“Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever. Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon.” “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!” Then he instructed me, “Do not seal up the prophetic words in this book, for the time is near. Let the one who is doing harm continue to do harm; let the one who is vile continue to be vile; let the one who is righteous continue to live righteously; let the one who is holy continue to be holy.” “Look, I am coming soon, bringing my reward with me to repay all people according to their deeds. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life. Outside the city are the dogs—the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idol worshipers, and all who love to live a lie. “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life. And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book. He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!” Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”
Revelation 22:1-20 NLT
Question? What are you looking forward to seeing in your future? What is your life about?
Your answers to both questions will tell a lot about your perspective on life, especially your life in Jesus Christ. If in this life you have hung all your hopes and dreams, you are one miserable person. There’s no permanency to this life, what we may consider our best life pales in comparison with what we can look forward to when this chapter closes and we’re transported to what Jesus called our prepared place. We work tirelessly to acquire so many things. Things that offer little satisfaction because they’re all temporal.
The scripture above gives us a real glimpse into what we can look forward to. It’s hard at times to wrap our hearts and head around what lies ahead of us. The place that Jesus went to prepare for us is rich with everything that was lost during the fall of Adam and Eve. The tree of life is no longer guarded by angels with flaming swords Genesis 3:24. But instead it’s freely given to those who have “washed their robes “ or have purified their lives by living holy unto the Lord. The leaves of the tree of life will bring healing to nations. I can’t even wrap my head around that. This supernatural tree bears twelve crops of fruit monthly. Oh my goodness!!!
Those of us longing to see the face of our Savior will have His name on our foreheads, identifying us as His very own with full access. My heart is leaping with expectation. No curse, no diseases, no darkness, no death, no evil at all! Think about it for a moment. When you are looking forward to your vacation, most times the preparation makes you so anxious and stressed out that when you finally get to your destination you can hardly enjoy yourself. You bring more baggage in your mind than the luggage. That’s why we come back from vacation needing a vacation. We haven’t learned how to truly rest.
This promise from the Lord leaves no room for stressing out. There’s a confident expectation of good that surpasses and bypasses our natural mindset and catapults us into a place of quiet rest. This is the peace that passes all understanding. The only planning needed for this trip of a lifetime is faith. Faith in the One who has covered all the expenses through His blood. He paid the fare for our transportation. When we accept His offer of eternal life, this life takes a backseat. We no longer place our hope in what passes away. We build our foundation squarely on Him. We look no longer on the things we see going on around us, but we look away to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.
So what are you looking forward to? To what have you anchored your hope? Heaven and the known earth will pass away, making way for a new heaven and a new earth. Enjoy your time here but don’t put down roots. Fasten and secure your spiritual roots to Christ Jesus, prepare to leave more than preparing to stay. He has given us something to look forward to. But there are warnings along the way to help us get ready for our trip. Don’t get sealed into the lie that you have time, you don’t! Verse ten is very clear. You may wish to change when it’s too late. The window of grace is fast closing. Religion is a comfort zone but it’s not a relationship with Jesus. Knowing about Him is not the same as knowing Him. Don’t you want to be sure that you have a right to the tree of life?
He has given us a glimpse of what is to come. It’s like seeing a beautiful picture in a magazine, but the picture doesn’t do justice to actually going there. I don’t know where you are spiritually in your walk with Jesus, or if you even serve Him. But I pray that you’ll stop procrastinating and make your calling and election sure. Know for a certainty that should your eyes close and your heart stop beating, that you’d be in His presence. There’s so much to look forward to. He’s coming soon! Hoping to see you there🙏
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the One who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:3-11 NLT
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant
September 6, 2021
Have a safe and restful Labor Day 🇺🇸
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