Daily Devotionals

The End Week 1: Wednesday

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “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

When was the last time you went somewhere that was even better than you expected? For example, I recently visited a new coffee shop that I had heard great things about. I knew that I would like it, but when I arrived, I loved it. The coffee was delicious, they made their own flavored syrups for the coffee in-house, and the atmosphere was so inviting. I thought, “I expected to like this place, but it’s even better than I expected.” On a far greater scale, did you know that the Bible teaches that what Christ has in store for His followers is even greater than they could imagine? 

The apostle Paul understood that what God has in store for us in eternity with God in heaven is beyond what we could ever imagine. As he wrote about heaven, it appears that his own words may have failed him as he wrote in this chapter because, ultimately, he quoted Scripture from Isaiah 64:4, “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). Paul was teaching readers that what we have waiting for us in heaven does not compare to anything in the world that we have seen or heard. It is greater, grander, more beautiful, and more wonderful than anything we could ever imagine. We have no idea what is waiting for us because we have nothing to compare it to. Yet, it is better than our wildest dreams.

My friend, heaven is so grand that we have no vocabulary or experience to even understand it. Our best moments and our favorite days cannot compare to the greatness of God in heaven. We have so much to look forward to in eternity. 

Moving toward action

If we have placed our faith in Christ, we have no idea of the goodness that is in store for us. This is the best news, and it needs to be shared! Think of one person today who can have a conversation about this truth you have studied from God’s word today. Tell them that what God has in store for His people is beyond what we can imagine and that they, too, can experience this goodness when they place their faith in Him.

Going Deeper

2 Corinthians 2:1-16 (NLT)

"So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3 I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4 For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

5 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. 6 The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9 Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

12 Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13 I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?"