Revelation 4:5-11
Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

When we are with the Lord in Heaven, worship will be the order of the day. We will join the living creatures and the elders in casting our crowns before the throne and worshipping the One who sits on the throne and the Lamb of God. Our praise and worship here on earth pales beside what is to come, what is greater than we can comprehend.

Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things and because of Your will they existed and were created. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come! Amen.

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Isaiah 65:17-24

“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth;
And the former things will not be remembered or come to mind.
“But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create;
For behold, I create Jerusalem for rejoicing
And her people for gladness.
“I will also rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people;
And there will no longer be heard in her
The voice of weeping and the sound of crying.
“No longer will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days,
Or an old man who does not live out his days;
For the youth will die at the age of one hundred
And the one who does not reach the age of one hundred
Will be thought accursed.
“They will build houses and inhabit them;
They will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
“They will not build and another inhabit,
They will not plant and another eat;
For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people,
And My chosen ones will wear out the work of their hands.
“They will not labor in vain,
Or bear children for calamity;
For they are the offspring of those blessed by the Lord,
And their descendants with them.
It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

What a glorious day that will be when Jesus comes again, and we inhabit the new heaven and the new earth. None of the pain and sadness and evil of this life will exist there—we will live forever in health and peace, with no tears, no want, and no sufferings. Maranatha, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!

Lord, we know the evils of this world are a direct result of man’s sinfulness and rebellion against You. We look forward to the day when You will replace the evil of today with the new heaven and the new earth that are perfect and complete—Your pure and holy creation. Give us endurance and strength to handle the trials of this world as we look forward to eternity with You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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1 John 4:9-11

By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

We know love because of the love God showed to us by sending Jesus into the world to live as one of us, to die an agonizing death, and to live again so we can live through Him. God loved us first, and He loves us infinitely more than we can comprehend. Yet because of His great love, we can love God and others. Our love is but a dim reflection of God’s love for us, but we couldn’t even show that if God had first shown His love to us.

Thank You, Father, for loving us more than we can imagine. Help us to love You and those You put in our lives selflessly and generously. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God so loved the world—He loves us so much—that He sent Jesus to live and die and be raised again from the dead to save us from our sins, to give us eternal life. John 3:16 may be the most well-known verse in the Bible because it summarizes the whole Bible in a few words. Everything from Genesis to Revelation is about God’s love for us and His plan for us to live with Him eternally in the new Heaven and the new earth. That plan required Jesus to pay the price for our sins—all so we don’t perish, all so we have eternal life.

Thank You, Jesus, for giving Your life in ransom for mine. Thank You, Father, for loving me so much that You gave Your Son so I could have eternal life. Thank You, Holy Spirit, that You live within me and guide me in this temporal life until I come to that eternal life. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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John 1:1-18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

While Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus tells the physical story, these beautiful words that begin the Gospel of John describe the Incarnation mystically and spiritually. Jesus was physically born as a tiny baby in Bethlehem, but, in fact, He has always existed as the Incarnate Word of God, the Light of the World, the everlasting glory of God. The Creator, the One who gives life and light, came as one of us so He could bridge the gap between a holy and pure God and a sinful and impure people. Those who receive Him, who believe in His name, become the children of God. That is amazing beyond words!

Thank You, Lord God, that You closed the chasm between us sinners and You and gave us the right to be called Your children. We receive You, Lord Jesus; we believe in Your name. Amen.

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Revelation 21:1-7
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” And He said, “Write, for these words are faithful and true.” Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son.”

The new heaven and the new earth will be glorious beyond our imaginings. God will dwell among His people in a magnificent place free of pain and sorrow. Although we may at times wish we didn’t have to deal with death and mourning and hurt on this earth, the new heaven and new earth will be even more beautiful because we have known grief and pain and tears. We always appreciate beauty more when we have seen ugliness, happiness more when we have known sorrow, health more when we have known illness.

Lord God, we long for the glorious day when we will dwell with You in the new Heaven and the new earth, free of pain and sorrow. Maranatha, Lord Jesus! Amen.

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2 Corinthians 5:5-8
Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight— we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Many people fear death, but for believers death means we are absent from the body and home with the Lord, and there’s no better place we could be. We can’t even begin to imagine the glory that awaits us in Heaven with the Lord. God blessed me with a vision of my husband shortly after his death, and he absolutely radiated joy. It’s true that those who have gone before are in a much better place.

Lord God, I don’t know what Heaven will be like, but I know it is glorious. You are there and that is enough for me. Thank You that my faith in Jesus is my ticket to Heaven. In His name. Amen.

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Romans 12:1-2
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

As Christians, we are to be in the world, but not of the world. We can’t live in a bubble; every day we are exposed to a culture that is at odds with our beliefs. People we see at work live with a “significant other” and have children without being married. Promiscuity is a way of life for those around us. Drugs, alcohol, and pornography hold individuals we know and love in the grip of addiction. For the convenience of their mothers, babies are murdered before they even have a chance to be born. But we must not conform to culture—we must renew our minds in Christ and be transformed to do the perfect will of God.

Heavenly Father, sometimes it’s so discouraging to look around at our society. We don’t want to fall into the trap of accepting sin as “normal.” Renew our minds and transform us by Your perfect and good will. Keep us untainted by the corruption around us. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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1 Samuel 1:11, 22
She made a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.”
But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, “I will not go up until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord and stay there forever.”

Hannah promised God that if He would give her a son, she would give Him to the Lord. She kept her promise—as soon as he was weaned, she took him to the Temple to serve God. It’s easy to make a promise to God when we’re in trouble, but it’s also easy to forget about our promises when God answers our prayers. We don’t need to make bargains with God, promising to be in church every week if He’ll heal this illness or telling Him we’ll do something (or maybe avoid doing something we shouldn’t) if He’ll grant us that wish. Nothing we can promise will ever “pay” God for what He gives us. But if we make a commitment to Him, we need to do our best to keep. And ask Him for help when our own strength isn’t enough.

Lord, we’re so glad that we don’t have to promise to do something or give up something when we make a supplication to You. But we want to do Your will, and when we make a commitment—especially to You—we want to fulfill that commitment. We know that the only thing You want from us is everything—our hearts, minds, and lives. We offer our all to You, Lord. Take our lives and let them be dedicated to You. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Acts 16:9-10
A vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Paul’s response to a message from God was immediate and positive. What God asked him to do, Paul did without delay and with great fervor. We don’t see ourselves as great Christian leaders like Paul, so maybe we may hesitate because we don’t expect God to call us to mission. He may not be calling us to go to Macedonia to preach the Gospel, but perhaps He’s calling us to share the Gospel with our neighbor or a family member.

Father God, empower us by the Holy Spirit to recognize and respond positively to Your call on our lives—whether it’s to witness to loved ones, to participate in mission trips, or to give sacrificially so others can share Your Word. Give us the desire to do what You want us to do. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

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