Title: Horrible Greatness / Topic: God's Nature

Today’s Reading: Revelation 15; Revelation 16; Revelation 17; Revelation 18

Scripture: Revelation 15:1, 3
1 I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues -- last, because with them God's wrath is completed... 3 [they] sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb:
"Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the ages..."

Observation:

Plagues and wrath.
Great and marvelous.
Just and true.

These things don't seem to go together and yet they do. The Lord, whose deeds are "great and marvelous" and whose ways are "just and true" will unleash terrible plagues which express His wrath against evil humanity.

Application: I tend to emphasize the love and grace aspects of God's nature so these ideas of plagues and wrath seem strange to me. But the truth is that without wrath and punishment for the wicked, there can be no love and grace. Without a true hatred for evil, good has no chance to flourish. I was speaking with a young friend yesterday and discussing how much easier it is to do bad things than good things. (We were talking about personal responsibility and taking care of ourselves and others.) If there were no consequences for bad behavior, our sin nature would naturally gravitate in that direction. And the results for our world would be devastating.

On the global scale, if there were no punishment for sins, then the wicked would flourish and right and good would suffer. One of the ways God shows His mercy to those who love Him and do right is to show no mercy to their enemies.

Prayer: Lord, I thank You for justice which flows from Your righteous nature. Help Your people to love truth and justice and to work for it always. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Ultimate Harvest / Topic: Last Days

Today’s Reading: Revelation 10; Revelation 11; Revelation 12; Revelation 13; Revelation 14

Scripture: Revelation 14:14-20
14 I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." 16 So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
17 Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18 Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe." 19 The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20 They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia [That is, about 180 miles].

Observation: The images detailed in Revelation 10-14 speak of frightening events which are yet to come. Probably soon. They center around Jerusalem and are the culmination of the ages-old conflict between good and evil. As I understand the reading, good is represented by angels, the two witnesses, the woman and her child, and the Lamb, while evil is represented by the dragon, the fallen stars, and the two beasts. To me it is clear that these events involve the nation of Israel and attacks against them. It seems the whole world is arrayed in opposition to them. The scripture above spoke to me that there is coming a day of ultimate harvest -- a day when all things will be made right -- a day of final justice, when "what goes around comes around" is fully realized. And it is a bloody and fearful day: 180 miles of blood. God takes His holy vengeance upon His enemies, those who resisted and fought against Him and used their power to hurt others. Also included are all those who simply went along with them.

Application: The message to me is that I must take a stand with God always. It will not be easy and ultimate will probably cost me my life. But to not do so will result in becoming God's enemy and the object of His wrath. I want to be an object of His grace and mercy.

Prayer: Lord, have mercy upon me a sinner. Strengthen me so that I may always stand with You and for You, even in the face of mighty opposition. Lord, bring many people to You -- use me in making this happen.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Powerful Fear / Topic: God's Judgment

Today’s Reading: Revelation 5; Revelation 6; Revelation 7; Revelation 8; Revelation 9

Scripture: Revelation 6:15-17
15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Observation: This follows an intense, catastrophic earthquake that displaces islands and results in a blocking of sun and stars. The reaction of the powerful people of the world is to cower in fear. Prior to this, they had wielded great political power and influence, but when the judgment of God falls, their power amounts to nothing and they can do nothing but hide in fear. They even acknowledge that it is God who is afflicting them.

Application: There is coming a day when the power of God will supplant all the power of man. It is in that day that those who have trusted in the Lord will be vindicated and rewarded. Today, it may seem that those who put God first are fools are are missing out on the benefits that this world has to offer. But the reality is that in the end, putting God first is the only thing that will result in true and lasting benefits.

Bottom line: Keep putting God first. Keep your eyes on the ultimate and not on the immediate.

Prayer: I ask You, Father, to help Your people get and maintain an eternal perspective. It is so easy to fall prey to the here and now and to miss the reality of eternity. Lord, help us to pay the price of serving You today so that we may receive our reward with You in eternity. I thank You that You are smarter than the smartest human and that Your plans and strategies will stand and will prevail. May I be a part of it.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: The Blessings / Topic: Revelation

Today’s Reading: Revelation 1; Revelation 2; Revelation 3; Revelation 4

Scripture: Revelation 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

Observation: Two blessings are pronounced here in verse three. First a blessing for the simple act of reading "this prophecy," that is, the book of Revelation. The second blessing is for "those who hear it and take [it] to heart." And there is a final word that is both a motivation and a warning: "the time is near."

Application: Well, if the time was near in John's day, it is much nearer now. So the message is to get the blessings by reading Revelation, hearing it (I take this to mean letting the message penetrate my heart and mind), and taking it to heart (which means applying the message by heeding the warnings and following the instructions given).

Bottom line: Read it, hear it, do it!

Prayer: Lord, I am thankful for this message. I ask that You give me a greater desire to abide in the word and a greater ability to focus without distraction upon it. Help me to get the message into my mind and heart and life in such a way that I receive the full benefits that come from Your word. I look forward to Your appearing.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Faithful God / Topic: God's Character

Today’s Reading: Psalm 117

Scripture: Psalm 117:1-2
1 Praise the LORD, all you nations;
extol him, all you peoples.
2 For great is his love toward us,
and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.
Praise the LORD.

Observation: The urging to praise and extol the Lord are to all nations and all peoples. And there is a reason given: His love is great toward us and His character of everlasting faithfulness.

Application: While in our day it may seem that few nations hold God in high regard, there is coming a day when all nations shall answer the call to worship Him. That day is coming soon, I believe. And those of us who know Him have so much to be thankful for including His faithfulness. Let's stay faithful to Him.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are bringing all things together for a culmination of history as we know it. Help us to have faith in You and remain in that place of seeking and working for purity and growth and passion for You. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: The Great Defender / Topic: Intercession

Merry Christmas To All!

Today’s Reading: 1 John 1; 1 John 2; 1 John 3; 1 John 4; 1 John 5

Scripture: 1 John 2:1-2
1 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Observation: John is spiritual and practical. "I write this to you so that you will not sin." That's spiritual. The good spiritual leader desires to lead his people in pure sin-free living. "But if anybody does sin..." That's practical. No matter how hard we may strive for perfection, we will never be totally free of sin. So John gives us the good news about our heavenly Defender, "Jesus Christ, the Righteous One" who is speaking "to the father in our defense."

Application: Hallelujah! This is truly good news. Our Savior is at the right hand of God and He is speaking on our behalf, in our defense. What great comfort for me and for all those who trust in the Lord for our salvation and our very future.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the powerful defense you provide on my behalf. I do pray that You would strengthen me and all of Your people to lead lives of purity and holiness. But I am thankful that Jesus is there interceding for me. May I walk worthy of this great Redeemer.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Title: Thank You, Lord / Topic: Grace

Today’s Reading: John 19; John 20; John 21

#1 Scripture: John 19:1-3
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

#1 Observation/Application/Prayer
It is Christmas eve as I write this. We just got done with six of my grandkids opening a few presents around the tree. Against this backdrop, it was a shock to read the opening verses to chapter 19 with Jesus being beaten. I just am so thankful that Jesus endured so we could have hope and salvation and joy. "Thank You, Lord."

#2 Scripture: John 20:24-31
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." 28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Observation: I love the fact that Jesus came a second time specifically for Thomas, the doubter. Thomas was a particularly negative guy, and it seems to me that it would be easy to kind of ignore his habitual negativity. (I'm sure the rest of the disciples did this from time to time.) But Jesus makes a special trip just for Thomas.

Application: This gives me hope. I feel that I have let the Lord down so many times that He might just give up on me. But when I read about how He did this for Thomas, I am comforted and encouraged.

Prayer: Thank You , Lord that You are so loving so as to reach out to us even when we don't deserve it. (Of course we never actually deserve Your mercy.) Thank You for Your gentleness and kindness that draws us to You. May I always be a recipient of Your grace.
This I pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.

btw: Merry Christmas, everybody!