Manna in the Morning

I love that verse in the Book of Revelation that says, “For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice and honor him!” (Rev. 19:6-7) There is a great story about Harold and Don Reid, two of the legendary Statler Brothers. Their father had passed away, and they would take their mother to some of their concerts in hopes that it would help her cope with her grief. They would sit her on the front row so that she might enjoy the show. One night, after finishing their part of the show and turning the stage over to Johnny Cash, they went back to their dressing room. A little while later a stagehand came in and said that they might want to know that their mother was crying. When they came to the side of the stage, they saw that Johnny Cash was singing to their mother. Knowing her grief, Johnny was singing the words to an old Stuart Hamblen hymn which say:

These things shall pass and some great morning
We’ll look back and smile at heartaches we have known
So don’t forget when storm clouds gather
The Lord our God is still King upon His throne!

 
No matter what we may have to deal with on this day... these words will give us the confidence we need to live victoriously. “The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!”

We are thinking about heaven this week. In the 21st chapter of Revelation, John is privileged to tell us some of the things that WILL NOT be a part of heaven. He writes that “there will be no more sea.” Ancient feelings toward the sea was one of uncertainty and sometimes even a symbol evil forces. None of that will be a part of heaven. John also tells us that there will be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain. He also expresses a beautiful and touching picture of God himself wiping away “every tear from their eyes!” There will be no evil so no more need to lock the doors. There will be no more dying... so no more funerals. There will be no more pain... because those in heaven will have brand new bodies that will last forever. In fact, John writes that God declares, “I am making everything new!” The Bible doesn’t tell us everything that there is to know about heaven but the things it does tell us make it so wonderful that our hearts yearn to be there! Think about heaven from time to time today! Share the Gospel with someone else... God wants them there too!

Have you ever considered what might make God sick? Immediately we may recall that God was heart-sick over the evil that was so prevalent in the days of Noah... so he sent the flood to destroy that evil generation. Maybe you also remember the letter that Jesus directed to the ancient church of Laodicea. To that church Jesus wrote, “Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” (Rev. 3:16) Obviously Jesus is not impressed with a tepid expression of one’s relationship with Him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, “be fervent in spirit.” (Romans 12:11b) Sadly many people look down on any form of enthusiasm unless it is for their sports team. When it comes to matters of faith too often the battle-cry is “Who cares?” But the very nature of our relationship to Jesus Christ and all that He has done for us should elicit from us a ready enthusiasm and a fervent spirit and attitude. There are many things in this world of ours that justifiably gets a “ho-hum” from us but our commitment to Christ and our service for Him should not be one of them.

What will you discover today? Maybe you’ll discover something new about yourself or about your mate. Perhaps you’ll discover something about the world around you or the God who made you. Discoveries are exciting partly because they keep us out of ruts that we all too often get in. Some discoveries may be good...others may not be so good and may challenge our comfort zones. But all discoveries can be helpful. As in the case of two vampire bats who were ready to go out feeding for the night. The first bat took off to get an early start. Just moments later he returned with blood all over his mouth. The second bat was astounded and asked, “How did you find so much blood so quickly?” The first bat responded, “You know how when you leave the cave you fly to the right and are gone for the rest of the evening?” “Sure,” said the second bat. “Well,” continued the first bat, “If you turn to the left, there is a wall!” May your day bring you joy as you discover again that God is good and that He loves you very much! Jesus wrote to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation chapter 3, “See, I have placed before you an open door…” What will you do with your opportunities today?

I have always been intrigued by the farewell words that people give. As in the case of Lou Gehrig after he had been diagnosed with what is now referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He knew that he was dying and had to leave a stellar career in baseball. In an emotional ceremony at Yankee Stadium on July 4, 1939, Gehrig’s farewell comment was, “I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” The farewell of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew is referred to as the Great Commission. After giving the commission to preach and make disciples his final word was, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20). His last word that is recorded in Scripture is Revelation 22:20, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” As we come to the end of another year it should give us pause that we are even closer to the time of our Lord’s Return. It is imperative that we be ready when he comes back. We live between his first coming (his birth) and his second coming...between the “already” and the “not yet.” Let’s live this day and every day in anticipation of the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Wow! Tomorrow is the last day of 2010...then it’s New Year’s day...the beginning of 2011. Where has the time gone? We ask that every year and every year the answer is the same...we don’t know. Here we are at the threshold of a brand new year. It is good to pause and ponder what changes we might need to make in the coming year. One tradition is to make new year’s resolutions...it is also traditional to break them rather soon into the new year. But we keep trying...we keep hoping that we can make improvements and do better. I like to think of the New Year as a reminder of something that Jesus said in the last book of the Bible...the book of Revelation. In the 21st chapter He is allowing John to see a vision of heaven. Jesus relates that this will be a time when God will wipe away every tear from their eyes and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Then John sees and hears something spectacular: “He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making everything new!” So this New Year’s Day let us look forward to that time when Christ will make all things brand new!