“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17).
We each would like to peer into the future. It fascinates us. For the most part we walk by faith and not by sight. In this life temptation comes at us from every direction and we keep trusting God in the face of pressure. The book of Revelation, though, looks at the end of history and gives us pictures of our destinies that inspire hope in us. This is one of those pictures.
When we come to the end of the day we will be so glad that we chose to believe in Jesus. He will be our Shepherd. We won’t face the pain of hunger, thirst and discomfort ever again. We’ll never again visit a hospital or go to a funeral home. Those days will be over forever. We have all shed tears, but God will wipe them away. There will be pure joy and contentment in His presence. The challenges we face in this life are temporary; God’s plans for us are eternal.
Christians aren’t suicidal. We love life and want to live it to the full in the years God has given us. However, we never forget our destination. During our tough times it is important to remember what God has planned for us. We are like runners who know how to keep our eyes on the tape that marks the finish line. When we face trouble, remember that we aren’t at the finish line yet. But we will get there. I look forward to seeing you, my family and my friends there. Yet, for all of us the big attraction is Jesus who has made this ending possible.
