The Final Goal: No More Tears
Read: Revelation 21:1-8
[God] 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. – Revelation 21:4
For English football fans, one World Cup match lives long in memory. It’s the 1990 semifinal against West Germany. England lost the match on penalties, yet the most memorable aspect of the game was what happened to Paul Gascoigne.
Gascoigne received his second yellow card in the match, requiring his suspension from the next match if England went through. He would miss the final no matter what. Television captured the despair and
disappointment that left him in tears.
That moment was a picture of what this life can be like. Our actions hurt ourselves and others. Unfair circumstances leave us in misery. Our eyes too can well up with those helpless tears as we face death, sorrow and pain.
But this isn’t what God wants for us. He is a loving God who is coming to dwell with us to “to wipe away every
tear” (Revelation 21:3-4). He has promised that when Jesus returns, His kingdom will reign where “there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain” (v.4).
We live in a world filled with tears, but God has promised love and healing when we come to Him, and certain hope for the future where we can live with Him. Let’s give our lives to Him, and He will wipe away our tears. —Chris Wale
Heaven: No tears, no pain, no death, no sorrow.
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Loading ...ODJ: embodied
We are many parts of one body (v.5).
READ: Romans 12:1-5
While serving as a professor at the University of Washington, sociologist Rodney Stark wrote his influential book, The Rise of Christianity, to answer the riddle of Christianity’s explosive growth during the first 3 centuries. How did this upstart faith, originating in a dusty corner of Palestine, expand to a globe-changing movement within a matter of years? Essentially, Stark’s answer was that Christians lived their faith in tangible ways. For instance, they treated women better than the broader culture; and when several waves of plague and epidemics ravaged the Roman Empire, it was primarily Christians who stayed, tending to the sick.
This is the very heart of the gospel: Faith as an embodied life, faith that takes on skin and bones, faith—not merely discussed and affirmed—but lived in the way of Jesus. The center of Christianity is not big ideas (though we have many) or overarching systems of belief (and we have these too). The center of our faith is a person, Jesus Christ, who brought God to us. Jesus is God in human skin.
And now, in a remarkable turn, we who claim Jesus as Lord are sent into our world, carrying Jesus with us. We are invited to bring God near to every friend and stranger. We, quite literally, are “the body of Christ.” And no believer in Christ is excluded from this identity as Jesus’ body; “each of [us] is a part” (1 Cor. 12:27).
God continues to work in His world to bring justice, to offer mercy, to love the forgotten. And He uses those who form the body of Christ, those He has transformed into new people (Romans 12:2). As Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded us, “the body of Christ has penetrated into the heart of the world in the form of the church.” —Winn Collier
Where in the world do you see the need for Jesus to act? How might Jesus be asking you to be His voice or hands or feet in that place?
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July 7, 2010
READ: Exodus 20:1-17
You shall not covet. —Exodus 20:17
Sometimes I wonder why God didn’t list the Ten Commandments in reverse order, since the 10th commandment correlates to the first sin—desire. Eve’s sin wasn’t simply her desire for a piece of fruit; it was the desire for knowledge that Satan told her would make her like God (Gen. 3:5). Eve’s covetousness caused her to violate both the first and tenth commands that God later gave to Moses.
When we don’t covet, we pretty much eliminate our reasons to disobey the other commands. Wanting what isn’t ours causes us to lie, steal, commit adultery, murder, and refuse to honor our parents. We refuse to rest because we can’t get what we want in 6 days of work. We misuse God’s name when we use it to justify something that we want to do. We make gods out of wealth and relationships because we don’t want to have to put all our trust in God.
I have a hard time coming up with sins that don’t involve some form of covetousness. Yet because it’s the last in the list, we tend to think of it as being the least important. But it’s not. When we stop sin while it is still in our hearts and heads, we avoid making others the victim of our sin, and we avoid many of the serious consequences of sin. —Julie Ackerman Link
Contentment is realizing that God has already given me all I need.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...God in nature
By Mary Yohanna, Nigeria
For by Him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—
all things were created through Him and for Him.
Colossians 1:16
Many people often wonder about God. Who is He? How can we know He exists when we cannot see Him?
The answer is: God is everywhere. He can be seen in nature and all its mysteries. His existence is proved by the things that He has created. The apostle Paul says, “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God” (Romans 1:20). To put it simply, God reveals Himself to us all through nature.
When I look at the sky, prominent with its captivating beauty although sometimes hazy, I’m reminded of the open personality of God. He desires for us to know Him much more than we can imagine. The whiteness of the thick clouds call to mind God’s holiness, and the blue of the firmament, His peace. Just like the spread of the sky, God is everywhere and watching over everything. And even as the the sun rises and sets, the light from the moon and the stars reminds us of His promise in Psalm 121:
He will not let you stumble;
the One who watches over you will not slumber.
Indeed, He who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
Psalm 121:3-4
In the same way that the horizon stretches far out to meet the earth, God graciously came down to meet us at the point where His Son sacrificed His life and shed His blood for us–the cross. Even though the gap between God’s holiness and our sinfulness was so wide, His mercy and love for us is as deep and vast as the oceans, and He reached down to reconcile Himself to us and give us life anew. Ephesians reminds us, “Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. [...] But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:1,4-6).
Sitting on the white sands by a lake when the blue water is clear and calm, I remember how God listens to our prayers. As Jesus stood up in the midst of the storm and stilled the waves (Mark 4:37-39), we are able to find peace, relief and refuge in God’s presence amidst our troubles in life by committing them to Him. Paul instructs, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
There are so many more examples I can think of. A soft breeze reminds me of God’s protective gentleness towards us. Just as the snow falls from the sky to blanket the earth, so is His love like a banner over us (Song of Songs 2:4). Even though He is invisible to us for now, the fact that Earth is suspended without crashing in space shows me how God’s holds us and all things in His hands; He upholds the universe by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3b, ESV).
But God is not only to be found in the stillness. At the awe-inspiring sights of waterfalls, I am filled with exhilaration and joy when I reflect on how magnificent God is. The mountains, hills and valleys show His majesty and wondrousness. It’s even more amazing to realize that in spite of His greatness, God is still faithful to us who are so sinful and unworthy.
Conversely, the thunderstorm, tornado and earthquake are reminders that even God, Who is compassionate, merciful, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness (Exodus 34:6) should not be taken for granted. “Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
Among God’s creations are fish, birds and other animals. Their wide range of many show the artistic creativity of our God, and the brilliant perfection of each of His designs. With this same wisdom, knowledge and power, He plans and guides our lives and our future, according to what is good for us. And in the same way He cares for the grass and the lilies of the field (Matthew 6:28-30), God is sufficient for us in everything. Jesus says, “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it” (Matthew 10:29).
Jesus continues, “So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). Indeed, we are the most precious of all God’s creations. He created us in His image (Genesis 1:26) and breathed life into us (Genesis 2:7). Through science, we’ve discovered exactly how complex our body is. King David says in one of his psalms,
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.
Psalm 139:14 (ESV)
Nature is the legacy that God has given to us. Through every part of creation, He reveals a different aspect of Himself to us. By the intricate perfections of the universe, we see and remember the God who loves and cares for us. Take a look around you, and see what God wants to show you of Himself today.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?
Yet you made them only a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor.
You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.
O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Psalm 8
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