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17 For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20 No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered accursed. 21 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord— and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox; but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17-25 NRSV)
Have you ever noticed, that in our scriptures, God never quits? Many religions and some individuals believe in a God who created, then stepped back and let creation wind down like a clock; Not so our God! Our God never quits! His messages are always about the present, in the moment, and in the time yet to come. Don't you love how this passage reads, dear Friend? "For I am about to create..." Okay, our Texas Bible might have read, "I'm fixin' to..." but we would have known just what God meant! The Creator is still creating, and in the last days, will create yet again. "New heavens and a new earth." That's good news! The reality is that "the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind." And that does include all the bad and stupid things we may have done; gone and forgotten. God addresses all the past and present tribulations and worries. Weeping is to be gone one day. As will the cries of distress. Even infant mortality will be gone, as will the days when the old people do not live out their lifetimes. And even the 100 year olds who die, will be considered youth. God promises that construction, which is always a sure sign of life, will continue of new homes, new harvests from vineyards; for the days of new construction of homes that the builders would never inhabit are over, as are the days of hard-worked harvests eaten by others, for the days of labor in vain are over. And as the above picture shows, the peaceable kingdom is coming, where wolf and lamb shall feed together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and the serpent shall continue but eating dust, never again to harm or destroy anyone. These are all words of promise from the Lord.
The signs should say that the earth is still under construction as are we; but the newness of all things, including ourselves, will depend on our faith and our trust in God. Years ago the bumper stickers said "Please be patient with me, God isn't finished with me yet!" Indeed.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for being a God who never quits! Thank You for never giving up on us either! I pray that we might be worthy of the new creation by allowing Your work in us to continue. We await the new creation in us. We pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Live like a new creation; share a word of God's continuing work in others today!
Blessings of love,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
