Are you hurting and broken within?
Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin?
Jesus is calling
Have you come to the end of yourself?
Do you thirst for a drink from the well?
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

(Songwriters: Wade Joye / Christopher Brown / Mack Brock / Steven Furtick; O Come to the Altar lyrics © Be Essential Songs)

Randy and I live in a house that was built 25 years ago.  It is now that the original workings of this house are needing to be renewed.  Repairs can no longer fix what is old and broken.  We must buy new or move.  We are choosing to stay in our faithful home that suits our needs.  We look forward to the day when all that is breaking down is made new.  What a glorious day that will be!

We are also getting older.  Our bodies in need of repair.  Imagine our temples (our bodies) created in the image of God, in need of much repair, being made new with bodies that last forever by the our Faithful, All-powerful, All-knowing God who loved us so much He sent His Son, Jesus to save us for eternity.  There will be a Day when it will all come together for His glory. Yes, there are better days ahead!

God will provide the New that will replace the old forever.  Imagine; no more repairs, no more funerals, no more pain, no more war, no more tears, no more of the disappointing circumstances, no more lies and disillusionments from the enemy who taunts us here in a world in need of constant upkeep and repair. And most of all—no more sin for sin is not permitted in the newly created that God has prepared for all who have asked for forgiveness from sin and have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  This a new place that has no place for the Deceiver, Tempter, Distractor, and Destroyer.  He has been defeated!  Oh, what a Savior!  Isn’t He wonderful?  Jesus Christ, our Lord!

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes
Come today, there’s no reason to wait
Jesus is calling
Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy
From the ashes, a new life is born
Jesus is calling

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood

Oh, what a Savior
Isn’t He wonderful?
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen
Bow down before Him
For He is Lord of all
Sing hallelujah, Christ is risen

The final war has been fought.  God wins—just as He and His Son said they would.  Jesus, His Son, will reign forever as the Victor over death and evil.  Hallelujah!

Revelation 21 2024

Everything New

I saw Heaven and earth new-created. Gone the first Heaven, gone the first earth, gone the sea.

² I saw Holy Jerusalem, new-created, descending resplendent out of Heaven, as ready for God as a bride for her husband.

^3-5 I heard a voice thunder from the Throne: “Look! Look! God has moved into the neighborhood, making his home with men and women! They’re his people, he’s their God. He’ll wipe every tear from their eyes. Death is gone for good—tears gone, crying gone, pain gone—all the first order of things gone.” The Enthroned continued, “Look! I’m making everything new. Write it all down—each word dependable and accurate.”

^6-8 Then he said, “It’s happened. I’m A to Z. I’m the Beginning, I’m the Conclusion. From Water-of-Life Well I give freely to the thirsty. Conquerors inherit all this. I’ll be God to them, they’ll be sons and daughters to me. But for the rest—the feckless and faithless, degenerates and murderers, sex peddlers and sorcerers, idolaters and all liars—for them it’s Lake Fire and Brimstone. Second death!”

The City of Light

^9-12 One of the Seven Angels who had carried the bowls filled with the seven final disasters spoke to me: “Come here. I’ll show you the Bride, the Wife of the Lamb.” He took me away in the Spirit to an enormous, high mountain and showed me Holy Jerusalem descending out of Heaven from God, resplendent in the bright glory of God.

^12-14 The City shimmered like a precious gem, light-filled, pulsing light. She had a wall majestic and high with twelve gates. At each gate stood an Angel, and on the gates were inscribed the names of the Twelve Tribes of the sons of Israel: three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, three gates on the west. The wall was set on twelve foundations, the names of the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb inscribed on them.

^15-21 The Angel speaking with me had a gold measuring stick to measure the City, its gates, and its wall. The City was laid out in a perfect square. He measured the City with the measuring stick: fifteen hundred miles, its length, width, and height all equal. Using the standard measure, the Angel measured the thickness of its wall: seventy-two yards. The wall was jasper, the color of Glory, and the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. The foundations of the City walls were garnished with every precious gem imaginable: the first foundation jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate a single pearl.

^21-27 The main street of the City was pure gold, translucent as glass. But there was no sign of a Temple, for the Lord God—the Sovereign-Strong—and the Lamb are the Temple. The City doesn’t need sun or moon for light. God’s Glory is its light, the Lamb its lamp! The nations will walk in its light and earth’s kings bring in their splendor. Its gates will never be shut by day, and there won’t be any night. They’ll bring the glory and honor of the nations into the City. Nothing dirty or defiled will get into the City, and no one who defiles or deceives. Only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life will get in.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The Redeemed inhabitants of the newly created heaven and earth are children of God, brothers and sisters with Christ, whose names are written the Lamb’s Book of Life!  Let respond to God and to each other as the redeemed daily!  We have learned for Jesus that how we respond to each other is the same as responding to Him. 

I pray that as we wait for the newly created that we treat each other as if Jesus were standing in front of us, reading the texts we send, listening to words that come out of our mouths, and the actions we take would please God.  This is living humbly and gratefully as the Redeemed.

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

O come to the altar
The Father’s arms are open wide
Forgiveness was bought with
The precious blood of Jesus Christ

The Father’s arms are open wide…

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all you have done, all you are doing currently, and all you will faithfully do as we live in response to your redeeming love, mercy, and grace.  Thank you for forgiveness when we falter.  Thank you for your faithfulness when we are sometimes not as faithful as we should be. Thank you for the revelation of what is to come that keeps us focused on you now.

In Jesus Name, Amen—TO YOU BE THE GLORY, HONOR, AND PRAISE NOW AND FORE