"See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind." (Isaiah 65:17)
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, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell 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." (Revelation 21:1-4)
If we are happy and content with our life as it is today, we might not be extremely anxious for this beautiful old earth to pass away. But people whose lives are filled with great pain and suffering surely look at this promise that “the old things will pass away” and pray for this day to be very soon! All we have to do to feel their perspective is turn to the news of the day - where the horrors of war, hostages, bombings, murders, hate crimes, child abuse, illness, and death are played out in living color for all to see.
In the 1960’s my grandmother used to say “Lord, Lord, what’s the world coming to?!” About a month ago an aged friend of mine said those same words to me. ”Lord, Lord, what’s the world coming to?!”
For Christ Followers, we know what it’s coming too and even if we are personally happy, we yearn for relief for all people from the pains of this broken world. We would love to give that promised future earth to everyone. That earth where there will be…
No more death and dying,
No more sin, evil, pain, or suffering,
No wars or rumors of wars,
No more sadness and crying,
No more hatred or meanness,
No more sorrow,
Nothing bad in the whole earth and the heavens!
No more bad eyesight, bad hearing, bad joints.
No more aching bodies, disease, or brokenness, No mental illness, alcoholism, drug addictions!
No more child abuse, no evil thoughts, no murders! No anger! No fighting! No war!
Only the fruits of the Spirit - LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, GENTLENESS, FAITHFULNESS, and SELF-CONTROL! A new heaven and a new earth!
Beyond our tiny imaginations to understand!
But this is promised for those who LOVE GOD, LOVE THEIR NEIGHBORS, AND FOLLOW JESUS CHRIST!
Come friends, let’s follow Him and keep ourselves centered in LOVE and the promise that Jesus will someday wipe away every tear from our eyes! Come Lord Jesus!
This devotion was written and read by Bernice Howard.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.
First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
