reflections on the love that changes everything
Jesus uses the same self-dialogue as the psalmist — his soul disturbed, yet he spoke directly into that disturbance rather than let it have the last word. He anchors his hope in the Father’s purpose rather than the relief of escape. That resolve carried him through the mockery of the cross and into three dark days in the tomb,…
Jesus is God’s answer when we suffer and God seems silent. … Because he went through death for us, we can know that should the worst happen and we die, the quality of life we will have with him on the other side of death will far outweigh all the suffering and sorrow we experience here and now.
Let the hope of Revelation 21 shape how you grieve, how you love, how you forgive, how you endure, how you worship, and how you live your ordinary, everyday life. Because the One seated on the throne has spoken: “Behold, I am making all things new.”
So my encouragement to you today, dear friend, is to lift your eyes. Look up. Let your heart be captured by the glory that awaits you at the end of time. Because of Jesus, winter will not have the last word. You are going home to God. You are going to live in his eternal spring, and it’s all because of Jesus.
Because of Jesus—His life, His death, and His resurrection—the same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead is also at work in you right now. It’s active in your life, strengthening your faith, growing your love, and fortifying your hope.
If physical freedom is what we need to be free, most of us will experience a life of frustration. But what if God wants to give us another kind of freedom, a freedom that brings joy even when we are in prison? How can we live with that kind of freedom?
Your war with God is over because God has reconciled you, and me, and everyone else who believes in Jesus, to Himself—and He did that by paying the full cost of our forgiveness and giving us His righteousness.
The women at the tomb had the right information—an empty tomb, an angel’s message, a reminder of Jesus’ promise—but their frame didn’t allow for resurrection. At least not yet. But Mary’s frame changed when she heard her name from the lips of the risen Christ. And that changed everything.
The reason that we can be people of hope in a hopeless world is that the grace of Jesus Christ has changed everything for us. It has changed who we are, it has changed how we live, it has changed where we are going.
If you have ever gone through an extremely difficult season in life—perhaps harder than you expected—or if you are experiencing one now, this sermon is for you. God, in His wisdom, gave us the book of Revelation to prepare us for life’s hardships.
Farewell to Shadowlands 