Reading inspires writing. I was just reading John 17, and ultimately the Holy Spirit within me inspired me as I read the words Jesus spoke 2000 years ago.

Now this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. John 17.3

We overthink eternal life. Eternal life is now. Eternal life is knowing God. How can we know God? Looking at the life of Jesus. Living the life of Jesus. Trusting that the Helper he sent is reliable to do the impossible in our daily lives.

He can remove the depression from my life. He can expand my business beyond the level it currently functions. Most importantly he can infuse me with a faith that can stand against evil even if it means death. I get way too comfortable here. Eternal life is now, but it’s so much more than what I see or experience now. Joy can be inexpressible here as I worship Him through song, but the real unadulterated joy has yet to arrive in my soul. People put more stock in what the US Supreme Court says than they do the One who created the people who sit on the US Supreme Court. Don’t put the cart before the horse. Don’t trust anyone who does not call upon the name of the LORD Jesus Christ. Every knee will one day bow before that Name, and I for one will be among those who dwell with Him forever.

The Holy Spirit has produced fruit in me for many years. I’ve stood against my own sin, temptations I’ve given into and the peer pressure that leads me away from Jesus. I’ve allowed the things of this world to cloud my view of God’s eternal love, but every time I turn back to Him it’s as if I never sinned.

Jesus’ epic accomplishments during the 33 years in the Middle East continue to be told globally, and posts like this give rise to his resurrection that was an incredible nail in evil’s coffin. Bad things continue to happen, but the hope we have in Jesus Christ makes those bad things pale in comparison to the good inside us. The suffering we are experiencing is very painful, and Jesus Christ has not asked us to do anything he hasn’t done as a human being. He’s also given us the power to stand pure and righteous before a sinless God. Wow!

Embrace that. Know that our relationships with each other can be as deep and significant as the Godhead. That doesn’t seem possible in a culture where people like George Floyd are senselessly murdered, but John 17 says otherwise. We can repent. That means we can change. Let your heart be soft in a world of hardhearted people. You can’t soften your heart.

But God can.