“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.” – Revelation
21:1
The Apostle John has seen some pretty amazing things – things
he’s had a hard time, I think, describing. Seals and scrolls, devastation and
destruction, all the things that accompany the end of the world as we know it.
At the end of Revelation, John is given a glimpse of what awaits all those who
have faith in Jesus Christ.
Heaven. That will definitely be a new day.
Often times I find myself in a predicament. I know that
heaven awaits me. I’ll be going to heaven someday. Most likely it will be far
away, years down the road, in the future. Even though its far away, I know I’ll
be going. I’m certain of that because I have faith in the one who bled and died
for me and now prepares a place for me (John 14:2-3). I know that’s coming.
But my trouble is that I don’t usually think about my life
now as being “a new day.” But that isn’t right. Every day for me is “a new
day.” Each day I wake up I’m not only a day closer to heaven, but I get to live
a life that is filled with God’s presence. “Behind and before me” is what God
is. Every step I take today, God is there.
When you come to faith in Christ – when the Holy Spirit
creates faith in your heart through God’s Word – then each day after that is “a
new day.” Each day will be an adventure to live. Each day will be a day that
God will work some new miracle in your life.
As I write this, I glance out my window and I see a sky that
is a solid blue. This is “a new day” that the Lord has brought me to. It is a
day that holds so much promise. At the end of this day, I will sit down, look
at the stars that sprinkle the sky and say a prayer of confession and
thanksgiving. I will confess for wasting so much of this “new day” by sinning.
I will give thanksgiving because Jesus forgives me and has turned my failures
into victories (even if I can’t see it).
A new day will dawn where there will be no more tears, pain,
or death. That’s the day when Jesus comes to take us home to heaven.
Each new day until then will hold the promise of being one
more day closer. It will also hold the promise that Jesus will be with us this
day and will forgive our sin and give us new life and a new adventure to live.
