December 13:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Greater Than Sorrow and Shame.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.--Hebrews 12:2, NKJV

IT WAS FOR THE JOY that was set before Him--that He might bring sons unto glory--that He endured the cross and despised the shame.  And inconceivably great as was the sorrow and the shame, yet greater is the joy and the glory.  He looks upon the redeemed, renewed in His own image, every face reflecting the likeness of their King.  He beholds in them the result of the travail of His soul, and He is satisfied.  Then, in a voice that reaches the assembled multitudes of the righteous and the wicked, He declares: "Behold the purchase of My blood!  For these I suffered, for these I died, that they might dwell in My presence throughout eternal ages."  And the song of praise ascends from the white-robed ones about the throne: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing."  Revelation 5:12.--The Great Controversy, 671.

                                          "Blessing and honor and glory and power
                                                Be to Him who sits on the throne,
                                              And to the Lamb, forever and ever!"
                              
                                                     --Revelation 5:13, NKJV

December 12:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Faultless Before the Father's Throne.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.  Amen.--Jude 24, 25. NKJV

AMID THE REELING OF THE EARTH, the flash of lightning, and the roar of thunder, the voice of the Son of God calls forth the sleeping saints.  He looks upon the graves of the righteous, then, raising His hands to heaven, He cries: "Awake, awake, awake, ye that sleep in the dust, and arise!"  Throughout the length and breadth of the earth the dead shall hear that voice, and they that hear shall live.  And the whole earth shall ring with the tread of the exceeding great army of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.  From the prison house of death they come, clothed with immortal glory, crying: "O death, where is thy sting?  O grave, where is thy victory?"  1 Corinthians 15:55.  And the living righteous and the risen saints unite their voices in a long, glad shout of victory.--The Great Controversy, 644.

There will be a relinking of the family chain.  When we look upon our dead, we may think of the morning when the trump of God shall sound, when "the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  1 Corinthians 15:52.  A little longer, and we shall see the King in His beauty.  A little longer, and He will wipe all tears from our eyes.  A little longer, and He will present us "faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy."  Jude 1:24.--The Desire of Ages, 632.

   It will happen in a moment, in the blink of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown....And we
                                            who are living will also be transformed.
                              
                                                           --1 Corinthians 15:52, NLT

December 11:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Shame to the Wicked.
Therefore thus says the Lord God: "Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall be hungry; behold, My servants shall drink, but you shall be thirsty; behold, My servants shall rejoice, but you shall be ashamed."--Isaiah 65:13, NKJV

WHILE TO THE WICKED the advent of the Lord brings woe and desolation, to the righteous it is fraught with joy and hope.--The Great Controversy, 339.

It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the deliverance of His people.  The sun appears, shining in its strength.  Signs and wonders follow in quick succession.  The wicked look with terror and amazement upon the scene, while the righteous behold with solemn joy the tokens of their deliverance....

Soon there appears in the east a small black cloud, about half the size of a man's hand....The people of God know this to be the sign of the Son of man.  In solemn silence they gaze upon it as it draws nearer the earth, becoming lighter and more glorious, until it is a great white cloud, its base a glory like consuming fire, and above it the rainbow of the covenant.  Jesus rides forth as a mighty conqueror....No human pen can portray the scene; no mortal mind is adequate to conceive its splendor.--The Great Controversy, 636, 640.

Those who really love the Saviour cannot but hail with gladness the announcement founded upon the word of God that He is whom their hopes of eternal life are centered is coming again, not to be insulted, despised, and rejected, as at His first advent, but in power and glory, to redeem His people.  It is those who do not love the Saviour that desire Him to remain away.--The Great Controversy, 339.

                                               "Therefore you also be ready,
                                for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."
                              
                                                                    ---Matthew 24:44, NKJV

December 10:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Knowing We Have Not Worked in Vain.
It is by your holding fast to the world of life that I can boast on the day of Christ that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.--Philippians 2:16, NRSV

ALL WHO HAVE BORNE WITH JESUS the cross of sacrifice will be sharers with Him of His glory.  It was the joy of Christ in His humiliation and pain that His disciples should be glorified with Him.  They are the fruit of His self-sacrifice.  The outworking in them of His own character and spirit is His reward, and will be His joy throughout eternity.  This joy they share with Him as the fruit of their labor and sacrifice is seen in other hearts and lives.  They are workers together with Christ, and the Father will honor them as He honors His Son.--The Desire of Ages, 624.

The redeemed will meet and recognize those whose attention they have directed to the uplifted Saviour.  What blessed converse they will have with these souls!...

What rejoicing there will be as those redeemed ones meet and greet those who have had a burden in their behalf?  And those who have lived, not to please themselves, but to be a blessing to the unfortunate who have so few blessings--how their hearts will thrill with satisfaction!  They will realize the promise: "Thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just."--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, 311, 312.

                                            They shall be called, "The Holy People,
                                                    The Redeemed of the Lord";
                                              and you shall be called, "Sought Out,
                                                         A City Not Forsaken."
                                                                                          --Isaiah 62:12, NRSV

December 9:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Mission Accomplished.
"But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God."--Acts 20:24, NKJV

HAS GOD CALLED YOU to be a representative of Christ upon earth, in His stead beseeching sinners to be reconciled to God?  This is a solemn, exalted work....You are not released from responsibilities when out of meeting, but should still maintain your consecration to the work of saving souls.  You are to be a living epistle, known and read of all men.  Ease is not to be consulted.  Pleasure is not to be thought of.  The salvation of souls is the all-important theme.  It is this work that the minister of the gospel of Christ is called.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 705.

As their reward, the faithful undershepherds will hear from the Chief Shepherd: "Well done, good and faithful servants."  He will then place the crown of glory upon their heads and bid them enter into the joy of their Lord.  What is that joy?  It is beholding with Christ the redeemed saints, reviewing with Him their travail of souls, them self-denial and self-sacrifice, their giving up of ease, of worldly gain, and every earthly inducement, and choosing the reproach, the suffering, the self-abasement, the wearing labor, and the anguish of spirit as men would oppose the counsel of God against their own souls; it is calling to remembrance the chastening of their souls before God, their weeping between the porch and and the altar, and their becoming a spectacle unto the world, to angels, and to men.  All this is then ended, and the fruits of their labors are seen; souls are saved through their efforts in Christ.  The ministers who have been co-workers with Christ enter into the joy of their Lord and are satisfied.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 2, 709

December 8:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Sharing With Christ the Joy in Redeemed Souls.
"His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.  Enter into the joy of your lord.' "--Matthew 25:21, NKJV

WITH UNUTTERABLE LOVE, Jesus welcomes His faithful ones to the joy of their Lord.  The Saviours's joy is in seeing, in the kingdom of glory, the souls that have been saved by His agony and humiliation.  And the redeemed will be sharers in His joy, as they behold, among the blessed, those who have been won to Christ through their prayers, their labors, and their loving sacrifice.  As they gather about the great white throne, gladness unspeakable will fill their hearts, when they behold those whom they have won for Christ, and see that one has gained others, all brought into the haven of rest, there to lay their crowns at Jesus' feet and praise Him through the endless cycles of eternity.--The Great Controversy, 647.

The days of pain and weeping are forever ended.  The King of glory has wiped the tears from all faces; every cause of grief has been removed.  Amid the waving of palm branches they pour forth a song of praise, clear, sweet, and harmonious; every voice takes up the strain, until the anthem swells through the vaults of heaven: "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."  And all the inhabitants of heaven respond in the ascription: "Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honor, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever."  Revelation 7:10, 12.--Ibid., p. 650.

                                          Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
                                               And into His courts with praise.
                                          Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
                              
                                                      --Psalm 100:4, NKJV

December 7:  An Eternity of Bliss.

The Crown for the Fruition of Our Work.
After all, what gives us hope and joy, and what will be our proud reward and crown as we stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns?  It is you!  Yes, you are our pride and joy.--1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20, NLT

THERE IS A FUTURE JOY to which Paul looked forward as the recompense of his labors--the same joy for the sake of which Christ endured the cross and despised the shame--the joy of seeing the fruition of his work.  "What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing?" he wrote to the Thessalonian converts.  "Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?  For ye are our glory and joy."  1 Thessalonians 2:19, 20.

Who can measure the results to the world of Paul's lifework?  Of all those beneficent influences that alleviate suffering, that comfort sorrow, that restrain evil, that uplift life from the selfish and the sensual, and glorify it with the hope of immorality, how much is due to the labors of Paul and his follow workers, as with the gospel of the Son of God they made their unnoticed journey from Asia to the shores of Europe?

What is it worth to any life to have been God's instrument in setting in motion such influences of blessing?  What will it be worth in eternity to witness the results of such a lifework?--Education, 70.

              I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.
                    And now the prize awaits me--the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
                                 the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return.
               And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
                                                                                                       --2 Timothy 4:7, 8, NLT

December 6:  An Eternity of Bliss

Choosing the Heavenly Over the Earthly.
For you had compassion on me in my chains, and joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.--Hebrews 10:34, NKJV

THEN LET YOUR PROPERTY go beforehand to heaven.  Lay up your treasures beside the throne of God.  Make sure your title to the unsearchable riches of Christ.--Christ's Object Lessons, 375.

Christ calls upon every one to consider.  Make an honest reckoning.  Put into one scale Jesus, which means eternal treasure, life, heaven, and the joy of Christ in souls redeemed; put into the other every attraction the world can offer.  Into one scale put the loss of your own soul, and the souls of those whom you might have been instrumental in saving; into the other, for yourself and for them, a life that measures with the life of God.  Weigh for time and for eternity.  While you are thus engaged, Christ speaks: "What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"  Mark 8:36.

God desires us to choose the heavenly in place of the earthly.  He opens before us the possibilities of a heavenly investment.  He would give encouragement to our loftiest aims, security to our choicest treasure.  He declares, "I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir."  Isaiah 13:12.  When the riches that moth devours and rust corrupts shall be swept away, Christ's followers can rejoice in their heavenly treasure, the riches that are imperishable.--Christ's Object Lessons, 374.

                                  "But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
                                          where neither moth nor rust destroys
                                    and where thieves do not break in and steal."
                              
                                                         --Matthew 6:20, NKJV

December 5:  An Eternity of Bliss.

Hope That Gladdens the Heart.
"When that happens, be happy!  Yes, leap for joy!  For a great reward awaits you in heaven.  And remember, their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way."--Luke 6:23, NLT

WE ARE STILL AMIDST the shadows and turmoil of earthly activities.  Let us consider most earnestly the blessed hereafter.  Let our faith pierce through every cloud of darkness and behold Him who died for the sins of the world.  He has opened the gates of paradise to all who receive and believe on Him.  To them He gives power to become the sons and daughters of God.  Let the afflictions which pain us so grievously become instructive lessons, teaching us to press forward toward the mark of the prize of our high calling in Christ.  Let us be encouraged by the thought that the Lord is soon to come.  Let this hope gladden our hearts.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9, 286.

Let your imagination take hold upon things unseen.  Let your thoughts be carried away to the evidences of the great love of God for you.  In contemplating the object of which you are in pursuit, you will lose the sense of pain brought by the light afflictions that are but for a moment.--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, 125.

The Christian is not left to walk in uncertain paths; he is not left to vain regrets and disappointments.  If we do not have the pleasure of this life we may still be joyful in looking to the life beyond.--Steps to Christ, 124.

                                                     The Lord is my shepherd;
                                                            I shall not want.
                                         He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
                                              He leads me beside the still waters.
                                                          He restores my soul;
                                             He leads me in the paths of righteousness
                                                            For His name's sake.
                               Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
                                                              I will fear no evil;
                                                           For You are with me;
                                             Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
                                                                                 --Psalm 23:1-4. NKJV

December 4:  An Eternity of Bliss.

The Reward for Fulfilling the Mission.
"He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together."--John 4:36, NKJV

GOD DESIGNS that all shall be workers.  The toiling beast of burden answers the purpose of its creation better than does the indolent man.  God is a constant worker.  The angels are workers; they are ministers of God to the children of men.  Those who look forward to a heaven of inactivity will be disappointed; for the economy of heaven provides no place for the gratification of indolence.  But to the weary and heavy-laden rest is promised.  It is the faithful servant who will be welcomed from his labors to the joy of his Lord.  He will lay off his armor with rejoicing, and will forget the noise of battle in the glorious rest prepared for those who conquer through the cross of Christ.--Messages to Young People, 216.

The weight of the wrath of God will fall upon those who have misspent their time and served mammon instead of their Creator.  If you live for God and heaven, pointing out the way of life to others, you will go onward and upward to higher and holier joys.  You will be rewarded with the "Well done, thou good and faithful servant:...enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."--Testimonies for the Church, vol. 4, 54.

                            I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
                       So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters,
           but God who gives the increase.  Now he who plants and he who waters are one,
                 and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
              For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building.
                                                                                            --1 Corinthians 3:6-9, NKJV