THE VERSE
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.
~Revelation 21:4
THE THOUGHT
We cannot even begin to comprehend, in this life, the splendor that await us in heaven. God has given us only glimpses into the glories to come. But from the glimpses we can see, we know this: oh how sweet it will be! Oh, for the relief of no more tears or pain! In this veil of tears, it is hard to imagine such an existence. And while in this life we wrestle with sin, mourn our hard hearts, grieve our backsliding, and press on to know the Lord, the promise of heaven’s victory sustains and encourages us in the fight. A day is coming when sin will finally be scrubbed out of the universe and out of our lives, and all of its disastrous consequences will be swallowed up in grace. For those who trust in Christ, this coming victory is what we long for.
We must fix our eyes and hearts on the promise of heaven. He is coming soon; He will not delay. He is coming to grant relief to those who look for His return, to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. Though the day seems far off, it is not. The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise, as some count slowness. This life is but a vapor, a mere handbreadth, a moment and no more. In our present-focused worldview, we think of this world as “life” and heaven as “the afterlife.” This couldn’t be further from reality! Heaven is real life; this world is the “beforelife.” Here we have shadows; there we have substance. Here we have promise; there we have fulfillment. Here we have prayer; there we have praise. Here we have hope; there we have everything we have hoped for, and more.
THE PRAYER
O Lord, How great Your love is for me! You have raised me from the dead and seated me with Christ in the heavenly places, so that in the coming ages You might show the immeasurable riches of Your grace in kindness toward me in Christ Jesus. I don’t deserve heaven, and yet You have promised to keep me from stumbling and to present me blameless before the presence of Your glory with great joy. How I long for the day! Come soon, Lord Jesus!
EXTENDED READING
2 Thessalonians 1:5-10
Hebrews 9:27-28
Ephesians 2:4-9
Jude 24-25
THE QUOTE
“O Lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness.” ~Shakespeare
This post is written by Brendan Beale, author of Cross Connections