Revelation 21:5 - I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW!
Revelation 21:5 (KJV) And he that sat upon
the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
And he said unto me, Write: for these words are
true and faithful.
INTRODUCTION
God is the Creator. The Bible begins with
the majestic story of his creation of the
universe, and it concludes with his creation of a new
heaven and a new earth. This is a tremendous hope
and encouragement for the believer. When we are
with God, with our sins forgiven and our future
secure, we will be like Christ. We will be made
perfect like him. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARLS FOR THE NEW YEAR
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and
the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation
22:13 (NIV)
I'm sipping my first cup of coffee on the
last day of the year. It's still dark, and I
nudge the curtain to catch the first glimpse of
light. It's an odd personal tradition, a secret
I've kept until now - to watch the sunrise on
both the last day and first day of the year.
My ritual started eighteen years ago. I
was pregnant with my oldest and had been up
early that New Year's Eve morning quite by
accident. I was struck by the beauty of the sunrise
when it occurred to me that this might be a
wonderful way to commemorate this special time. I knew
I'd be too tired to stay up to midnight, so I
thought, I may not see the ball drop, but I'll watch
it rise!
The Japanese have a word that means
welcoming the first sunrise of the new year,
hatsuhinode. I zipper my winter coat over my bathrobe,
find my favorite hat and knitted mittens, and go
to our side porch, which faces east.
The first hint of light gives shape to
the darkness. From the sheer silence, it seems I
am the only one awake. Perfect. Just God and
me, and I'm taken by the mystery of it all - the
passage of time and the challenges and blessings
that will unfold in the days to come. My thoughts
shift to loved ones. I pray for good fortune and
health and then I let go of thinking. I lose myself
in the holiness of the moment, the Alpha and
the Omega, the First and the Last, the grace of
God shining right now.
Heavenly Father, You are the beginning
and the end, the Light of my life. I trust You
with my days and I praise You for Your glory.
Sabra Ciancanelli [Walking in Grace 2021
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
In the same way, after supper he took the
cup, saying, "This is the new covenant in my
blood, which is poured out for you." Luke 22:20
(NIV)
Getting new things - a new dress, a new
piece of furniture, new car, new cellphone, new
linens - is wonderful! I'm a big thrift shopper and
welcome hand-me-downs, but I really enjoy new stuff.
New things feel fresh, unsullied, exciting -
with all the cache of being the latest and
greatest. New is especially satisfying when I'm
replacing something really old and icky and outdated.
Jesus is all about new. Among other
things, He is the new covenant that does away with
the old covenant and death penalty once and for
all (Hebrews 8:13; 9:15). This is a breathtaking
promise for those who believe. In Christ, we are
also new creations - the old man is gone for good
(2 Corinthians 5:17). Elsewhere in Scripture,
Jesus's totally free, unconditional, and permanent
newness is foretold. We're promised new beginnings,
new hearts, new life, new strength. We're also
told His mercies are new every morning.
This side of heaven, new things cost
money. Sometimes a lot of money. However, all the
newness Jesus offers us every day is completely
free. For us, that is. But it cost our Savior His
lifeblood, which He poured out for us willingly so that
we could enjoy new life at no cost. Isabella
Yosuico
Faith Step: Are you holding onto
something old and icky - some old sin or shame?
Resolve to replace it with the pristine newness you
have in Jesus! Discard an old item and replace it
with something brand new to remind you of the
newness available in Jesus. [Mornings With Jesus
2021 Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
CLOSING PEARL APPLICATION
The Bread of Life
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke
it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my
body given for you; do this in remembrance of
me." Luke 22:19, NIV.
They say that food is the fuel for life's
engine. Life's motor simply won't run if you don't
eat. Like most analogies, the "engine as life"
analogy has a point at which it breaks down. For
instance, I can park my car and turn the motor off for
an extended period of time. I don't need to
refuel it constantly. Much later I can restart the
engine, and we are off and running again. You just
can't park life. Well, that's not quite true. In
the laboratory we can freeze specially treated
cells at -196C (-321F) in liquid nitrogen and
keep them indefinitely without having to feed
them. Much later we can thaw the cells, and the
life processes resume as if nothing had happened.
But under normal conditions, every life-form has
to eat to live.
In the Bible bread represents food, the
energy for fueling life. The Hebrew word pronounced
lekh'-em means "bread" or "food" interchangeably. The
food that we eat our bodies will digest and
process, turning it into the blood sugar glucose and
amino acids and fatty acids that cells recognize
as their food. And at the cellular level, the
products of food digestion need to be constantly
coming in at precisely regulated levels. An
individual can go several hours to several days without
food, but your cells can't. They must have a
second-by-second supply if they are to live. Cut off their
food supply, and cells will die within seconds or
minutes.
The analogy of Jesus as the bread of life
to maintain the spiritual life is incredibly
significant. Just as I must sustain my physical life by
eating or internalizing bread, so I preserve my
spiritual life by partaking of or internalizing God,
Jesus, and the Holy Spirit through daily prayer, by
spending time deeply studying God's Word, and by
being filled with the Holy Spirit. Without that
moment-by-moment spiritual energy stream, we die spiritually.
In the wilderness God sent manna to teach
the importance of daily dependence. It tasted
sweet and obviously had excellent nutrition,
because His people lived on it for 40 years. Every
day it was there, but they had to collect it.
How will you gather your manna for this day?
Lord, thank You for the miracle of the
grain that feeds my body through the daily bread
from Your hand. Feed my soul with a fresh
infilling of Your Holy Spirit. May I live, body and
soul, for You today. [God of Wonders by David
Steen]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC
Revelation 21:5 - I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2020/20201231-1046.html
Isaiah 43:18, 19 - A New Thing.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210306-1000.html
Philippians 4:8 - Thoughts for the New Year.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210101-1046.html
Ecclesiastes 2:25 - JOY IN JESUS!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191231-0911.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
