Our Hope

Hope is the forward gaze that looks toward anticipated good.  In the midst of all the chaos in our world, we, as subjects of the King, look forward to a brighter day.  Peter outlines our hope in these words.

But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness.  2nd Peter 3:13  NLT

We look forward to a day when our King will reign supreme and everything will be set right.  In that day justice will prevail and all oppression will cease.

I Am Making All Things New

John provides us with an even clearer picture of what that day will look like in Revelation 21:1 – 5.

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. ² And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. ⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

⁵ And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.”  NLT

The First Fruits

Today we are the first fruits of this new creation.  We know this from what Paul tells us in 2nd Corinthians 5:17.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.  ESV

Anyone who bows in submission to Jesus Christ undergoes a radical change.  The old condition brought about by sin is wiped away.  God takes up residence in us by His Spirit (1st John 4:13), uniting us to Himself in a brand new relationship in which He is our Father and we are His children.  Everything becomes new at that point.  From there on we are in a continual state of transformation as our minds are renewed to live according to our new identity (Ephesians 4:17 – 24).  Our lives are a foretaste of that day when the King will make everything new.

Never Lose Hope

Beloved, let us never lose sight of this hope.  In a world filled with despair, let’s take a moment to look beyond it all and ponder our future.  There are truly brighter days ahead.  Being filled with a joyful hope is one of the characteristics of someone living in the Reign.

I have included a video of the song Making All Things New by Elevation Worship.  I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it this summer.  I listen to it often.  I hope you will find it a blessing too.

Enjoy!

M