Behold!
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Revelation 21:1-5
1. 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. 2. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3. and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; 4. he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." 5. And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true."
I woke up knowing which scripture to share this morning! Actually, “Behold, I make all things new” is what was on my mind, and I honestly couldn’t remember where it was, so I had to do a database search. Anyway . . . And I also focused on the word “behold.” Don’t know for sure what Webster’s says, but I think of words like, “look,” “pay attention,” “don’t miss seeing this.” All this talk about newness and the sense of excitement and anticipation these verses summon up are due to a “newness” in our lives. We closed on a house yesterday, so we are beginning a new stage of our lives!
We’re very excited and I’m pretty amused with myself and my family, because we’ve made innumerable comments along the lines of, “when we get in the new house. . . “ You know, like a New Year’s resolution! And practically, realistically . . . we know that a lot of the talk is wishful thinking, borne of good intention. But we are hopeful that a few minor changes will help us stay more organized and keep things running a bit more smoothly.
Isn’t that how it is with God?! He allows us to make 365 “New Year’s Resolutions” a year! Each day is “new day!” He has an inexhaustible, unfathomable well of forgiveness and love and he allows us to dip into that well each new day! We don’t need to shed tears of remorse or regret, because we know and believe that Christ already paid the price for those past wrongs and misdeeds. Remember what he told the Samaritan at the well? That He was the living water, and we will never thirst after drinking that water.
What an amazing God we worship! How incredible that at every moment of the day, he is ready for us to turn back to Him, to drink from the well of life, and to resolve again to live rightly.
This is very un-devotion-like and bit personal, but the movers just called and they’re on their way! I guess it really is going to happen! So I must cut my time short with morning. But trust me, I have prayed, full of hope, gratitude, and joy, thanking God, not only for our new house, and our new adventure, but for the unbelievable well of love and forgiveness from which he allows me drink every day.
I hope today your thirst is quenched by the well of living water. And that you offer a cool cup of that water to anyone in need of hearing the good news!
Mary
