Our Eternal Future
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (ESV)
For the light momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not at things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.
Titus 2:13 (ESV)
…waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Christ Jesus.
In setting our minds on things above, today we consider some of the things we are told we can look forward to in our resurrected lives. The sure hope of what God had promised them helped the early persecuted church to keep going and develop endurance. We live in uncertain and troubling times and the hope of our future lives with Jesus will help to sustain us too.
Several Bible passages tell us that we will see Jesus ‘face to face’.1 Many passages speaking of heaven and our future lives talk about glory - Paul tells us that the glory that surrounds and belongs to Jesus is to be revealed to us 2 and that we are promised an unfading crown of glory.3 We will appear with him in glory and have glorious bodies.4 We will have crowns of righteousness, a dwelling place and an undefiled inheritance.’5
Amazingly we shall be like him and will be presented holy and blameless before him.6 In fact we are told that we will sit with Jesus on his throne and reign with him.7 And that ‘no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.’ 8 We will have roles in serving him and will join with the multitudes in worship before his throne.9
This is all a bit mind-blowing.
Surely thinking of these things will act as an encouragement and motivation - ‘to run with endurance the race that is set before us.'10
Prayer - Dear Lord, I struggle to envisage what it will be like when I meet you face to face. Let me be full of hope and joy in believing your promises and anticipating an eternity spent with you.
(1) 1Corinthians 13:12 (2) Romans 8:17-18 (3) 1Peter 5:4 (4) Colossians 3:4; Phil 3:20-21
(5) 2Tim 4:8; John 14:2-3; 1Pet 1:3-5 (6) 1John 3:2-3; Colossians 1:22 (7) Rev 3:21; 2Tim 2:12
(8) 1Cor 2:9 (9) Rev 7:9,14-15 (10) Hebrews 12:1