Thursday, December 19, 2024
What a beautiful look into our future that Jesus gives us in the book of Revelation! God is our glorious Father. Jesus is the Lamb Who was slain for our sins and is now our loving Shepherd. We are God's children, and when Jesus comes, we will never be hungry or thirsty again. God will shelter us from the scorching heat of the sun. The Lamb Who now reigns on the throne for us will lead us to life-giving refreshment and joy. God will wipe every tear from our eyes and welcome us to our eternal home with Him.
This is our secure, life-giving future with God. While times may be difficult, we can be patient as we wait. Our glorious day with Jesus will come. We can be confident in our future because we are joined to Jesus' triumph over the grave and His return for us. We are assured of sharing with Him in His coming glory! And, when we doubt these truths, let's take heart and remind each other of what Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians struggling with doubt:
May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins. [1]
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and God reconciled everything to himself through him. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.
This includes you, who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. [2]
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. [3]
Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. [4]
Our lives are joined to Jesus in the closest possible way so that we can look forward to Jesus' coming with anticipation, joy, and confidence!
O, Father, how can I ever thank You and praise You enough for all the incredible blessings You have given me now that will only get better and more glorious when Jesus comes? Dear Holy Spirit, please continue Your work in me until the Lord Jesus comes. Loving Savior and Lord, I thank You for Your sacrifice on the cross for my sins and Your victory over sin, death, and hell through Your resurrection. I look forward to Your coming with great anticipation, joy, and confidence. Thank You, God! Amen.
![Illustration of Revelation 7:15-17 NLT — [One of the twenty-four elders around the throne of God said about those who had come out of the great tribulation,] "[God,] who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes."](https://img.heartlight.org/overlazy/creations/30854.jpg "Illustration of Revelation 7:15-17 NLT — [One of the twenty-four elders around the throne of God said about those who had come out of the great tribulation,] \"[God,] who sits on the throne will give them shelter. They will never again be hungry or thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.\"")
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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