FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD

March 24, 2006

Today Byron shares a glimpse of his recent missions trip. It was life-changing in many ways.

THINK ABOUT IT

FOR GOD LOVED THE WORLD SO MUCH THAT HE GAVE HIS ONE AND ONLY SON, SO THAT EVERYONE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. GOD SENT HIS SON INTO THE WORLD NOT TO JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT TO SAVE THE WORLD THROUGH HIM. John 3:16-17

TAKE A LOOK

Revelation 5:9 - (NLT)

⁹And they sang a new song with these words:
      "You are worthy to take the scroll
            and break its seals and open it.
      For you were killed, and your blood has ransomed people for God
            from every tribe and language and people and nation.

WHAT IS THE GLIMPSE OF FUTURE HEAVEN IN TODAY'S VERSE?

Tyndale's LIFE APPLICATION STUDY BIBLE notes help us understand:

5:9 People from every nation are praising God before his throne. God's message of salvation and eternal life is not limited to a specific culture, race, or country. Anyone who comes to God in repentance and faith is accepted by him and will be part of his Kingdom. Don't allow prejudice or bias to keep you from sharing Christ with others. Christ welcomes all people into his Kingdom.

One week ago, today's verse was very vivid in my mind. As you know, I had to take a break from writing Daily Devos because my daughter and I were on a missions trip in another part of the world.

For the sake of the protection of those we worked with, I am not able to tell you the name of the country. But I can tell you that we saw God's Spirit do an amazing work in a nation full of poverty, hoplessness, and where radical Islam is gaining momentum.

Courageous followers of Jesus worked hard to bring students together for a leadership conference. The loving life-changing message of Jesus Christ was presented through humble staff, lots of fun, music, and the teaching of God's Word. God gave me the privilege to invite students to follow Jesus. Almost 500 young people received God's gift of salvation through Christ and decided to become a follower of Jesus Christ, no matter what!

During the ensuing worship (which was incredible to say the least!) I cried tears of joy as I pictured a future time in Heaven when I would stand with these new brothers and sisters in Christ and worship Jesus forever. We will all be color blind and speak the same language ... "Heavenese".

If you prayed for us during this missions trip, thank you. God worked through you. If you didn't, that's ok. Thank God for what He is doing around the world and pray about how He wants you to be involved. The best is yet to come!

TALK ABOUT IT

Praise God for His gift of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ! Thank Him for the amazing ways His Spirit is drawing people around the world to Jesus. Praise Him for the promise of living with Him forever in Heaven side by side with every tribe, language, people and nation! (It will be a worship party that is beyond our imagination!) Ask Jesus how He wants you to be involved in helping build His Kingdom around the world.

TRY IT

Memorize today's verse as a reminder of what awaits us in Heaven.
Pray for those 500 new followers of Jesus in a land far away. All of them will be in small discipleship groups. Ask Jesus to help them grow in their faith and give them courage as they follow Him and reach out to others in a very difficult place.
The next time you are in a worship experience, let Jesus remind you of today's glimpse of Heaven. No focus on color, language, background... just glory to God!

ABOUT IT

DAILY DEVOS is brought to you by Youth for Christ. Youth for Christ works with young people on campus and in the community in over one hundred countries around the world so that they might have an opportunity to become a follower of Christ and be a part of a local church.

Byron Emmert Daily Devos is published Monday through Friday. Archives can be found at YFC.ORG. Its purpose is to help you apply truths from God's Word every day.

Our writer, Byron Emmert, has been involved with Youth For Christ for 30 years. He's served as Campus Life Staff, as a writer, and in leadership for the DCLA Conferences. Byron is married to Linda and their family includes two married sons and daughters-in-law, and a daughter in college. He loves sports, deep dish pizza, and spending time with his family.