September 17 - Come On Up!

 Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 42-44; Revelation 22

MAXIMize YOUR DAY 

When we think about our hope of heaven
remember to tell others, “come on up!” 

If you want to find out the meaning of life, skip to the end of God's manual for life!  The final chapter of His master plan describes His eternal family, adopted from every nation on earth, in a setting more beautiful than our human minds can imagine. If you get excited about winning the things of this world with Bob Barker’s “come on down” just think how you’ll feel when God says, “come on up!”

As someone with a deep appreciation for the intricacies of God’s creation (I taught Science and the Bible at PLBC for years), I think this earth, despite human sabotage, is awe-inspiring.  But the new earth and new heaven, without the contaminants of sin, will be beyond spectacular.

How can we even picture with our limited imaginations a river of life, trees offering eternal youth, golden streets, bejeweled gates and the glory of our Saviour so bright a sun is no longer necessary.

But it was the closing words of this final chapter that caught my attention: the Spirit and the Bride say “Come!” (22:17).  We have the opportunity as the Bride of Christ to partner with the Holy Spirit and invite those who have not yet heard of the hope of heaven to join us.  By knowing the outcome before it happens, we also know what we must do now.  We have this window of time to tell the world what we know and invite them to “come on up!”

“Lord, I pray that my tendency to be conservative will not contain my anticipation of heaven.  And I pray that my natural shyness will not constrain me from sharing that hope with everyone you put in my path today.”