Majesty

For us in the United States, the word majesty is not often used. We may speak of the majesty of the stars in the sky or some other natural phenomenom. Some may speak of majesty of a high profile event with dignataries or celebrities. According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary the word, majesty, means impressive stateliness, dignity, or beauty and royal power. Even this definition does not adequately describe the majesty of God.

I Chronicles 29:11 says, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” Consider who God is today and give Him praise. In His glorious majesty, God rules over all things and all peoples.

No More Pain

As I get older, I find that I have different kinds of pain. There are the pains of aging that I must choose to accept and mitigate as best possible. I also have sudden pains that cause me to go to a doctor and see what can be done to gain relief. Then, I have the emotional and mental scars that life inevitably brings our way.

Revelation 21:4-5 says, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Unfortunately , we have to endure some bad things in our lives on earth. But the good news for those who trust in the Lord is that He will remove all those bad things when we live with Him in heaven. That truth is something that we can rejoice in even now.

Sleep

God gave us an interesting part of life when he gave us sleep. It is necessary for our physical, spiritual, and mental health. When we were young, we didn’t want to go to sleep. Now that we are older, we love sleeping and can’t wait for sleep to come for us. I had an interesting experience with sleep yesterday. I awoke early to go to the hospital for a surgical procedure, for which they put me to sleep for five hours. While asleep, I wasn’t aware of what was happening around me, or to me, thankfully. In the evening and through the night, however, I was unable to go to sleep. So I was painfully aware of my surroundings.

I Thessalonians 5:5-6 says, “For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.” If we go through our day without care and devotion to God and His Word, we risk moving away from God rather than drawing near to Him. God warns not to sleep during our daily activity, but commands that we be aware of the dangers around us. We do that by reading His wisdom in His Word and applying it to our lives.

Brokenhearted

As we go through life certain things will upset us  But the greater pains and burdens will be the hurts that break our hearts. These hurts can imprison us with chains of anger, fear, hopelessness, and self-pity.

This prophecy in Isaiah 61:1 regarding Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” No matter what hurts or setbacks we may suffer, Jesus heals them and sets us free from them. He understands and feels our pain. In His grace and mercy, He is able to heal our broken hearts.

The Job Is Not Finished

We have come to expect specific consequences for certain things in life. On the job, when we do the work and the work meets quality standards, we expect to be paid. In relationships, when we give love and kindness, generally we expect love and kindness to be returned to us. At the store when our purchase is done and paid for, we expect to be able to take our goods and use them. We expect a strong correlation between completion and reward.

Revelation 7:9-10 says, “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands,  and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” We still have work to do because not every tongue and nation has yet had the opportunity to hear the gospel and to believe. So God is still sending His people around the world to speak the truth of His Word. Jesus will return when the job is done. Then He will establish the new heaven and the new earth and gather us together before His throne.