REVELATION 22:3-5

No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him.  And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads.  And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.

TO PONDER

I often wonder at the fascination that some of us 'common folk' have with royalty. Perhaps it's the fairy tales of princes and princesses that spark our imagination, perhaps it's the idea of an obscene amount of wealth and the idea of having a servant for everything that gets some people excited, but I just don't know if the dream matches the reality.

It seems to me that when you are a royal, your life is not your own. Every interaction with others is filtered through a strict level of protocol. I can't imagine many of Prince William's old school buddies would get away with simply addressing him as 'Will' anymore. Your schedule and calendar constantly being booked up with public engagements, and the general public always snooping around the palace hoping to catch a glimpse of one of the royals. Then of course there's all the international hobnobbing with other world leaders. I'm sure they eat some fancy food but I think the conversation would be fairly dull.

It's not at all like the picture painted in revelation. Revelation paints a different picture. We are not on the throne, God is. Everything is restored because all of creation acknowledges that Jesus is Lord, all his people simply worship him. All that comes when we stop chasing it for ourselves and instead let God take his rightful place in our hearts and in our lives. We were not meant to be kings and queens, we were meant to be princes and princesses; sons and daughters of the King of Heaven. When we let God have his place, and we take up the place he has for us... that's when we really begin to see and experience what it means to be a co-heir with Christ.

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, take your throne in my life again today. Help me to know and to remember that I am your child and a co-heir with Jesus in your kingdom. Help me to learn how to live in that identity today and every day. Amen.

Today's devotion written by Mathew von Stanke, LifeWay Newcastle