DECEMBER 31 - A Final Word

DECEMBER 31 - A Final Word

 

Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.” — REVELATION 5:5

 

On this last day of the year, we look to the future and wonder, Could this be the year of Christ’s return? If so, you will experience for the first time what it feels like to be pure and blameless. You will see your loved one walk without a limp. You will witness the stroke survivor walk without his cane. You will know family members and friends as God intended them to be all along, their best attributes shining brightly, and their worst traits gone with the wind. No bruises on your daughter, free from the shackles of an abusive marriage. No confused thoughts, no mental illness, no Alzheimer’s disease.

 

You will see what lessons the angels and demons learned about God from observing him at work in your mother, languishing in that nursing home. You will stand amazed at how your perseverance through pain sent

repercussions rumbling through the lives of people you never knew were watching. You will be awestruck to see how your endurance through hardship forced others you hardly even knew to make tough decisions about God and suffering. Oh, what a wonderful day that will be!

 

If you faced deep heartache and disappointment this year, take encouragement that soon the Lamb who sits on the throne — the Lion of the tribe of Judah — will triumph. Every tear will be wiped away. Let this fact encourage you for the weeks and months ahead. Commit afresh and anew to deepen your walk with Jesus Christ in the new year, preserving for yourself “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade — kept in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:4).

 

Lord Jesus, I look forward to the day when you will receive endless praise and honor and glory for your amazing grace. Thank you for preserving my life through this year and impart fresh grace in my heart to honor and obey you in the year ahead.