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Do you live with the end of the story in mind? I’ve been told that when we know the end of a story, we enjoy it more. But what is the end of our story?
When God wins and the forever becomes now and the eternal takes over the temporal, what will that be like? What will heaven be like?
We often talk about streets of gold, pearly gates, and mansions of glory, (and sometimes harps and clouds) but there must be more. Will you read Revelation 22:1-5 with me?
Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. It flowed down the center of the main street.
Do you see it, hear it, smell it, touch it?
Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a sparking cascade
of the cleanest, purest water imaginable,
flowing from the Living Water himself.
As you reach down to touch it,
your skin tingles with the electricity,
and you smell…vibrancy.
The water tinkles through the rocks near the shore,
and roars through the center of the river.
You taste the water and as it runs down your throat
it brings strength to your eyes and heart.
This torrent pours down the center of the City of God, impossible to miss.
The entire City is built around the River of Life.
On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations.
You stand in the shade of an incredible tree
whose roots grow deep into the crystalline, rushing water.
The air is filled with the smell of sweet exotic fruit,
and as you lean against the rough trunk,
its shade and smell bring peace to your soul.
No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.
Nothing is cursed.
Not relationships.
Not the land.
Not the weather.
Not our thoughts.
No longer tending toward evil,
free of the shackles that have imprisoned our minds,
made our decisions selfish,
and our relationships shallow.
Free.
Free to be alive.
Empowered to worship the only One deserving of
every ounce of worship
I can ever and forever draw out of myself.
And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.
No longer ashamed to have his name engraved for all to see
on our foreheads
because he is all we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.
No longer feeling the need to smudge
the name written in blood
but to touch the name painted on the canvas of our face
and feel nothing but gratitude.
And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.
Do you see it?
No darkness.
No shadows in the soul, heart, or mind.
God shines light into every crevice and rather than shy away with squinted eyes
we will open our eyes wide
and breathe deep of his glory and grace.
We will stand straight and true,
as children of the King of Kings,
Lord of Lords,
the Alpha and Omega,
the Beginning and End.
Do you live with the end of the story in mind? I’ve been told that when we know the end of a story, we enjoy it more.
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