Revelation 21:5 - Heaven is for real

"Behold I make all things new."

Revelation 21:5

Have you ever heard the saying that "If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is." I have heard this saying many times through the years. I have even said it myself. Doubt comes into play when we hear this saying. We question it and wonder if it could possible be true. But the nice thing about heaven is, is that it sounds good, it is good, and it is actually true! We know this for it is in the Word and we know that the Word of God is true and does not lie. We don't have to question if we should trust it. It is a fact. We have something to look forward to. At the dawn of eternity, Jesus will make all things new. Revelations 21:5 says “Look, I am making all things new!” (NLT). Everything will be made right. There will be a new heaven, a new earth, and a new order of things. The old order will pass away. Revelations 21-22 talks about the new city. It is a literal place. It will have streets of gold and we will be there. We will walk with Him, live with Him, and praise and worship Him along with the heavenly angels. Revelations 21:3 says “Look, the home of God is now among His people! He will live with them, and they will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will remove all their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever.” We will also be with all those that have gone on to be with the Lord. The city will be illuminated by so much light as the glory of the Lord will shine all about. There will be a Crystal River that flows. The tree of life will be there. I believe that God purposely put Revelations 21-22 in the Word because He wants you and I to anticipate and look forward to what is to come. Be encouraged today. Read Revelations 21-22 if you have time. Maybe you are sad for one reason or another. Life isn't always fair, and God didn't promise that it would be. But know that whatever has you down, it will be quickly forgotten once you reach that celestial city. You will cross the finish line and receive your reward. Jesus has gone to heaven and is preparing a place just for you. You are special to Him. He will come and get you when the time is right. Remember heaven may seem too good to be true, but it is not. Look forward to being there. Anticipate it.

Father, Thank You for the hope of heaven. We look forward to being in Your presence and worshiping You forever. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 11:29 - Lighten your load if need be

"Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."

Matthew 11:29

The only load we should be carrying is the load God has called us to bear. Less can be more. It can be what is spiritually best for us. Be sure that what you are doing is what He has called you to do. It is okay to say no to the world and other people's demands for us. It is okay to lighten your load if you are doing too much. God cares about you and He wants your soul to be at rest. He wants your heart to be at peace. He wants your mind to be sound. To be an effective witness for Jesus your soul needs to be at rest to experience His joy in your life so that you can pass that joy on to others. All of us need to be only carrying His yoke to be at our best. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me." Remember that Jesus is gentle. Remember that He is lowly in heart. God is never going to ask too much of you. Examine your life today. If your soul is at a stage of unrest, ask Him to show you what He desires for you to do. Then do just that. He is faithful. He will show you. Why? Because you are His friend. John 15:14 says "You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." Carry His yoke and His alone. You will bear fruit for the kingdom and be blessed doing so.

Father, May we take Your yoke upon us and learn from You. We want our souls to be at rest. We want our hearts to be at peace. We want our minds to be sound. We don't want to be stressed out, overworked and overloaded. Give us the joy of walking with You and doing only what You will us to do in our lives. We want to be able to bear fruit for Your kingdom, and we want to be blessed for doing so. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Acts 17:6 - Turn your world upside down

"Paul and Silas have turned the rest of the world upside down ..." they shouted.

 

Acts 17:6

 

As soon as Jesus died, He sent His Holy Spirit to the believers. The baptism of the Holy Spirit set their hearts on fire. They carried the torch of the gospel everywhere they went. They weren't afraid to share their faith. Their hearts were not only set on fire, but they also made it their commision to set their world on fire for their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! The gospel had transformed them from the inside out. They were made new in Christ. They were born again. They were not only born of water, but also of the Spirit. Their sins were gone and the only thing that mattered to them was proclaiming the news of Christ. Since they "carried the torch" everywhere, they ignited other hearts for Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit set them ablaze. Jesus was living within them. He walked among them. And He worked mightily through them. They were filled with the Spirit and they shared the Word with boldness, even if it meant persecution. It was said of them that they "turned the rest of the world upside down." It was not intended to be a compliment, but, yet, it was.

 

God still wants us to turn the rest of the world upside down. He doesn't want us to be lukewarm or complacent Christians. He wants us to carry the torch of the gospel everywhere we go. He doesn't want us to be afraid to share our faith.

 

Father, May You set our hearts on fire. May we make it our commission to set our world on fire for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Help us to carry the torch of the gospel everywhere we go. May the Holy Spirit inside of us ignite other hearts for Jesus Christ. May Your Holy Spirit set them ablaze. May Jesus Christ come and live within them. May He walk among them. And may He work mightily through them. Help us to share the Word with boldness. May we not be afraid to share our faith with others. We know that we may be persecuted for doing so, but make us strong and courageous so we can withstand the persecution. Help us to "turn the rest of the world upside down," just like the early believers. Add to your kingdom daily! In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 32:8 - Be a good person, be generous

"But good people will be generous to others and will be blessed for all they do."

 

Isaiah 32:8 (NLT)

 

God is good. He is also very generous. As His children, we should have His characteristics. We should be good. We should also be generous to others. If we are, His Word tells us that we will be blessed for all that we do. The NKJV says that "a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity he shall stand." Ponder that for a moment. "[A] generous man devises generous things." This means they are generous and they are constantly thinking on the Lord and devising different ways for them to be generous. It goes on to say "and by generosity he shall stand." Their generosity helps them to stand. May we make it a point to be good and generous, just like our heavenly Father is. We will not only be taking after Him, we will also be blessed in all that we do. 1 Corinthians 10:31 says "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." May this be our motto today.

 

Father, You are good. You are generous. You have made us in Your image and we want to take after You. We want to be good men and women of God. We want to be generous. Help us to devise different ways that we can be generous. Whatever we do, may we do it all to the glory of God. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.