As promised, here is the post that has been brewing for several days now. I'm not sure how long this will be, but I can promise you that it will be POWERFUL. I don't say that because of anything I'm about to write. I'm really not all that great. 😉 But I have good news to share! Keep reading...
Anyone who has ever experienced the death of a close loved one can probably relate to what I'm about to say. I find myself thinking about heaven and longing for Jesus to come back all the time. Not that I never thought about it before...I'm sure I did sometimes. But there is nothing like knowing that a part of you is already there to make you ache and long to be on that other side of heaven. This world is painful and broken. But Jesus has promised that one day He will come back, and He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more sorrow, pain or death. I have never in my life felt more like a stranger on this earth than I have these past 4 months since Ellie beat us to heaven. It's so crazy how losing a loved one can totally change your perspective on things, even things that you've known all your life. Let me explain what I mean...in a minute....watch this first:
I hope you took a moment to watch that interview, called Heartbreak and Healing, with Nicol Sponberg. What she says near the end is SO powerful, and it resonates with me deeply. She says, "He is the Redeemer. We have great hope because of Jesus, because of what He did on the cross. I'll never forget coming to an understanding of OK, I've always talked about heaven, but I've never had to sit on that truth. I never had to put stock on it until a piece of us was there. The Gospel was brand new to me even though I'd grown up hearing it all my life. It was like, this is the GREATEST NEWS EVER! This isn't the end. If we can accept what Jesus did for us, there is SO MUCH to look forward to. I mean, the best thing you've ever experienced in this life will pale in comparison to what awaits us."
So much of what she describes is exactly how I have felt, especially when she talks about the Gospel. I've heard it all my life. I've been thankful that Jesus died my sins so that I can spend eternity with Him. But since losing Ellie, the Gospel has never been more real to me. The fact that Jesus came to earth as a man, lived a sinless life, took all of the sins of the world upon himself and died on a cross as the ultimate sacrifice means that I will see Ellie again one day. I can't even express how grateful I am for that! Even as I'm typing, these words seem so shallow. How can I possibly put into words the awe that I feel for the Gospel of Jesus Christ?!
We've weathered the winter. It was long, as if it would never end. It was cold and dead. But, praise God, now spring is here! And with it comes new life, new hope and new joy. It reminds me even more to look forward to the day that He will come and make all things new. Words can't even describe the anticipation of Him coming and making all of the wrongs right again, forever wiping away sorrow, pain, tears and death.
All Things New - Nicol Sponberg
This old earth is fading and our hearts are aching
So we let go of our possessions, leave behind our successes
To take hold of one obsession, only Jesus
So we watch and we wait and we hope and we pray
You will come and make all things new
And we won't be afraid as we long for the day
You will come and make all things new
All things new
We live here as strangers and brokenness we labor
We hold on with expectations for the day of our redemption
Grateful still that You were patient with us, Lord
Oh, oh, so we watch and we wait and we hope and we pray
You will come and make all things new
And we won't be afraid as we long for the day
You will come and make all things new
All things new
Come and make all things new
Our struggle here cannot compare to what we have to gain
Thank You, Lord
Our struggles here cannot compare to what we have to gain
So we watch and we wait and we hope and we pray
You will come and make all things new
And we won't be afraid as we long for the day
You will come and make all things new
All things new
Come and make all things new
We may be laboring in brokenness now, but He has promised that He will redeem and restore. He will make all things right, all things new, and He will dwell among us in the new heaven and new earth. As we near the Easter season, I hope you'll spend some time pondering the glory of the Gospel in a new way. I know I will be. I'd like to leave you with this video. Sorry, lots of videos in this post! 😊 But if you watch nothing else on this post, please take a moment to watch this (or listen!). I seriously could listen to this over and over.
"As difficult as it gets in this lifetime, we have the promise and the hope of eternal life with Christ. And the worst horrors that we can imagine in this life are not even worthy to be compared with how wonderful it will be to be with Christ.
Not worthy to be compared...
And we cling to these things, that God is going to work good in this lifetime and that these things some day shall pass, and they won't even be worthy of mentioning
in the light of seeing JESUS....
Take heart, He has overcome the world, and there is coming a new day. The truth is that Jesus is more present in our brokenness, the Gospel is more real and on greater display when we are broken than at any other time....
I want to be the kind of man that the more I lose, the more I worship God. Because the more I lose in this world, the more of a treasure He becomes to me in this moment."
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