Celebrating God for all eternity
Daily Scripture
Revelation 19:4-8, 22:1-5, 16-17
Revelation 19
4 The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshipped God, who is seated on the throne, and they said, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
5 Then a voice went out from the throne and said,
“Praise our God, all you his servants,
and you who fear him, both small and great.”
6 And I heard something that sounded like a huge crowd, like rushing water and powerful thunder. They said,
“Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty,
exercised his royal power!
7 Let us rejoice and celebrate, and give him the glory,
for the wedding day of the Lamb has come,
and his bride has made herself ready.
8 She was given fine, pure white linen to wear,
for the fine linen is the saints’ acts of justice.”
Revelation 22
1 Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb 2 through the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve crops of fruit, bearing its fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more. They won’t need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will rule forever and always.
16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to bear witness to all of you about these things for the churches. I’m the root and descendant of David, the bright morning star. 17 The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who is thirsty come! Let the one who wishes receive life-giving water as a gift.”
Daily Reflection & Prayer
As Resurrection celebrates 35 years, we also look to the future (even beyond the next 35 years). We join the writer of Revelation in the bold confidence with which he pictured all of history building toward a huge celebration. In the end, he envisioned “a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder,” singing at the top of their lungs, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.” Unlike some philosophies, Christians do not see history as an unending cycle, but rather as a story moving to a grand and glorious conclusion. Revelation ended with a glowing, symbol-laden picture of the eternal glory God promises. A central symbol was God’s restored gift of “the tree of life” (cf. Genesis 2:9, 3:22-23), signifying God making right all that has gone wrong. And Jesus invited all of us who long for a better world to be there! “Let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.”
- “The name of the tree [of life] tells us its essential meaning: it is an image of eternal or unending life…. if the tree of life is an image of loss and nostalgia to which we look back, it is also an image of hope to which the Bible looks forward. It reappears at the end of the Bible in the visions of Revelation.… It is an image of immortality and eternal life in heaven, a reward for those who have their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 22:14).” * When you read Jesus’ invitation, “Let the one who is thirsty come,” what does that stir in you? How does this vision of God’s future shape how you invest your time and energy in Resurrection’s mission today, joining in God’s purpose of calling together the “great multitude” John saw praising God?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, this world makes me thirst for your life-giving water, and hunger for the healing fruit from the Tree of Life. Thank you for rising from the dead, promising me that forever I will not have to hunger and thirst. Amen.
GPS Insights
Dr. Ronald Kaluya
During 2025 we are introducing you to writers from our global Missions partners every few weeks. They add perspective to our understanding of Resurrection's reach around the world.
Dr. Ronald Kaluya, Founder and Executive Director of Uganda Counseling and Support Services (UCSS--a nonprofit ministry with a mission to improve the quality of life and spread God’s love to people in Uganda by providing social services, counseling, and spiritual development) wrote today's Insights. He holds degrees in Business, Counseling, and a Doctorate from Saint Paul School of Theology.
Since 2015, UCSS has helped establish 21 churches and 45 Bible study groups, created structures to send over 1600 children to school, established the Nana Medical Clinic, which reaches 1300 people monthly, trained 25 Mental Health Facilitators, drilled 112 boreholes, and set up 14 model farms and 86 economic groups in several communities.
Outside of his professional life, Dr. Kaluya cherishes spending time with his wife and 2 daughters, engaging in disciple-making, and sharing the love of God.
How generous is our God to give us a glimpse of heaven! Revelation 19:4–8 paints a breathtaking picture of His reign—the King of Kings and Lord of Lords enthroned in majesty, surrounded by the sounds of worship. Heaven’s cry of “Hallelujah! The Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!” reminds me that even here on earth, amid uncertainty, I can join that same song of praise, knowing that God is firmly seated on His throne.
From that throne flows a river of life, as Revelation 22:1–2 reveals—a river that brings healing, restoration, and renewal. This river is not reserved for heaven alone; it reaches into our broken cities, wounded families, and weary hearts. It carries forgiveness and breathes new life where sin once reigned. Through His grace, God turns sinners into His bride, marking us as His own and inviting us into a posture of worship and intimacy with Christ, the Root of David, the Bright Morning Star.
For over fifteen years in ministry, I have witnessed that same river flow through broken communities—transforming lives, healing families, and renewing hope. It is the generosity of God’s people, who worship Him with their time, resources, and love, that becomes the channel for this living water to reach others. May we, too, remain vessels of His life and love, letting His river flow through us to the rest of the world.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You for the assurance of a river that flows from Your throne. Let it cleanse, heal, and renew us each day. Use our lives as vessels of worship, and channels for your love to bring restoration to others. May your presence flow through us into every place that you have planted us to serve. Amen!
© 2025 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, Tremper Longman III, general editors, Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998, p. 889-890.
