Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
We return to “the Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1) and to the fact that he blesses us. Revelation 14:13b provides another blessing from our Savior God: “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: ‘Yea,’ saith the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.’” This beatitude is perhaps the most unusual in all of Scripture, for death and blessing do not seem to belong together. However, we all agree that “rest” is a good thing; eternal “rest” – not idleness but freedom from fatigue – is even better. We also all agree that reward in heaven is a remarkable blessing, for we will be rewarded for our “works” – for the “works” that we simply should be doing because they are the right things to do. Furthermore, our “works” outlive us here on earth, blessing others and setting an example to follow. Moreover, we have the knowledge that there is a greater and grander purpose beyond this moment and beyond even the moment of death. We are blessed, then, with purposefulness. We matter to Jesus, and what we do matters, now and forever.