Daily Devotional

We all know this verse. Yet it carries a power that most of us overlook; the power of Gods love. Two comparisons I want to look at today — perish versus everlasting life.

The word "perish" comes from the Greek word "apollumi" and has several meanings. Firstly, it means to die. God did not want you to die in your sins. But perish also talks about the process of dying — withering and fading away. In Psalm 92 we read, "The righteous shall bring forth fruit in old age, they shall be fat and flourishing." God loves you so much that he does not want you to fade away, to lose your savour, and to dry up. He wants to keep you refreshed at all times, even in old age.

Perish also means to be utterly destroyed or to come to nothing. Praise God. 2 Corinthians 4 says, "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed." His love will not permit you to be destroyed. Yes, we face persecution, but we can rest on His mighty name and His love for you and for me to get us through any situation.

Everlasting, on the other hand, is the opposite. Everlasting speaks of something that lasts forever and ever. It is something to be cherished, and to hold onto with dear life. The Bible says that one day you will have a mansion in Heaven to enjoy forever and ever. One day, you will have everlasting peace and joy.

So great is His love that He constantly blesses you with great gifts. He gave you His love, firstly. Then, when He saw you and I dying eternally in a corrupt world, He expressed that love by giving us His only begotten Son to redeem us. He showed you His love by saying, "My Son died for you so that you can be called ,,My people. He shed His precious blood for you so that you can share in My inheritance. Everything I have, I give to you because I love you."