REVELATION 21:1-5 – “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. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.””
THEME OF THE DAY: THE RIGHT SIDE OF HEAVEN. “It was a beautiful and cloudless winter evening. The stars out at night sparkled like radiant diamonds on a black background. A father and his young daughter were taking a walk, and the little girl looked up to the star-filled sky. As she stared into the clear night sky, the scene gripped her with wonderful force. She looked at her father and exclaimed, “Oh, daddy. If heaven is so beautiful on the wrong side, imagine what it is going to be like on the right side.”” (Author unknown)
The right side of heaven. Isn’t that what we long for? Isn’t today’s scripture a glimpse of it? We live in a broken world. We see it all around us. We also see it up close and personal. Whenever we go outside our homes, we encounter brokenness. It is the brokenness of people because of a world upside down; a world in sin living in the brokenness of being separated from God. Yet, even Christians experience brokenness. We feel it in our families, churches, workplaces, and deep within ourselves. The difference between the brokenness in the world and believers is found in one word – hope; the hope that little girl saw staring into a night sky towards heaven.
Today’s scripture tells us what the right side of heaven is going to be like. It also encourages us that the brokenness in this world will not follow us into the next world. Just for a moment, imagine what we are going to experience in the right side of heaven – “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away”. Let’s count the blessings we will enjoy in the right side of heaven.
First, fellowship with God, not by faith but sight. We are seeing Jesus. Literally. No more wavering faith, battles with doubt, fear, and anxiety. Ever. Next, no more tears of sorrow. Gone forever, wiped away by the compassionate touch of our God. Then death is forever gone. No more funerals. No more graveside services. No more pain of separation from loved ones. Forever gone.
Yes, the right side of heaven is going to be amazing beyond description, and we get to enjoy it forever because of the marvelous grace and love of our wonderful God.
PRAYER: Lord, I look forward to praising You forever in the land of no more distracting and destroying sin.
REFLECTION: When life gets hard, and it does, think more on heaven, and let future joy bring us present joy.