Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Eternal Father, please give me such faith! In Jesus' powerful name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

Then Jesus told the followers, "You will all lose your faith. It is written {in the Scriptures }: 'I will kill the shepherd, and the sheep will run away.' But {after I die}, I will rise from death. Then I will go to Galilee. I will be there before you go there." Peter said, "All the other followers may lose their faith. But I will never lose my faith." Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth. Tonight you will say you don't know me. You will say this three times before the rooster crows twice." But Peter answered strongly, "I will never say I don't know you! I will even die with you!" And all the other followers said the same thing.

Related Scripture Readings

You are praying for me, and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me. So I know that this trouble will bring my freedom. The thing I want and hope for is that I will not fail Christ in anything. I hope that I will have the courage now, like always, to show the greatness of Christ in my life here on earth. I want to do that if I die or if I live. I mean that to me the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be profit for me. If I continue living in the body, then I will be able to work for the Lord. But what would I choose—living or dying? I don't know. It is hard to choose between living or dying. I want to leave this life and be with Christ. That is much better. But you people need me here in my body.

My life is being given as an offering for God. The time has come for me to leave this life here. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now, a crown (reward) is waiting for me. I will get that crown for being right with God. The Lord is the judge who judges rightly. He will give me the crown on that Day. Yes! He will give that crown to me. He will give that crown to all people who have wanted him to come again and have waited for him.

Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about those people who have died. We don't want you to be sad like other people—people who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died. But we believe that Jesus rose again. So, because of Jesus, God will raise to be with Jesus those people who have died. What we tell you now is the Lord's own message. We who are living now might still be living when the Lord comes again. We who are living at that time will be with the Lord, but not before those people who have already died. The Lord himself will come down from heaven. There will be a loud command. That command will be given with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. And the people who have died and were in Christ will rise first. After that, we people who are still alive at that time will be gathered up with those people who have died. We will be taken up in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.