The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Revelation 21:1-5,
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
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"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.' He who was seated on the throne said, 'I am making everything new!'"
Our hope is in the resurrection. The New Testament refers to our inheritance in eternal life as our wonderful, exciting and matchless "hope". The apostles referred to our hope, not in the sense of "I really hope it happens", but in the sense of "I can't wait: this is fantastic beyond anything imaginable!" So we read them saying things like Colossians 1:4-5, "…we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven…"
This morning as I read in Revelation of our impending participation in the "new order of things", my mind drifts to the wonderful things that will be ours in this great hope. In this new order of things we will no longer be estranged from our Creator, our wonderful loving Heavenly Father. We will become objects of joy for him as we are filled with joy ourselves ("To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…", Jude 24-25). We will live together with him. We will no longer live in a world under God's judgment. We will no longer be living in a world dominated with a collective sin nature that expresses itself in the misery and suffering of people. We will no longer be looking at life as a temporary existence with certain death. No more sickness, suffering, pain, mourning or crying. We will no longer be struggling with an ever present sin nature within that often challenges our every desire to delight the heart of our Lord.
We will be viewed as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. We will have purpose and meaning for our lives that far outstrips anything we experience in this life. This new order of things will be designed for those whom God loves. Romans 8:32, " He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
I could just go on and on… What a God! What a hope he has stored up for us in heaven! "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice…", 1 Peter 1:3-6.
Our hope is in the resurrection. The New Testament refers to our inheritance in eternal life as our wonderful, exciting and matchless "hope". The apostles referred to our hope, not in the sense of "I really hope it happens", but in the sense of "I can't wait: this is fantastic beyond anything imaginable!" So we read them saying things like Colossians 1:4-5, "…we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints— the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for you in heaven…"
This morning as I read in Revelation of our impending participation in the "new order of things", my mind drifts to the wonderful things that will be ours in this great hope. In this new order of things we will no longer be estranged from our Creator, our wonderful loving Heavenly Father. We will become objects of joy for him as we are filled with joy ourselves ("To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy…", Jude 24-25). We will live together with him. We will no longer live in a world under God's judgment. We will no longer be living in a world dominated with a collective sin nature that expresses itself in the misery and suffering of people. We will no longer be looking at life as a temporary existence with certain death. No more sickness, suffering, pain, mourning or crying. We will no longer be struggling with an ever present sin nature within that often challenges our every desire to delight the heart of our Lord.
We will be viewed as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. We will have purpose and meaning for our lives that far outstrips anything we experience in this life. This new order of things will be designed for those whom God loves. Romans 8:32, " He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
I could just go on and on… What a God! What a hope he has stored up for us in heaven! "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice…", 1 Peter 1:3-6.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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