Eagerly Await New Jerusalem with Endurance
Jesus Christ is in us as our hope and He will be our glory in the future. Ultimately this will be the glory of New Jerusalem where we will be immersed in the glory of God.
Today we see only glimpses of glory in shining faces of believers as we gather together. We do not yet see the much greater glory of our Lord’s visible return, His reign on earth, and New Jerusalem.
Thus, our situation is “if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly await it through endurance” (Rom. 8:25). Several verses later in Romans show how we have endurance.
“Rejoice in hope; endure in tribulation; persevere in prayer” (12:12). We rejoice in the Lord and we persevere in prayer. These are coupled to endurance. Rejoicing is first! Always rejoice!
“The things that were written previously were written for our instruction, in order that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (15:4). We also need the instruction and encouragement of the Bible. Daily Bible reading, coupled with rejoicing and prayer, builds endurance.
Romans 15:5 says God is “the God of endurance and encouragement.” By rejoicing, prayer, and the Bible, we contact such a God who becomes our endurance. This is for every day now while we hope and wait for New Jerusalem.
Posted by Don on September 27, 2021
