Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– MartinLuther
In God’s Presence
Revelation 21:3 gives us a great glimpse into eternity, when for the very first time since the Garden of Eden, “the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God,” and speaking of believers, “They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads” (Rev 22:4). How could you ever put a price on that!?
Goodbye to Pain
I’m not a big fan of pain. How about you? Most of those with a few years on them can better understand why they long to see the end of sorrow, suffering, crying, and even the pain of death (Rev 21:4). Sometimes the worst pain of all is the emotional pain from the loss of a loved one, a broken relationship, or even facing a financial collapse, however, all of that will be history someday, and for me, it can’t come soon enough.
Moth, Rust, and Thieves
When I heard a friend mention that their 401K took a hit the other day, probably from the stock market dropping, I thought, “Isn’t all of that going to perish anyway?” Jesus’ tells us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19-20). You can’t take it with you, but you can forward it to the kingdom.
Come to the Water
I think the best things in life are free. Kisses from my wife, hugs from my kids/grandkids, a warm, sunny day, but one thing nobody could afford, comes without cost. It is both free, yet priceless. Isaiah the Prophet writes, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isaiah 55:1). Eternal life is a free gift from God (Eph 2:8). Besides, we couldn’t earn it in a billion lifetimes, so come to the water…the Living Water, Jesus Christ, and you shall never thirst again.
Conclusion
If you could ask Martin Luther to come back to the earth right now, he’d probably decline that, knowing he would “not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world.” I doubt very much he has changed his mind since he wrote that, and can you blame him?
