Junkyards intrigue me. I enjoy working on cars, so I frequently make trips to the one near our home. Its a lonely place, where the wind whispers through discarded hulks that were once someones prized possession. Some were wrecked, some wore out, and others simply outlived their usefulness. As I walk between the rows, a car will sometimes catch my eye, and Ill find myself wondering about the adventures it had during its lifetime. Like a portal to the past, each has a story to tellof human hankering after the latest model and the inescapable passage of time.
But I take particular pleasure in finding new life for an old part. Whenever I can take something discarded and give it new life in a restored vehicle, it feels like a small victory against time and decline.
It sometimes makes me think of Jesuss words at the end of the Bible: I am making everything new! (Revelation 21:5). These words refer to Gods renewal of creation, which includes believers. Already, all whove received Jesus are a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17).
And one day we will enter into His promise of unending days with Him (John 14:3). Age and disease will no longer take their toll, and we will continue the adventure of an eternal lifetime. What stories each of us will have to tellstories of our Saviors redeeming love and undying faithfulness.
INSIGHT
Todays passage gives us a glimpse of heaven, describing it as a physical place (vv. 12). Jesus said He was going to prepare a place for us (John 14:23), and this promise is fulfilled in the New Jerusalem, the holy city (Revelation 21:2). While its a great comfort that heaven is a perfect place (v. 4), the most important thing is that its the dwelling place of God (v. 3). In this final vision of the beginning of eternity (21:122:9), John hears Christ declaring, It is done (21:6). The New Living Translation renders it, It is finished! echoing Christs victorious cry from the cross (John 19:30). Sins curse will one day be completely removed and reversed (Revelation 21:45; see Genesis 3:1619).