He said, and I quote, “Anything you say will not be too short.” I said to him, “Why is it you want it to be so short?” “Well,” he said, “we feel uncomfortable because we don’t believe in God.” So, I made a deal with him. I said, “Look, I’ll tell you what. I will be brief, but I do need to have the opportunity to tell you what I think about death in general, and Christ in particular.” He reluctantly agreed. Despite the beautiful things said about the man whose body lay in the casket, what he was experiencing in those moments was the beginning of eternal agony. This world makes promises it cannot keep. It may present itself like a form of heaven, but for the unbeliever, hell awaits. May I emphasize that your eternal destiny is determined in this life, not in the life to come. Who in your life can you witness to about their eternal destiny?

PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I long to live for the life to come, not this fleeting world. Bring into my life someone who needs to know you so they might flee from the wrath to come.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS
How might you minster to those in your life who do not believe in Jesus?

Why should you pray for their salvation and how often do you do so?