December 23 Daily Devotional

The Garden of Tomorrow

Charles and Norma Ellis

Bible Reading:

Revelation 22:1-7

¹And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
²In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
³And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
⁴And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
⁵And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
⁶And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.
⁷Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Devotional:

There is a resurgence of interest in gardens. Surfeited with technology, prompted by interest in ecology, or driven by economic pressure, we are finding joy in the role of gardener. The labor is wholesome exercise. The thrill of employing our God-given creativity grips us. And how delicious the freshly-picked corn and tomatoes taste!

God's Book began in a garden and it ends in a garden. Sin entered the first garden and the ground was cursed. There will be no curse in the Garden of Tomorrow. All will be healed.

God lit the Garden of Eden by the sun and the moon and the stars. He Himself will be the light in the Garden of Tomorrow.

There will be fruit-trees in the Garden of Tomorrow, just as there were in Eden. Among them will be the Tree of Life. There will be no seraphim to keep sinful men from the Tree of Life. Sinful men will not be in the Garden at all. The tree of Life will be available to all in the Garden, and all who eat will live forever in the presence of God.

We were all in the first garden with Adam, our representative. Since we are all members of the human race we were there, every one of us. But entrance into the Garden of Tomorrow is not automatic or universal. Will we be there to enjoy the light of God? Will we be there to eat, finally, of the Tree of Life?

Will I? Will you? It is His redeemed children who will be there and they shall serve Him (22:3).

We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."

Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.

Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.