by Rev Donald Schatz

Encouragement.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”  Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 
Revelation 21:5, New International Version

The old porch was rebuilt, except for the steps.  Some scraping and sanding, and all will be ready for the painters.  That’s a good thing, because they started caulking the house today!

The vision of John, in his Revelation, is a book of encouragement as far as I am concerned.  The whole message of the book can be summed up in two words:  GOD WINS!  That summary can be amended, of course, for accuracy:  GOD ALREADY WON!  An addendum may also be added:  YOU IN CHRIST HAVE ALREADY WON!

“Write this down!  These words are trustworthy and true!  God is making everything new!”  I have had the privilege of journeying with many over the years through seasons of life when it was oh-so-easy to trust these words from Scripture, and through seasons when faith alone clung to these promises.  We believed, though we did not always see.  We did it together.  It is such an encouraging reality that the Lord gathers us into His Church to journey together, to live as the One Body of Christ.

In the end our front porch wasn’t that big of a deal, but it’s often the small things that can cause me anxiety.  Perhaps the same is occasionally true for you.  The sight of the new porch tells me it is now built right, from that which is unseen to that which is visible.

Just so, God makes us new from the unseen resources of His Spirit’s work on the inside of us making us children of the heavenly Father. We are all unique new creations from the inside out.  On the outside, it shows by His Grace.  We follow Jesus in the world, living as he would live if he were living in our bodies, and he is!

Look in the mirror today.  You are God’s wonderful, new, creation.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, CO