The Best Is Yet to Come

I once watched a video that asked an unusual question: “What year of life
tends to be the best?” Pretty deep, right? Not surprisingly, the video
didn’t come to a definite conclusion. Depending on what you think the
answer is, you might either feel hopeless that the best of life is done, or
disappointed when the future doesn’t end up how you hoped.

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When I began wondering about whether the past, present, or future would be
the best part of my life, a certain Bible passage came to mind. It’s John
2:1-12, where Jesus is attending a wedding banquet that unfortunately runs
out of wine. Just when the party is about to be ruined and end early, Jesus
tells the servants at thebanquet to fill jars with water. He does a
miracle, and when a sample is brought to the master of the banquet for
tasting, the water has been transformed into wine!

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The banquet master was shocked. He didn’t know where the wine came from,
but he praised the groom for saving the best wine for last. People didn’t
do that: they used the good stuff first so that once people were satisfied,
they wouldn’t notice the latter wine’s poorer quality.

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When everyone thought the wedding party was ruined and over, Jesus
transformed ordinary water into extraordinary wine. He saved the best for
last, showing that the end wasn’t really the end. In our lives too, when we
follow Jesus the best is always yet to come. Because He died and rose again
for us, we can look forward to the day He will return bodily to earth,
raise us from the dead, and restore His creation! Even if our present is
hard, when we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember God’s promises for an
eternity with Him, we have purpose in our present to live for Him, and hope
for the future through our struggles (Hebrews 12:1-3). Our loving God works
everything toward His good plan, and He can bring miracles when we least
expect it. We may think our lives are ruined, but even through challenges
He is working out His great plan. • Abby Ciona

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• Do you more often long for the past or for the future?

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• How can Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection give us (1) peace about our
past, (2) hope for the future, (3) and purpose in the present? (If you want
to dig deeper, read Romans 8:18-39 and 2 Corinthians 4.)

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being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

Read Verses:

John 2:1-John 2:12; Philippians 1:6