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Tuesday, November 6th (Day Twenty-Three)
Read:
Revelation 21:1-22:5
"Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man."
Reflect:
The end of the Bible is overwhelmingly beautiful. It is so beautiful that the
Apostle John can't adequately describe it. He is grasping for images to express
something that is beyond the words at his disposal. When Jesus returns, the
earth, and everything in it, will be made right and good...and beautiful.
This is encouraging to me because a lot of life is ugly - from the piles of
rock and sand near my house that are being churned into I-10 concrete to the
pain of loneliness, despair and estrangement from God. What does this have to
do with making significant financial sacrifices in order to construct a
permanent facility on Silber Road? We have the opportunity to hint at heaven -
however inadequate that hint will ultimately be - by constructing something
that is purposefully beautiful on Silber Road. It is beautiful because it
expresses something of what is coming in and through the return of Christ. It
is purposeful because it does not exist for itself, but to bring others in to
the beauty of worshipping, knowing and serving Christ.
The Bible teaches that believers in Christ should live all of life in light of
eternity. That includes our buildings and our missions. Pray, hope and
sacrifice in order that the two will meld together in a way that is honoring to
our King and purposeful in extending his kingdom.
Apply:
- How can focusing on the return of Christ motivate you to live more purposefully in the present? What is it that causes you to struggle to live in light of eternity?
- What does this passage teach about the relevance of beauty with respect to the new heavens and the new earth? Why is it important to strive to express some of the beauty of heaven in the present time?
Pray:
- That God will cause you to live more of your life in light of the return of Christ and the beauty of the new heavens and new earth.
- That Christ the King will more and more express the beauty of eternity through its message of the gospel and through our future permanent facility.
