The Greatest Gift You’ll Ever Receive - Daily Hope with Rick Warren - December 24, 2025

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“God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.” 1 Peter 1:4 (TLB)

Would you like to have a gift that lasts forever?

Some gifts just don’t last. As a kid I got some gifts on Christmas morning that were broken by noon. There are some gifts you receive that you don’t even want. Fifty years ago, it was actually cool to give people a Pet Rock!

God offers you a gift that’s going to last forever: a new destiny.

This gift means more to me than ever after the death of my son. I now have a child in heaven.  I have a lot of friends in heaven. I have a father and mother and brother in heaven. If my son Matthew were able to contact me right now, he would say to me, “It is so much better than you told me. I can’t wait for you to get here.”

How do I know my son is in heaven? Because one day he had accepted God’s greatest gift; he accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. I was there when it happened. Matthew received the gift of eternal life. It’s an offer and a promise available to anyone who believes in faith. The Living Bible paraphrase says it like this: “God has reserved for his children the priceless gift of eternal life; it is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” (1 Peter 1:4).

God sent the first Christmas gift, Jesus, to die for you so that you could go to heaven. Through Jesus, you also get the gifts of a new identity, a new ability to change the things you want to change, a spiritual community to support your new life in Christ, and a new destiny in eternity. 

You’re never going to get a gift like that anywhere else. It’s the greatest gift you will ever receive.

All you have to do is humbly and gratefully accept these gifts. The Message paraphrase says, “It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from—if you want God and are ready to do as he says, the door is open” (Acts 10:34-35).

The door is wide open. Choose the gift of Jesus today, and you’ll experience all the gifts God has in store for those who love and follow him.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV).

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Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.

For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!

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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

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