God Has Written Your Final Chapter

by Rick Warren — October 20, 2022
From Radicalis: Developing Spiritual Roots

“Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.”

1 Peter 1:3-4 (NLT)

It’s easy to look around the world and not see any reason for hope. But God’s Word is clear: You have real reasons to hope. The first chapter of 1 Peter gives five of those reasons. I’ve described two of them the last few days in these Daily Hope devotionals:

  • God chose you before you chose him, and
  • God always treats you with grace and mercy.

The third reason is this:

God has secured your future. No matter what happens for the rest of your life, if you have a relationship with Jesus Christ, God guarantees your future. You will never be able to lose your salvation.

The Bible says, “Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT).

An inheritance is what you’re given because you belong to a family. Usually, it’s given to you at someone’s death. It’s like a birthright.

Peter gives five words and phrases to describe your inheritance in heaven:

Priceless: Its value is so great that you can’t even measure it.

Kept: You need a reservation to get into heaven, and you can only make that reservation through Jesus. Once you put in your reservation, it can never be canceled.

Pure: It isn’t fake. It’s the real deal.

Undefiled: It can’t be corrupted. You can’t lose it—ever.

Beyond the reach of change and decay: It won’t wither, die, or lose its value.

God has already written the final chapter of your life. You’ve got a reservation that you cannot lose! You can believe that, trust that, and put your hope in it.

Talk It Over

  • Why is it so important to be able to trust that God’s gift of salvation is secure?
  • Have you ever struggled to believe in the security of your salvation? What helped you overcome those concerns?
  • How does knowing that your future is secure change how you live today?

You can have the assurance of salvation

The Bible says you can get to heaven only by trusting in God through his Son, Jesus Christ. You cannot earn your way into heaven: “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV).

If you’re ready to confess your sins and trust Jesus with your life, start with this prayer:

“Dear God, you have promised that if I believe in Jesus, everything I’ve ever done wrong will be forgiven, I will learn the purpose of my life, and you will accept me into your eternal home in heaven one day.

“I confess my sin, and I submit to Jesus as my Savior and Lord. Jesus, I want to follow you and serve you. I humbly commit my life to you and ask you to save me and accept me into your family. In your name I pray. Amen.”

If you just prayed to accept Jesus, please email me at [email protected] and let me know about it. I’d like to send you some free materials to help you start your journey with Jesus.


Give hope, prayer, and encouragement below. Post a comment & talk about it.