Lesson 13: Be Courageous (3)
Read 2 Peter 1:1-15 - https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2pe.1

Another thing to look at is “What does it mean there will be no more tears there?” Obviously it means there will be no sorrow or pain. But there is another aspect to no tears. How many of us have cried at weddings or at celebrations because we are so happy? No more tears. How many of us have cried because something is so beautiful it just brings tears to our eyes? No more tears. How many of us have cried in frustration because we just have not had enough hours in the day to get everything done? No more tears. Our tears are not always because of sorrow or pain; sometimes they are from regret or joy beyond our ability to handle. Our ability to enjoy will be so great we will be able to enjoy God in all His glory without tears. Can you imagine walking through the city we have just described and being able to enjoy it to its fullest without ever catching our breath with tears? Can you imagine bowing before God’s throne and not crying? Can you imagine looking into the face of God and not even squinting for the bright light? Can you imagine being able to do a task God asks you to do and doing it so perfectly there is not a single twinge of regret in your heart? Can you imagine meeting someone you have never known here and recognizing them for who they are, and knowing they know all about you and you feel not a microbe of shame for anything? No more tears.

We have much more courage when we know things will turn out well in the end.


Right now there may be tears in your eyes, tears of longing for this place and being with God. But right now there is still an assignment here for you to accomplish to the best of your ability to trust Him. And to the extent we trust Him to work His will in and through us, He will reward us there. He has promised there will be crowns waiting for those who have been faithful here (1 Thessalonians 2:19; 1 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10). We will have the pleasure of casting these crowns at His feet. But to earn them (except for the crown of life) we must do His will here and now. We must live each moment asking only what He wants of us, trusting Him, joying in Him, and seeing the people around us through His eyes.

We cannot know everything about heaven right now. God knows we could not bear its beauty and perfection in these present imperfect bodies. What we can know, however, is a shadow of what is to come, and with the recognition of the shadow comes the liberating and wonderful hope that sets us free here from worry about our future. Even though we should fall off the cliff of financial disaster or our most-feared dread stares back at us as reality, we have read the back of the book and we know how it all turns out.

*Start your own list of promises you find in the Bible –you can use the blank pages at the back in your Bible to write down the reference (always important, so you can find it again), and a few words to remind you what the promise says; or you can create such a list electronically in your reading device.