The Good that is coming
On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. — Revelation 22:2b
I wonder how many of us choose the bad news second when someone says, “I have good news and bad news,” Letting the good news go first doesn’t work for most of us because we want the best news last. Even if the bad news outweighs the good news, the good news can at least take some of the sting away from the bad news.
What John writes here in Revelation, the last book of the Bible, is good news. Actually, it’s undoubtedly the BEST news EVER. (This good news is actually a tremendous understatement!)
When talking about his vision of heaven, John is giving us the best we can ever hope for and will someday have, which is the healing not only of humanity but also the healing of the nations.
John also gives us hope we can certainly live into today, especially when some of our days are filled with bad or sad news.
So, when we think about it, the bad news comes first. The bad news? Sometimes life is super hard and tremendously challenging. You know this.
You can know the good news, too. There is a tree of life—eternal life. This tree bears twelve crops of fruit, one stellar crop a month. And the leaves of this tree? Ah, they are always amazing. The leaves are also beautifully, wonderfully and completely healing.
PRAYER: Lord, the good news always outweighs the bad. For this we will give you our eternal thanks. Amen.
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