All Things Made New - Your Daily Forward Devotional

All Things Made New

August 13

Read Revelation 21:1-4 (ESV)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Reflect

According to this passage, how will the wrongs of this world be made right?

This world is not as it should be and all of us know it. Every day, people suffer with debilitating diseases. The news is full of violence and discord. According to the World Death Clock, about 56 million people die worldwide each year. In fact, more than 100 people die every minute. So why haven’t we gotten used to death? Because deep down in our souls, we know that death is just wrong.

Thankfully, John, the author of Revelation, records a promise that God made to us. He will make all the wrongs right. God gave John a vision, and in that vision John sees this sad, fallen world pass away. And it gets replaced by paradise! Revelation records the beauty that John saw in his vision. A crystal clear “river of life,” streets of gold, glittering gemstones of every color imaginable decorate the city walls. Unparalleled beauty.

The best part? God will live among us. Can you even imagine it? I can’t. It blows my mind to think of living with God. All of us will be His people and we will live together in peace. There will be no more suffering, no more pain, no more tears, and NO MORE DEATH. We will live forever with the Lord!

But what should we do while we wait? Peter told us, “Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace” (2 Peter 3:11-14).

This world and everything in it is doomed. We should not cling to it. Instead, while we wait, we should seek to live godly lives and conduct ourselves with holiness—eagerly awaiting the day when we see God’s promises realized.

Friend, I don’t know about you, but I am weary of all the pain and suffering of this world. In the midst of all the chaos in this world, fix your eyes on the future and cling to the promise of the One seated on the throne: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).

~ Pastor Nat Crawford

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