09/27/2023 – The Promise of Renewal
Revelation 21: 1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 5 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.”
Throughout the boor of Revelation, the one sitting on the throne remains silent. There are numerous manifestations through His angels and the worship of His people. But the first words from the eternal throne of God in the book of Revelation are pronounced immediately after judgment is complete. And His words contain this promise: Behold, I make all things new.
God has promised us complete renewal: spiritual, mental, physical. Only God can make this promise. Only God can transform us into His children through a process of constant renewal. In the natural world there is a process of constant decay that leads to death. Everyone and everything decay spiritually and physically, and eventually dies… In God it’s the opposite. We need God’s renewal, otherwise we will get stale, begin to decay and die! There is a process of constant renewal that leads to eternal life!
God has promised to renew His mercies for us each morning. He promises a new heaven and a new earth…to renew our strength (Isaiah 40:31), but above all He has promised to renew us! Out mind, our way of thinking…our heart, our spirit, even our bodies. He has promised to make us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), constantly being renewed day by day (2 Corinthians 4:16)!
What is even more amazing is that this process of glorification through renewal take place despite the horrendous forces of decay that oppose us in this world. Sin is evil, and all evil leads to decay: moral, mental, spiritual, physical. But the power of God brings renewal that overcomes the forces of decay. After God’s judgment through the flood, there is not an end, but a new beginning. In God there are no endings, but completions that lead to new beginnings! All evil will end. All lies will sooner or later die. But the truth is eternal. The flood was not the end. For those of us who are in Christ, the forces of decay cannot put an end to our lives, to our blessings. We were not called to be witness of destruction but ministers of renewal!