July 28 - Isaiah 63:15-66:24 | 2 Kings 20:20-21 | 2 Chronicles 32:32-33

Good morning everyone,

Today we finish off the book of Isaiah. We have read about a whole lot of judgement and salvation and yet, well, let’s face it, there are still a whole lot of people on the face of this earth that just are not listening. In 65:2-3 it says, “All day long I have held out my hands
to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good, pursuing their own imaginations—a people who continually provoke me to my very face.” Friends, the final curtain is closing,  soon, as I have talked about before every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, then it will be too late to have a change in mind, your destination will already be determined.

Today though I want to take a look at a little further down in the chapter to verse 17 and forward, beginning with where it says, “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.” Oh my word, that sounds so absolutely delicious to me. I was not raised in a Christian environment, and because when after I did accept the Lord into my heart I was at a place in my life where “works” were so  important to me, I was not humble and I did not totally trust in the Lord, I was a Pharisee. So it was, when tested, I found that my faith was built on shifting sand and I backslid. It was all for the good, it made me much stronger in the Lord but the point is, I made a lot of really awful choices that the enemy uses to beat me up with from time to time. Not only that but it makes my heart so sad to know that some people whom I totally love, refuse to see God for who He is. Ughh, they will get left behind. So I find it most comforting that when I get to heaven, when we get to heaven, we will have no recollection of those poor choices from our old life, or the heartbreak of the someones we know who didn’t accept Christ into their heart. Instead, we will be glad and rejoice forever.

What about this “forever”? Exactly what will we be doing in heaven? Certainly we will be super excited to renew acquaintances with loved ones and the “heroes of the faith”, (we each have someone from in the Bible we want to have a conversation with) who moved home before us, right? But how many years will be allowed for that? Eternity is …. well to infinity and beyond. There will most certainly be other things for us to do and don’t think for a moment it will be sitting on a cloud strumming a harp :-) In Genesis we learn that when God created Adam, he "took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it". Right? Work was part of the original Eden. It was part of a perfect human life. God Himself is a worker, He didn't create the world and then retire. In John 5:17 Jesus said, "My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I, too, am working". Me? I am totally a “multi-task” person so I am curious about what responsibility will be given me for of all of eternity? To my dismay, the Bible only reveals in Revelation 22 that, “we, His servants shall serve Him” in heaven and also that we who have been, Matthew 25:23 says, "faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things”. Curious …..

What kind of work will you do in heaven? Maybe you'll be a carpenter and build cabinets like Joseph and of course Jesus. Or maybe you’ll camp out on the celestial prairie and tend sheep with David, or fish with the Sons of Thunder, James and John. I might like to sew with Dorcas, write a song with Fanny Crosby or knit with Shannon and Jennifer. I don’t know, but what I do know is, in heaven, we'll embrace God's holiness and justice. God will be our source of joy and we will cry, “Holy, holy, holy”. The enemy and all of his vicious lies will not interfere with God's greatness or our joy in Him. And all God’s people said ……. Amen!

Have a great day and to God be the glory.

God bless you all.