Eternal Splendor.

When you look around at the people and the things happening in our world it's very easy to get discouraged. There are people trying to do good, but it seems as if the evil is so much more prevalent and overwhelming. It also seems that, no matter how much we 'help,' there is always SO MUCH more to do.

In Revelation 19:11-21, the writer talks about a "...white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True." (v. 11). He goes on to say "The ARMIES OF HEAVEN were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean." (v. 14). The passage goes on to describe how this Rider destroys the "beasts" and "false prophets."

The first time I read this passage, it kinda lifted a weight off my shoulders. I think the first thing we need to realize is that THIS IS NOT OUR BATTLE. I think it's our job to do our part to provide love rather than hate but, ultimately, we are God's instruments here on earth. He is the supreme orchestrator.

Another passage that I stumbled upon, while getting frustrated about trying to change the world, haha, is Revelation 22:1-6. It paints the most beautiful picture of Heaven. "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city" (v. 1). The WATER OF LIFE. Ahhhh....refreshing, isn't it? I like to think of this beautiful, radiant-blue river, flowing through the center of all the destruction and pain in our world. It might only be a tiny stream right now but, eventually, it will flood and wash over everything. When this happens, "There will be no more night" (v. 5).

That just pumps me up! Instead of getting frustrated, I read this and realized that THIS IS NOT IT. There is more to come. As William P. Young writes in The Shack, "This life is only the anteroom of a greater reality to come. No one reaches their potential in your world. It's only preparation for what God had in mind along the way."