DRAWING NEAR
February 14
The Joy of Glorification
God will perfect His work in you "until the day of Christ Jesus"
(Phil. 1:6).
Someday God will glorify and reward every believer.
For Christians there's an element of truth to the bumper sticker that
reads, "Please be patient, God isn't finished with me yet." We aren't
what we used to be, but there's much to be done to make us all He
wants us to be. Yet God's work within us is so sure and so powerful,
Scripture guarantees its completion.
Pondering that guarantee led Bible expositor F.B. Meyer to write, "We
go into the artist's studio and find there unfinished pictures
covering large canvas, and suggesting great designs, but which have
been left, either because the genius was not competent to complete
the work, or because paralysis laid the hand low in death; but as we
go into God's great workshop we find nothing that bears the mark of
haste or insufficiency of power to finish, and we are sure that the
work which His grace has begun, the arm of His strength will
complete" (The Epistle to the Philippians [Grand Rapids: Baker,
1952], p. 28).
The completion of God's work in you will come at a future point in
time that Paul calls "the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6). Scripture
also speaks of "the day of the Lord," which is the time of God's
judgment on unbelievers, but "the day of Christ Jesus" refers to when
believers will be fully glorified then rewarded for their faithful
service (cf. 1 Cor. 3:10-15). All your earthly cares will be gone and
God's promise to keep you from stumbling and make you stand in His
presence blameless with great joy will be fully realized (Jude 24).
Concentrating on what is wrong in your life might depress you, but
focusing on the glorious day of Christ should excite you. Don't be
unduly concerned about what you are right now. Look ahead to what you
will become by God's grace.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Reflect on the joy that is yours because you belong to an
all-powerful God who is working mightily in you. Express your joy and
praise to Him. Read 1 Chronicles 29:11-13 as a prayer of praise to
God.
For Further Study:
Read Revelation 7:9-17 and 22:1-5. What glimpses do those passages
give you of the activities of glorified believers in heaven?
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NKJV)
10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise
master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it.
But let each one take heed how he builds on it.
11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid,
which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it,
because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each
one's work, of what sort it is.
14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will
receive a reward.
15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself
will be saved, yet so as through fire.
Jude 24-25
24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present
you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,
25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty,
Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.
1 Chronicles 29:11-13
11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The
victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is
Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over
all.
12 Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In
Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to
give strength to all.
13 "Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious
name.
Revelation 7:9-17
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which
no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues,
standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, with palm branches in their hands,
10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to
our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"
11 All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the
four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and
worshiped God,
12 saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and
honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen."
13 Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, "Who are these
arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from?"
14 And I said to him, "Sir, you know." So he said to me, "These are
the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their
robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 "Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day
and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell
among them.
16 "They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun
shall not strike them, nor any heat;
17 "for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd
them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe
away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 22:1-5
1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal,
proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was
the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its
fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the
nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.
4 They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.
5 There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the
sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever
and ever.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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