Don’t Underestimate God’s Grace
I traveled to New Jersey recently for my uncle’s funeral. Our time remembering him and mourning with my family reminded me about how thankful I am that life, not death, is the final word according to Revelation.
Here are three thoughts from the final two chapters of Revelation to offer you some encouragement this week and remind you not to underestimate God’s Grace.
Making all things new
And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new.” (Revelation 21:3)
Making all things new is excellent news! Our world moves from new to old, not the other way around. Shiny golf balls get lost, shoes get creased, buildings decay, and bodies break down. We are all very familiar with the new to the old reality, but how encouraging it is to know that God will not only defeat evil but make our creation new again!
This future lets us see the world in two ways. One vision is plain and lies right before us. The world is both wonderful and woeful all at once. But a future of all things new lets us see creation with a vision for what it will be, beautiful, free, and no longer in the chains of decay and death.
Hope upon hope
The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. People will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. (Revelation 21:24-26)
Revelation is often read with a lens of exclusion. This approach is a disservice to the story. God’s desire is for all to come to know him. It is evil and death that are excluded to rescue creation and restore its wonder.
I love the picture of all the nations bringing their glory, which I imagine as their culture, into God’s city. It will be hopeful and joyful. I can just imagine the sights and sounds of the Ghanians, for example, leading worship with brilliant colors, every instrument imaginable, and dancing that fills your soul.
It’s easy to be grumpy about this world. Plenty of it should make us feel that way. It should also be true that we are hopeful people. This takes a little practice. Making noise on an instrument is easy, making music takes training and practice. We need to train and practice to allow ourselves to see the hope around us!
Empowered by grace
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let everyone who hears say, “Come.” And let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift. (Revelation 22:17)
Last week a group of us served about 150 folks dinner at the Samaritan Center. That place is empowered by grace. It’s message to all is if you are hungry, come. Knowing they feed some to help them back on their feet and feed others who most likely will never find their footing. To each they offer not only a meal but a community because they know all are loved.
As C.S. Lewis is credited for saying, grace is what makes Christianity unique. Love, acceptance, forgiveness, is not earned but extended as a reality– a personal reality and what truth is. This means that grace should be a primary attribute of the people who follow Jesus. So how does grace manifest in your life?
Remember, the good news that God is making all things new! May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you and may that grace reflect out to all around you.
