After reading today’s passages, use the guiding content below to help you reflect, respond, and engage with one another.
Because we know how the story turns out, we follow the biblical mandate to live in light of what’s to come. Today’s introductory reading and the following days help us understand how to live with the end in mind, recognizing our place in God’s work of making all things new.
As we begin this new reading plan, take some time to reflect on some of the areas of life that make you long for eternity. How does the hope of eternity shape your everyday life?
To know god’s love for us and our future helps me to live a life of purpose while on earth
I know that living eternally with God will be so beautiful and peaceful something out of this world my love for God is sooo big I want to be with him in his kingdom
We have an eternal hope in Jesus. And what a beautiful promise that is!
To know what I’m living for helps me to put into perspective what my every day should look like.
The hope of eternity fills my heart with joy knowing that a pure way of living will one day bring me eternal peace and I will be reunited with my loved ones. It motivates me to walk with Christ rather than choose the worldly way.
I love this- how happy will our loved ones be to see we were obedient. Why am I crying right now??! lol probably because I know my grandfather, who told stories of the Lord with tears in his eyes, will be so joyous to see me and greet me at the gates of heaven and I him!!
My heart!! Ugh. I know my grandmothers will be waiting with a smile on their face proud of me for following their lead.
To long for eternity feels as if not living in the present. Instead I choose to live life creating earth on heaven, serving others with love and compassion , and so rather than having an expectation of what is to come for me during eternity with the Lord, I focus on how I can serve the Lord in the present living sharing His love now. Yes I long for the piece that comes with eternity however I also live for and love the purpose he has given me in this life.
Sometimes it fills my heart with joy to know I will see loved ones again when I join them in my heavenly home!
This reminds me of the song Heaven on Earth; one of the lines is “oh how I long for heaven on a place called earth” and that is so true I long for eternity with Jesus that I wish we could have that here but this place is temporary and we’re just passing through. I long for the peace and awe and wonder that heaven is. That motivates me to want to share that with others so they can one day experience that for eternity as well.