All Saints Day // Revelation 14:12-13
Today is All Saints Day, the time in the Christian year when we remember those who finished their Jesus journey and are with God in heaven. This is a day to remember those we miss with a hopeful eye to the time we will be reunited in eternity.
The Bible frequently refers to Christians as saints. It does not necessarily denote persons who are already perfect in holiness, but rather those who by their faith and baptism may be assumed to be separate from the world and consecrated their life to God. The life and work of a saint ranges from the basic, seemingly mundane work done every day to the eternal and major works done for the Lord. Honestly, everything is majorly sacred since God asks us to do all things in the name of Jesus as an act of worship. The Bible gives some meaningful insight into the life of a saint in there here-and-now, as well as eternity in heaven…
“Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus.
I heard a voice out of Heaven, ‘Write this:
Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!’
‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘and blessed rest from their hard, hard work.
None of what they’ve done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end.’”
(Revelation 14:12-13, MSG)
I hope those words give you some inspiration as you think of loved ones missed and keep your eye to an eternity with God. Let’s break it down, shall we?
- Stand up for God > don’t shy away from the ways and times you can testify to what and how you’ve seen God at work.
- Remain passionately patient > this is not passive patience but actively serving with love and purpose. We must remember that the word for suffering we get in Latin also denotes passion; therefore, may we keep our hearts stoked for the Lord even when we suffer.
- Find blessings > both in the way you live and in the way you die, but recognizing death is just a transition from this life to the next.
- Experience rest > God rested after creation and invites us into a life of rest. These are times to renew our physical strength, emotional endurance, and to gain much-needed spiritual perspective.
- Remember, nothing you do for God is wasted > this can be hard to comprehend at times since we do so much seed planting without experiencing the harvest. God is keeping track of all of it and will bless you accordingly.
I have no doubt that heaven will be filled with surprises. After all, the Bible tells us that, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9, NLT). You can begin living into that promise in simple and significant ways right now. Stand up for God; remain passionately patient, even in suffering; find blessings in all things you do; work and rest in God; and know that God won’t waste a single thing you do when you do it in God’s holy name.
