Face the Future with Joy

Read 1 Corinthians 15:35-58. Soon, 2023 will be upon us. Another New Year. How do you feel about the future? Can you face it with joy? Or are you filled with dread?

Part of the problem, of course, is that we don’t know what the future holds. Even those of us who have accepted Christ as our Saviour, and who know we are on the way to heaven, have no idea what that looks like. It’s a mystery!

However, we do know what it won’t look like, and that helps us face the future with joy. We do know that in heaven, there will be no more sickness. Our bodies might be broken. We may suffer weaknesses. But when Jesus returns, our bodies will be raised in glory and strength.

If you are suffering now, then you can face the future with joy, because God promises that when his Son, Jesus, returns, there will be no more suffering. One day, our suffering will be transformed.

And in heaven, God promises there will be no death:

1 Corinthians 15:54–55 NLT

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

The reason we can face the future with joy is that one day we will be in God’s presence forever, free of sickness, suffering and death. Now that’s worth celebrating!

THINK IT OVER

Think about the following:

•          Is it enough to help you face the future with joy to know that God will one day take away all suffering, sickness, and death?