Joyful in Hope 2

Isaiah 60:19-20

A common comfort that many people have and many others offer when there is a death is that the loved one we have lost is now in a better place. As Christians we believe that. In fact, we know it to be true and can indeed find comfort in knowing that the one we have lost is in a better place.

This passage from Isaiah is an image of that “better place.” What surprising image is first presented in verse 19? From whom will we receive light? What comfort is offered in verse 20?

We can all have a vision of what the eternal will hold for us. We can all have a hope for an end to suffering and conflict. The idea of God as our everlasting light and of heaven as a place without sorrow can bring great comfort.

But I would like to suggest two things. The hope of God’s eternal peace should not be thought of only in times of death. As we face the fears and uncertainties of today’s society, the marketplace, the government, our changing culture and shifting value systems, we can take comfort in knowing that God is an everlasting God who has a place of peace for us all. In that knowledge, in that confidence, we should be able to find hope in a world that seems to offer little hope. In these uncertain times we can find joy in the hope of an unchanging God.

The second observation would be that I believe the peace and comfort promised in this passage is not just waiting for us at the end of days. I believe that when we trust in our Lord, when we believe in Christ and obey the teachings of Jesus, we are spared much of the worries and turmoil of life. By having strong faith in God we can make the Lord our everlasting light in the here and now. By trusting in the grace and mercy of our heavenly Father we can see the glory of the Lord in our lifetime. By living in the sheltering arms of God our days of sorrow will end.

In all of this we should place our hope. And the confidence of knowing that our hopes will be realized should bring us joy.

DAILY CHALLENGE: What can you do to make God your everlasting light now?

Prepared 1

Revelation 22:1-5

As I have watched my own mother grow older and seen family friends reach retirement, I have been witness to these individuals reaping the rewards of careful investments and disciplined saving. They are able to have a secure life in later years thanks to an accumulation of many years of money management. They have worked for years to be prepared for this time.

This passage from Revelation is a description of what the writer has seen to be awaiting the faithful in heaven. What was the river like? What grew on each side? What problems will be taken away? What will be done?

For many years I was afraid to read Revelation because I expected horrible images and descriptions of torment and torture. I believe many others may shy away from this conclusion to the Bible for the same reason.

But in fact there are many assurances of all the goodness we can expect and hope to receive from God. Our fate, if we are faithful believers and followers of Christ's teachings and God's commands, is a beautiful reward of comfort and peace.

The caveat is our being faithful and obedient. How can we receive the great reward God has for us if we are not prepared now and always to honor God's commands and follow the teachings of Christ?

These images and promises of healing and goodness await us at the end of time if we can prepare our hearts and souls now for God's kingdom. But I also believe we can experience such bliss in our lives today if we can prepare ourselves to take part in God's table of abundance.

We must prepare ourselves to be in communion with God by ridding ourselves of our sinful nature and sinful desires. We must discipline ourselves to live out the teachings of Christ, and in so doing we will feel the healing that comes from the tree of life.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you prepare yourself to live a more Christian life?