It’s All Good

Revelation 22:1-5

 

“It’s all good”, is a popular response nowadays that means, nothing is bad. But the irony is that some things are bad, painful, irreversible and even life-changing. Is it all good after having a still born baby or when a family member dies unexpectedly? Is it all good when you get fired from your job of 30 years? Is it all good when a relationship is irreconcilable? Is it all good when life feels like there’s no hope?

 

At the time when John wrote the book of Revelation, the believers in Asia Minor were on the verge of suffering sever persecution for being a follower of Jesus. The Roman authorities were beginning to enforce emperor worship which would be unacceptable for a Christian.  What could this persecution mean for an individual?

 

“Nero was quite insane, and is reported to have tortured Christians with great cruelties for his own enjoyment. According to the Roman historian Tacitus:

Besides being put to death they [the Christians] were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clad in the hides of beast and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed.”

 

“It’s all good”, would seem like a hollow response at best.

 

In the Book of Revelation, John gave the persecuted church a future with eternal hope through these words:

 

“And he pointed out to me a river of pure Water of Life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, ² coursing down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew Trees of Life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, with a fresh crop each month; the leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. ³ There shall be nothing in the city that is evil; for the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.”          TLB

 

For the first century believers, as well as for us, these words bring great hope. It’s not that “it’s all good”, but we can have faith in a loving sovereign God that He has a future for us without pain and suffering. In other words, evil and pain do not have the last word… God does.

 

 

 

Now THAT IS all good.

 

 

Prepare Yourself

Romans 13:8-14

 

 

Prep work is always the most important part of a job. Take painting for instance.

 

For an indoor job, first you have to remove everything hanging on the wall including all the outlet and light switch covers. Then you repair any drywall damage and fill holes. It’s always a good idea to sand down the wall too. Next, you may need to put a coat of primer on depending on the existing wall color and the new color.

 

Before you start to roll the final coat, you must cut in around all the trim. And before

cutting in, most people will apply blue tape to protect the trim. Finally, you get to roll the beautiful paint that you have selected. Then, when it’s all done, your spouse comes along, looks at it and points to a spot that you missed… Good preparation is essential.

 

Paul understood the importance of preparation. He wrote, ^11 “Another reason for right living is this: you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for the coming of the Lord is nearer now than when we first believed.”           TLB

 

In other words, we need to be ready; to be prepared for when the Lord returns. We can’t be lazy. We always have to be on high alert, as if a terrorist attack was eminent. We always have to be motivated to do our best. However, doing that “day in and day out” is difficult.

 

I went to a motivational workshop once where one of the speakers said that he took the attitude every day that

today was the last day before he went on vacation. You know how it is before going on vacation. You’re trying to get everything done that you would normally do during vacation, only get it done before vacation.

 

Peter also understood the importance of preparation. ^13 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear

head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah, is revealed.”  ISV

 

This verse begs the question: Why do you prepare your mind for action? James gives us the answer. ^14 “Temptation is the pull of man’s own evil thoughts and wishes. ¹⁵ These evil thoughts lead to evil actions and afterwards to the death penalty from God.”           TLB

 

From these verses, and our own experience, we know that sin begins with a fleeting

thought or desire. Therefore, preparing our mind and heart for action is critical in our relationship with Christ.

 

If we know why we should “prepare our mind for action”, then how do we do it? For me it includes daily time in the Scriptures and meditation on God’s word, talking to and listening for God to speak, participation in worship, in singing, in fellowship and in accountability with other believers.

 

 

Prepare yourself. How do you do it?