This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Revelations 21:1-7
1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.
2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.”
4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”
5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty, I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.
7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.
Suppose we were to ask the average individual on the street if they had ever lied, been in trouble, or done something they deeply regret. Would each one recount their unique story with a sigh and a hint of melancholy?
Mistakes are unavoidable because we are fallen and live in a fallen world. Sooner or later, people stumble and fall. Those who falter are not necessarily bad people. Most often, they are decent individuals who have made poor choices. Given the opportunity to revisit those choices, wouldn’t they opt for the correct path? Indeed, everyone can learn from their past errors and make course corrections.
However, fear often prevents many from making these necessary adjustments. They navigate through life aiming merely to endure rather than flourish. They strive to survive rather than thrive. A better life script might be “Growing from hurt, living in hope” (allthingsnewtherapy.org).
The Lord Jesus Christ made a magnificent promise to every child of the King.
Revelations 21:5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”
When the Lord Jesus Christ speaks, His words are accurate, reliable, and can be believed. He always tells the Truth. As a witness, His character is above reproach. His words can be trusted. “Everyone can believe these words; they are true” (UBS). When He says, “I am making everything new,” you can have complete confidence that He will do exactly what He says.
REFLECT & PRAY
It takes a strong person to say I am sorry. But it takes a stronger person to forgive.
Father I thank You for a second chance. I am a new creation in You. Encourage and strengthen me to live like it.
INSIGHT
When the six days of creation were completed, the Father said, “It is very good” (Genesis 1:31). All was well until sin entered the human race. Adam and Eve sinned and became fallen. The innocence and luminescence of planet Earth were marred. The world became a dark and fallen place. The Father loves His creation and does not want to vaporize it. Instead, the Father seeks to rescue and restore it rather than its destruction. The Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to die for sin, the sin of the human race. His purpose is to redeem people and planet Earth. He will make everything new, exchanging evil and death for goodness and life.
Lord Jesus Christ will renew all things and “make everything new.” Although the old heaven and earth will be replaced with a new heaven and earth, there will be a degree of continuity between them. For example, the Lord Jesus Christ was part of the old heaven and earth. He was confined to an earthly body. But He was raised from the dead, and His mortal body was transformed into a resurrection body. Nevertheless, He was still essentially the same “person.” He was recognizable and recognized by His disciples. Their relationship continued until His ascension.
In the same way, as children of the King we “will be raised to eternal life with our ‘selves’ intact. We will retain our memories, our personalities – everything that makes us who we are. At the same time, we will be transformed, purified, and renewed so that we conform to God’s will in every way” (Christopher A. Davis).
Could everything good in this world be incorporated into the Father’s eternal kingdom and become part of the “new heaven and new earth?” The coming renewal is more than a renewal; it replaces our old ways and lives with new, remarkable, refreshed, extraordinary ones (Garland).
All that we do on planet Earth will be sorted out by purifying fire. Knowing this should inspire us to strive for excellence as we build upon the foundation established in our hearts.
1 Corinthians 3:10-15
10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have – Jesus Christ.
12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use various materials, such as gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.
13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.
14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.
15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
Paul doesn’t stipulate what kind of work is valuable and remains or what is trivial and worthless and is burned up and incinerated.
Each child of the King should be careful how they build. We are to seek to make things that are precious and eternal. Only two things are eternal on planet Earth: the Word of God and human souls. The quality and value of our effort will be revealed with fire, which will test the quality of each person’s work. Some stuff will be burned up, and some stuff will survive. Each one of us will experience some degree of loss, but we will be saved.
“At the final judgment, everything in our lives that does not conform to the will of God (the ‘wood, hay or straw’) will be ‘burned up.’ Praise God, for all our character flaws and failures will be removed! They will not be a part of the New Creation. However, Christians themselves will be ‘saved,’ and whatever good we have accomplished (the ‘gold and silver’) will be incorporated into God’s eternal kingdom” (Christopher A. Davis).
We were given eternal life when we accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Our eternity with Him began at that instant and will continue indefinitely. We are now intimately connected with the risen Lord Jesus Christ. We exist “in Christ,” spiritually fused with Him forevermore.
“And one day we will enter into His promise of unending days with Him (John 14:3). Age and disease will no longer take their toll, and we will continue the adventure of an eternal lifetime. What stories each of us will have to tell – stories of our Savior’s redeeming love and undying faithfulness” (James Banks).
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© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 