March 17, 2018 - - Psalm 87:1-3 Most amazing destination EVER
/On the holy mount stands the city he founded;
the LORD loves the gates of Zion
more than all the dwelling places of Jacob
Glorious things of you are spoken,
O city of God. Selah.
Psalm 87:1-3 ESV
One of the interesting facets of Facebook is that you see all these vacation pics of your friends. Before the trip the traveller to be speaks in glowing terms of the great place and all the adventures in store: sun, sand and surf; or perhaps food, fun and friends. People will tighten their belts in order to afford this trip of a lifetime. They are willing to forego any extras before the trip so that there will more spending money on the trip. Others watch their diet so that they'll fit into their bathing suits...or at least not be embarrassed to be photographed wearing one.
The point is this: the writer of this psalm is looking forward to the ultimate destination: the City of God, the New Jerusalem. A place where the nations will meet without hostility or war, because Jesus Christ is their peace. Zion is so wonderful that the people of God would rather forego anything here on earth than lose their opportunity to enter the gates of this beautiful city.
The light of that city is God Himself. There will be neither church nor temple there because the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, One God, merciful and good, is there and He will rule the city of glory. Our strength for obedient living now is drawn from the fact that Jesus Christ has opened the way to the New Jerusalem. The Spirit of God inspires our imagination and captivates our thoughts with the goal of spending eternity in the light of His splendour.
Selah--it means: pause, re-read, and reflect.
Better, O God my Father, is one hour in prayer with You, than a winter week of vacation in a sunny locale. Better is a life-time of foregoing futile pleasures and living in obedience to Jesus Christ in exchange for the promised reward of glory, splendour and the magnificence of the New Jerusalem, where You are near to Your people for all eternity. Spirit of God, continue to capture my heart and my imagination so that I will live for Jesus now having the wondrous expectation of seeing Him face to face in Zion. Amen.
