For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ. (Hebrews 3:14 NLT)

We all will leave a legacy of sorts. It will be a positive one or a negative one. But eventually our lives will come to an end, and we will leave a legacy. People might say some nice things about us at our funerals, but afterward, the truth will come out.

Of course, we don’t know how much time God will give to each one of us. We may live long, productive lives. And maybe we will be able to look back eventually and say that we finished well.

Or, our lives may be cut relatively short. We might not live quite that long. That is why we want to make sure that every day counts. We don’t want to waste a single moment.

On more than one occasion, the Bible likens the Christian life to running a race. Writing to the church in Corinth, the apostle Paul said, “Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win!” (1 Corinthians 9:24 NLT).

And the writer of Hebrews urges us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us” (12:1 NLT).

The objective in the Christian life is not only to start our race well but also to cross the finish line. We must finish this race. The Bible warns us of failing to do that.

Again, we read in Hebrews, “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. . . . For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ” (3:12, 14 NLT).

It doesn’t matter whether we’ve been in first place for nine laps in a ten-lap race. We have to cross the finish line. That is why Paul also said, “I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27 NLT).

We must be so very careful.

Paul, addressing the elders of Ephesus prior to his departure, spoke of his impending imprisonment. He told them, “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God” (Acts 20:24 NLT). That was Paul’s goal. He wanted to finish his race.

In the race of life, we’re not competing with each other. I’m not running against you. And you’re not running against me. Our goal is not to outrun each other. Rather, our goal is to stay in our lane and finish the race that God has set before us.

Invest in evangelism in 2025!

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 NLT)

The Christmas story is the greatest story ever told. But it isn’t a fairy tale; it’s history. It is His story. The Son of God, the Savior, God incarnate, entered our world when He was born in Bethlehem on the first Christmas.

But why did God send His Son to Earth? Why did Jesus walk among us as a man? Why was all this done? It was so that God could give us the greatest gift of all: the gift of eternal life. Romans 6:23 says, “The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 NLT).

The gift of Christmas is the gift of eternal life. That is why God came to this earth.

When we open Christmas gifts, we’ll initially feel excited about them—or at least about some of them. But it won’t be long until they’re quickly outdated or forgotten.

But God’s gift, the gift of eternal life, only grows in value as we begin to understand what it’s all about. What’s more, it isn’t a gift that we can only enjoy when death comes. It’s a gift that we can enjoy right now.

That’s because one of the aspects of this gift of eternal life is something called justification. This is a unique, biblical word with a twofold meaning. First, it speaks of what God has taken away. And what has He taken away? Our sin. The moment we put our faith in Jesus Christ, our sins are instantaneously forgiven.

Think of all the things you’ve done that you have regretted. God can forgive you of those things because of the death of Jesus on the cross. If you will turn from your sin and call it what it is, God will forgive you.

Second, justification speaks of what God has put in place of our sin. When God justifies us, when we believe in Jesus, He places the righteousness of Christ into our account. And that balances the moral and spiritual budget for us.

Pastor and author Charles Swindoll describes justification this way: “Justification is the sovereign act of God whereby He declares righteous the believing sinner—while he is still in a sinning state.”

The Bible says, “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us” (Romans 5:1 NLT).

The reason we can approach God, the reason we have access to God, and the reason that God will even hear our prayers is because of the gift He has given to us. And while this gift is free to us, it was bought with the blood of Jesus Christ.

Do you know God in a personal way? If you’ve never asked Jesus to come into your life, will you do it today? This is why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He came to bring you this gift. As Isaiah tells us, “For a child is born to us, a son is given to us” (9:6 NLT). He is God’s gift from Heaven.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

‘Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.”’ (Matthew 1:23 NLT)

For some, Christmas isn’t the happiest time of year. It can be the most dreaded time of year, because it reminds them of something. It might be the loss of a loved one, or it might be another loss of some kind. But Christmas can be a lonely, painful time.

Yet the essential message of Christmas is that Immanuel has come to us. And the name Immanuel means “God is with us.” We read in Matthew 1:23, “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” (NLT).

That is really the essence of the Christian life: God is with us.

Jesus knows what it is like to be lonely. When He walked this earth, He probably was the loneliest man ever to live. Yes, He constantly had throngs of people around Him. But on that final day, those multitudes were gone. Even His own, handpicked disciples deserted Him.

And as Jesus hung on the cross, suspended between Heaven and Earth, God the Father momentarily turned away as Christ bore all the sins of the world. He cried out, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Matthew 27:46 NLT).

Jesus will comfort us in our lonely moments. He says, “I am with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.” That is His promise to the children of God. We are never alone again.

Without question, one of the most remarkable teachings in the Bible is that Jesus Christ Himself will enter and live in the human hearts of those who put their trust in Him. Jesus said, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them” (John 14:23 NLT).

That is an amazing statement when you think about it. God the Father and the Son are saying they want to make their home with us.

All other religions essentially say, “Do.” “Do this and maybe you will be more spiritual.” “Do that, and maybe you will get closer to God.” But Christianity can be summed up in one word: “done.” Why? Because it is God living His life through us. God is with us.

Jesus said to His disciples, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20 NLT). He also said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5 NLT).

God is with you. That is the message of Christmas. You are never alone again. Maybe your marriage fell apart and you feel alone. Know this: God is with you. Maybe your children have forgotten about you in this Christmas season, and the pain is sharp. Know this: God is with you. Maybe you’re isolated and by yourself. Know this: God is with you.

If you have put your faith in Jesus Christ, God is with you.

—

Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast

Become a Harvest Partner

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.