“So you must
remain faithful to what you have been taught from the beginning. If you do, you
will remain in fellowship with the Son and with the Father. And in this
fellowship we enjoy the eternal life he promised us”
(1 John 2:24-25,
NLT).
The Apostle John reminds
us of a great promise God has given to us if we “remain
faithful” – that we will live forever with Him. “Eternal life.” To some people, that may
sound so foreign to them, but let’s take a look at what it will be like for us
to live with God.
The Scriptures tell us
that when we live with Christ eternally, all of the weaknesses and problems we
face in this life will be over. If we, for example, feel ugly, poor in
studies or sports, unpopular, or handicapped, whatever the problem is, it will
be gone; we won’t have to live with it ever again. Whether you’ve been poor or
depressed, rejected or lonely, all that will be gone forever! Hallelujah! In
the Book of Revelation, John recorded
this promise: “They will never again be hungry or
thirsty; they will never be scorched by the heat of the sun. For the Lamb on
the throne will be their Shepherd. He will lead them to springs of life-giving
water. And God will wipe every tear from their eyes” (Revelation
7:16-17). Imagine: no more hungry, no more thirst; no more tears, no more
frustrations; no more crying, pain, or death (see Revelation 21:4). Everything
will be made new. It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it?
All believers will be
living in a new version of Jerusalem (Revelation 21), which will be quite unlike
anything we have ever seen. John describes it as looking like a very special
jewel, surrounded by a wall made of precious jewels, and the city itself made
of pure gold. Even the streets will be made of pure gold! Not only will we live
in such a perfect place (like the Garden of Eden) and enjoy all of its beauty
(like Genesis 1), but it will last forever. And no sin can ever pollute its
purity. The best of all is – God will
live with us. This is almost impossible for us to understand since
everything we know about has a beginning and an end. Every human being has a
birth and a death; the same is true in the animal kingdom and nature kingdom
(but the reality is that our souls are eternal). The idea of “eternal” life is a mind-blower to me,
what about you? But it’s true!
Remember, “Eternal life”
doesn’t begin when we die; it begins when we become members of God’s family. It
begins when we “believe in” Jesus Christ.
Because of Him we “will not perish
but have eternal life” (John 3:16). We can begin to enjoy that
quality of life right now. Yes, right now! True, we may still experience sorrow
and pain in this life, but we have a Resource – Jesus Christ – who has promised
to help us cope with these challenges during this life. He will always be with
us in the present time and time to come. Therefore, if we “remain
faithful”, we “remain in
fellowship with the Son and with the Father… and… enjoy the eternal life he
promised us.” That’s a BIG deal! Amen.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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