My friend Joe has a son named Peter. When Peter was about seven years old, his family moved from Michigan to Florida. Peter was not happy about the move, since it meant leaving behind Mr. Whittle. Mr. Whittle was one of Peter’s best friends, even though the age difference between them was about eighty years! One morning, the family received a phone call saying Mr. Whittle was dying of cancer. When Peter heard the news, he ran to his room. Joe thought Peter must be really broken up, but soon Peter returned with a piece of paper – and a request. “Dad,” he asked, “would you send this to Mr. Whittle?” Joe said sure, but asked if he could read the letter first. Peter said okay. Moments later, big tears flowed from my friend’s eyes as he read the carefully scrawled note: “Dear Mr. Whittle, I hear that you are going to heaven. Isn’t that great? Your friend, Peter.”

Most of us would have said, how sad that Mr. Whittle is going to die. But that boy Peter knew the truth: he knew Mr. Whittle knew Jesus and was on his way to heaven. The Bible says, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” (I Cor. 2:9). We don’t know what heaven will be like, but we know it’s going to be a beautiful and supremely joyful place. This is the hope we have as followers of Jesus. This is the hope we must share with those around us so we can reach our world.

This is Luis Palau.

About twenty-five years ago, doctors discovered a massive tumor growing on my mother’s liver. They looked at the X-rays, shook their heads, and said, “There is nothing we can do. All we can give you is pain killers.” Despite the diagnosis, Mom remained at peace with the Lord. She knew that a glorious future awaited her in heaven.

As she neared the end, I remember thinking, Soon, I will fly to Orange County, California. A casket will lie in front of us, and we’ll bury it in the Southern California dirt. But we will not be burying my mom. We will bury her body, her temporary home. By the time I get there, my mother will be with Jesus. And she will be happy and whole.

At her funeral on December 27, 1993, I told the mourners that I had spoken with my mom shortly before she died. She could hardly talk, but she managed to say how much she loved the Lord and how assured she was of eternal life. She knew at the moment she stopped breathing here on earth, she would be welcomed to her heavenly home.

As I deal with my own medical diagnosis, I can understand the hope she expressed. The reason we have hope, the reason we do not despair no matter what comes, is that God has given us “hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure” (Heb. 6:19). What a glorious hope! Let us live in that hope and share it with those around us, for the sake of this world and eternity.              

This is Luis Palau.

As you may know, I was recently diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. I am at peace, for this is not the first scary medical diagnosis my family has experienced. Many years ago, my wife Pat had a similar frightening medical challenge, and she showed me the awesome power of hope based on Jesus Christ.

One day, Pat came to me and said, “I think I’ve got a lump.” Sure enough, I felt the lump. We scheduled an appointment with specialists immediately. I prayed that the lump would be benign, but it was malignant. The specialists scheduled her for surgery the following Sunday and told her to prepare herself for extended rounds of chemotherapy for two years.

After we returned home from getting the diagnosis, I went to the basement and began to weep. As I cried, I heard the piano upstairs begin to play. I listened as my wife, in a clear, soft voice, began singing her favorite old hymns. And I thought, What a time to sing! How amazing that a Christian can hear terrible news and her first response is to sing old hymns, to declare the hope that rests in Christ alone. She was echoing the Psalmist, who cried: “May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you” (Psalm 33:22). How marvelous, how brave, how faithful!

I remember my wife’s godly example as I approach this next season of my life. Let us all demonstrate such hope in Jesus during uncertain times.

This is Luis Palau.

Over 30 years ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded just seventy-three seconds after takeoff. I’ll never forget seeing the stunned faces of those watching at Cape Canaveral, including the parents of teacher and astronaut Christa McAuliffe. The next day, USA Today printed a photo of First Lady Nancy Reagan, watching horrified as the disaster unfolded.

In the midst of that tragedy, the relatives of one astronaut had a special consolation. Mission specialist Ron McNair believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, and just before he boarded the shuttle, he told his family, “Jesus and I will be going up together.” A shocked nation saw the moment that Ron kept on going up to heaven.

Ron always knew that one day, his “eyes [would] see the king in his beauty” (Isaiah 33:17). Ron’s day happened to be in January 1986, but none of us know how much time we have left on this earth. I have been reminded of this with my recent cancer diagnosis, and while I love spreading the good news of Jesus on this earth, I am excited to meet Jesus face to face. I cannot wait to see Jesus as he really is. I cannot even imagine how beautiful He will be.

Because of my excitement to see Jesus, I cannot help but invite others to join me and Ron in heaven for eternity. Won’t you also invite those you love to accept the beautiful gift of heaven, which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord? Do it!  You’ll never regret it.

This is Luis Palau.

As we read the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, it is crystal clear that Jesus wasn’t afraid of terminal diseases. In ancient Israel, however, if you became leprous, you would instantly and permanently lose your lovely wife, your dear family, and everyone else. From that moment on, and for the rest of your days, you were in a sickly and impoverished exile.

We cringe to think about such physical isolation and ostracization, forgetting that’s what people have done with many diseases from pre-historic times until this very day. If what you have is deadly and highly contagious, you’re isolated until you’re cured. It’s true every time tuberculosis strikes a region. It’s true every time Ebola breaks out. You’re isolated until you’re demonstrably better and cured...or deceased.

A couple of years ago I went to the hospital and they asked me, “Have you been in a western African nation within the past 21 days?”  I knew the question was coming and I knew I had to say “Yes,” because I had been.  And a fear suddenly gripped me at their response.  They were momentarily shocked and didn’t know what to say to me, but I know what was in their hearts.  They just wanted me to go away. 

Sin is this kind of disease.  Worse! Yet because Christ has forgiven us we can trust Him and thank God daily for His generosity and love.  What do we have to fear?  Jesus wasn’t afraid of terminal diseases; He came to cure them.

This is Andrew Palau.

You know something?  This morning, for the first time in my life, I discovered that in the New Testament, only Jesus and the apostle Paul use the expression, “I press on” [Luke 13:33, Philippians 3:12, 14]. It suggests they know exactly what they are after and that they plan to pursue it with utmost determination, steadfastness, and endurance.

So how do we press on today? The author of Hebrews [12:1-2] says we need to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.” Then we need to fix “our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Paul could say: “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” [3:14]. In other words, he has no intention of slowing down, slipping away, or giving up. Instead, Paul can imagine himself leaning into the finish line and receiving the prize. For Paul, the finish line was either by death or by Christ’s return – “to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” Either way, he planned to enter glory with joy straight into the arms of Jesus. As always, Jesus Christ sets the example: “for the joy set before him [Jesus] endured the cross” [Hebrews 12:2].

Now, more than ever, let’s keep pressing on. Let’s do today exactly what He told us to do: Let’s proclaim the Good News so that “Whoever believes in Him has eternal life.” And that is sheer pleasure until the Lord calls us home. So do it today.

This is Luis Palau.

Thousands of people around the world every day need reassurance and promises that comfort their souls. In the New Testament the promises and assurances of heaven offer great comfort, encouragement, and hope to us who are  believers in Jesus Christ.

The first assurance I love is this: “our citizenship is in heaven” [Philippians 3:20]. Citizenship in heaven is more real than any on earth. What’s more, it reveals our true identity.

The second assurance I love is this: “we eagerly await a Savior from [heaven], the Lord Jesus Christ.” We love Him, live for Him, and look forward to eternity with Him. Many of my friends live around the world. It is hard to be far apart from each other. Then again, we can’t wait to see each other again. Love binds our hearts. How much more the bond of love we share with Jesus Christ. We long to see Him, don’t we?

The third assurance is this: “[Jesus] will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body” [3:21]. Now that I have stage 4 lung cancer, this third assurance means more to me than ever. Instead of despairing, I continue to thank God daily for His sovereignty, providence, holiness, love, and mystery. My life is planned by God Himself. It has purpose. And it has a glorious and eternal future. What more could I want? What more could you want? Share this with your world.       

This is Luis Palau.

In times of trouble, crisis, and life-threatening cancer, how good that God speaks to us through His Word, the Bible.

In recent weeks, one of my favorite verses has been Isaiah 41:10, which says: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand, says the Lord.”

Another favorite Scripture verse is Isaiah 26:3, which says: “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on you: because he trusts in you.” I’m also so thankful for what our Lord Jesus says in the opening verses of John 14 about going to prepare a place for us, and for what St. Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 18 about what happens to the followers of Jesus Christ when they actually go from earth to heaven.

Like the apostle Paul, I know the time for my departure is near [2 Timothy 4:6-8]. Like the apostle Peter, I know it’s almost time to leave the tent of this body [2 Peter 1:13-14]. More than ever, I love Revelation 22:3 and 4, which says the Lord’s servants will see His face, and Isaiah 33:17, which says our eyes will behold the King in his beauty. As well, I cherish 2 Samuel 22:31, which says, “As for God, His way is perfect.”

What great promises from our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ!

This is Luis Palau.

I’ve lived with the verdict of stage 4 lung cancer for a number of weeks. So, I’ve given a lot of thought to living in the shadow of my own mortality.

The Bible says the last enemy to be defeated is death. Until then, we loathe the human side of dying. The idea of a body broken. Needing people to take care of you. 

In your soul, you rake through your past and think: Is there anything I need to settle? Am I truly forgiven in everything? Am I clear in the eyes of others? And, more importantly, am I truly clean in the eyes of the Lord? On that last question, I can assure you the answer is a resounding yes. Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” “Your sins and evil deeds I will remember no more.”  Peace with God!

I’ve always told my sons: You can't live in fear. You are just a humble servant of the Lord. You're just a small part of His kingdom. Play out your role with compassion, courage, and conviction, relying on the power of God’s Holy Spirit. Never doubt God’s love, joy, peace. Never lose your grip on the fact that the best is yet to come.

Until my dying day, my last breath, I will lift up the name of Jesus Christ with a grateful and happy heart. And when my time comes, I want to imitate my Dad, sitting up in bed, arms raised toward heaven, quoting God’s Word, and singing a favorite song of faith. What could be better?

This is Luis Palau.

A friend of mine recently rushed to the side of a dying person at the scene of a terrible accident. He told me that it’s heartbreaking to realize you can do nothing to bring that person back again.

We are born into and live in a fallen world. We’re all suffering from a terminal disease. And only Jesus has the cure.

In Bible times, among the Jewish people, few diseases provoked more fear than leprosy. You not only lost everyone and everything, but you eventually became very disfigured – like how we think of the walking dead. So imagine when the disciples saw lepers ahead of them. “Quick,” one says, “let’s turn here and let’s walk around the village the other way.”

Yet Jesus doesn’t change course. So, the disciples have to choose, and they follow behind Jesus, fearful and hoping beyond hope that the lepers will not come near them. But they are the very reason Jesus has come - to cure them.

Yes, Romans 6:23 reminds us that sin is a terminal disease, and Jesus is the cure. It says, “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Let’s not shy away from reaching out to others who still need Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and healing.  

This is Andrew Palau.