A rich man lived in luxury while closing his eyes to the needy. At his gate, a beggar named Lazarus suffered from hunger and sickness. After both men died, a drastic reversal happened. Lazarus was carried to Abraham's side in heaven; the rich man found himself in hell. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to ease his pain, but his request could not be granted because of the chasm between heaven and hell. There are two points: First, death is not the end of life. After death, everyone will be carried to their eternal destiny which no one can reset. For children of God, death takes them to their eternal home with Christ Jesus (2Cor. 5:8). But for those who reject Christ, death opens the gate of hell to a Christless eternity. We all have an appointment with God and his judgment. Second, our eternal destiny depends on what we do with Jesus now. In this life, we must open our eyes to care for the needy in Jesus' love. Otherwise, our life becomes self-centered and callous.

The rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers and warn them. But what his brothers should do was repent based on God's words, believe in Jesus, and live a life taking care of the needy. God gave life to each of us, but to prepare for the life to come, we must believe and live in Jesus in this life.


Application: Lord, help me live for God's kingdom and for the needy.
One Word: Believe and live in God's words