This Weekly Devotional connects to the current Adult Sunday School series. Although it is related to the Sunday School curriculum, it is also designed to be meaningful to everyone.

Devotion

October 16, 2025

John 11:25-26 MSG “You don’t have to wait for the end. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life. The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live. And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all. Do you believe this?”

You know those conversations where you’re trying to comfort someone and all you can offer is, “It’ll get better someday.” That’s kind of where Martha was. Her brother Lazarus had died, and she was hurting. When Jesus finally shows up, she says, essentially, “I know he’ll be resurrected on the Last Day.” She had future hope, but present grief. But then, Jesus drops one of the most game-changing statements in all of scripture, and The Message translation really nails the “right now” feeling: “You don’t have to wait for the end. I am, right now, Resurrection and Life.”

Stop and let that sink in. Jesus isn’t saying, “I will give life,” or “I will cause resurrection down the road.” He says, “I am.” Right now. It changes everything. It means the power that defeats death isn’t a future event we’re waiting for; it’s a living Person standing right here, right now, with you. The Resurrection isn’t a theory or a history lesson; it’s a claim on the present moment.

This is where the statement splits into two mind-blowing promises. First: “The one who believes in me, even though he or she dies, will live.” This is the future hope, the ultimate security. Yes, our bodies will wear out, but for the believer, that’s not the end of the story. Physical death is just a door into more life—eternal life in the presence of Jesus. The grave doesn’t win; it’s just a temporary holding cell before the final upgrade.

But the second part is what really shifts the message for our daily lives: “And everyone who lives believing in me does not ultimately die at all.” This is about the now. When you put your faith in Jesus, you immediately tap into eternal life—a quality of life that death can’t touch. You’ve passed from death to life already. The “life” Jesus offers is a current, spiritual reality. It means that the spiritual deadness, the soul-crushing despair, the sense of being lost and empty? That doesn’t get the final say. Because Jesus is the Resurrection, He can bring life to the dead parts of your current experience. Maybe it’s a dead dream, a dead relationship, or a dead sense of purpose. When we believe in Him, His “Resurrection and Life” power starts working in those areas. He raises things back up, restores what was lost, and breathes purpose back into the mundane. This passage tells us that we have nothing to fear at the end, and everything to hope for today. The question at the end—”Do you believe this?”—isn’t a quiz question. It’s an invitation to shift your perspective. To stop viewing Jesus as a historical figure or a future Savior, but as the present, living source of everything you need.

It’s time to live like we really believe this. To approach every dead-end, every discouragement, and every future fear with the quiet confidence that the one who has power over all death is already living inside us. We are connected to the source of eternal life, right now. Let that truth reshape your day, your week, and your forever.

Jesus’ statement has two parts (life after death, and life now). Which part do you find more comforting or challenging in your current life situation?
What is one area of your life right now—a dream, a relationship, a spiritual discipline—that feels “dead” and could use the present “Resurrection and Life” power of Jesus?
Jesus ends with the question, “Do you believe this?” What is your honest, one-sentence answer to Him today?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Resurrection and the Life. We worship You because You refuse to let death, in any form, have the final word. Thank You that we don’t have to wait for the end—Your life is available to us right now. Strengthen our faith to grasp this truth fully. Breathe Your Resurrection power into the dead places of our hearts, our relationships, and our circumstances. Help us to live today with the eternal, unshakable confidence of those who are already connected to You, the source of all life. In Your Name we pray, Amen.