Today’s Podcast
Today’s Bible reading plan:
Read it in a year – Jeremiah 32-36
see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)
Today’s Devotional
Matthew 19:28-30
Jesus: I tell you this. When creation is consummated and all things are renewed, when the Son of Man sits on His throne in glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on thrones. There will be twelve thrones, and you will sit and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. You who have left your house and your fields, or your brothers and sisters, or your father and mother, or even your children in order to follow Me, at that time when all is renewed, you will receive so much more: you will receive 100 times what you gave up. You will inherit eternal life. Many of those who are the first will be last, and those who are the last will be first.
What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’m currently teaching a Sunday School class on Romans as I put together these podcasts on the words of Jesus. And as I came to Jesus’ words today, I can’t help but put the two together again. Jesus tells the disciples what will happen when creation is consummated and all things are renewed. It reminds me of Pauls words in Romans chapter eight: “Now I’m sure of this: the sufferings we endure now are not even worth comparing to the glory that is coming and will be revealed in us. For all of creation is waiting, yearning for the time when the children of God will be revealed. You see, all of creation has collapsed into emptiness, not by its own choosing, but by God’s. Still He placed within it a deep and abiding hope that creation would one day be liberated from its slavery to corruption and experience the glorious freedom of the children of God. For we know that all creation groans in unison with birthing pains up until now. And there is more; it’s not just creation—all of us are groaning together too. Though we have already tasted the first-fruits of the Spirit, we are longing for the total redemption of our bodies that comes when our adoption as children of God is complete—for we have been saved in this hope and for this future.”
Paul talks about the birthing pains of the earth and Jesus talks about the consummation of creation. Both point to the same event–the end of this age and the beginning of eternity. Evil will finally be conquered by the return of Jesus and the destruction of all we know with the creation of a new heaven and new earth as John reports in his Revelation. I sometimes wonder what that new creation will be like, don’t you?
Through my career, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to a lot of places through the years. Some of them I don’t wish to see again, quite frankly, but everywhere I go, there is always a different kind of beauty in the countryside. The monstrosities we build and the pollution we bring to nature doesn’t do much for the landscape, but the world is a beautiful place. Even my native land is filled with wondrous sights I have yet to explore that I hope to some day.
You’ve probably seen pictures of some of the places I’m talking about. The Grand Canyons, the seacoasts in Maine, Washington, California, Florida, the Outer Banks. The meandering Mississippi River as it flows into the delta in Louisiana and on out into the Gulf of Mexico. Or the badlands in the Dakotas, the wild mountains of Colorado and the tree covered mountains of the Smokies in the East. There are hundreds more places of beauty I could talk about in this country alone. Then multiply that by the enchanting scenes of thousands more around the globe.
Now think about the fact that we live in a broken, corrupted, polluted, sin-scarred world that has collapsed into emptiness awaiting to be revealed when creation is consummated, completed, renewed by the final battle of good against evil. Imagine with all the beauty of this world, what the next one must be like, well, maybe you can’t. I know I can’t. I’ve seen some great things here, so what will the new heaven and new earth be like?
But all creation awaits it. The earth groans like a woman in birthing pains. Can you sense it? Take a look at the news reports and listen to the birthing pains of creation. The earthquakes, the famines, the wild storms, the inexplicable changes happening all around us. Some will try to explain it all away as man’s doing. In a way it is, but it’s not our fossil fuel use. It started with Adam’s fall and has gotten worse ever since. But God made a plan to complete creation, to renew it.
Those who follow Jesus will be a part of this renewed creation. We will experience this new heaven and new earth. As beautiful as this one is in some parts, the next will have no damaged parts. And all creation longs for it. All creation awaits that day. All creation looks for the day when God’s children will be revealed so we can once again be the caretakers of God’s beautiful gardens, His creation, His wonders and glorious kingdom. Can you imagine what it will be like?
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