The one who has the Son has life. The one who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. ~ 1 John 5:12-13  

Ever play the game What would you do for a million dollars? Would you eat only pizza for a year? Would you dye your hair purple for the next three years? Would you agree to have your memory completely wiped out? Would you live in Antarctica by yourself for the next four years? 

Here’s a better game. Except that it’s not a game.

What would you do to live forever? 

The good news is that you don’t have to deprive yourself, eat something gross, or feed your fears. All you have to do—if it could be called doing anything at all—is believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and trust that he died in your place for your sins. 

That’s it. 

And what you receive is infinitely better than a million dollars, which by the way can be easily squandered and can never give you happiness, security, or forgiveness. What you receive from Jesus is eternal life. 

If you trust Jesus, then he is yours and you are his.

All that he has and is can rightfully be called yours—righteousness, life, joy, acceptance, peace, truth, and love. No one can ever take it away. You can’t lose it. You can’t disown it (provided, of course, you are genuinely putting your faith in Jesus as your Savior). Jesus won’t renege on it. There’s nothing you can do to make yourself unworthy of it, because you didn’t earn it in the first place; Jesus earned it and freely gave it to you when you put your full trust in him. 

That’s why it’s called eternal life. This ultimate gift is freely given to you and lasts forever. 

If trusting Jesus is so simple, then why doesn’t everyone just do it?

Because trusting in Jesus is actually hard; it means you have to stop trusting in yourself—what you do and who you think you are. You have to lay down your confidence in everything else to see it as worthless and treasure Jesus alone as the one thing you need. 

Do you treasure your faith in Christ above all material rewards?