Isaiah 51:11
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
On that day, there will be no more needs that cannot be met, no more dangers from without, no more longings unfulfilled, and no more tears:
Revelation 7:16-17
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore;
the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.
For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd,
and he will guide them to springs of living water,
and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
No more tears, nor death, nor anything painful, will be in that place:
Revelation 21:4
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.
God himself will be for us a feast that satisfies the soul; he will destroy death and pain and tears; and we will rejoice in his salvation:
Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the LORD; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
One day we will put off this broken body and receive a new one, imperishable; death will be swallowed up forever, because God will do it:
1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 54b, 57
Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. … When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” … thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, in light of these things, press on in faithful labor for Christ:
1 Corinthians 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
What you do in the Lord, is not in vain. Everything temporal will be burned up and come to nothing; but what you do in serving Christ has value. It is not worthless labor that will be burned up one day with the world.
2 Peter 3:11-14
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.
So go, labor on, fueled by your hope that God will come and remake his world one day. Do not let death and sorrow so weigh you down here that you are kept from fixing your eyes on eternity. All these sorrows are passing shadows, quickly gone; they hurt now, they weigh on us now, but soon they will run the course God has set for them and be finished. They exercise our souls; they test our faith by fire; and they work for us a much heavier weight of unfading glory.
2 Corinthians 4:17-18
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
So feel the sorrow; cry the tears. Then go and sow your field, though in tears. Keep doing the responsibilities and stewardships that God has given you to do. One day, they will bear fruit. And there will be joy in the morning!
Psalms 126:5-6
Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!
He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalms 30:5b
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
And even now in the midst of sorrow and loss, there is joy and fullness in Christ:
2 Corinthians 6:10
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; … as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Philippians 4:4
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.
Nehemiah 8:10b
…the joy of the LORD is your strength.
Philippians 4:12-13
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 4:19-20
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment