Revelations About Revelation

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave. Revelation 1:17-18 (NLT)

The Book of Revelation is often thought of as a book about the end of time. And it may have that in it but it in the first chapter it says “The Revelation of Jesus Christ.” It’s really a book about who Jesus is after the resurrection. WOOT!

John was in vision. Just before he fell down as dead, he saw this.

12 When I turned around to see what sort of voice this was that was addressing me, I saw seven golden lampstands. 13 And among the lampstands, I saw One like the Son of Man right in front of me dressed in a long robe. Across His chest was draped a golden sash. 14 His head and hair were pure white, white as wool and white as snow; His eyes blazed like a fiery flame; 15 His feet gleamed like brightly polished bronze, purified to perfection in a furnace; His voice filled the air and sounded like a roaring waterfall. 16 He held seven stars in His right hand, from His mouth darted a sharp double-edged sword, and His face shone a brilliant light, like the blinding sun. (VOICE)

If you saw that, what would you do? Especially the sharp double-edged sword. In the Bible this signifies judgement. I wonder if John collapsed because he thought he was going to receive God’s judgement. I think I might collapse too if I thought that. But, let’s look just a little deeper.

First, Jesus shows up dressed in a long robe with a golden sash. This is the garment of the high priest that intervened for the people before God. After John fainted, he laid his right hand on him. The right hand in the Bible signified blessing and the power to sustain. And then he said “Don’t be afraid.” If you translate this from the Greek, it actually means “Stop being afraid.”

After this, Jesus goes on to say “I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

Can I paraphrase a little?

Child of God, I am your Advocate. I have conquered death, your death. Stop worrying about how good you are. Stop being afraid of what’s next. I have overcome it all. Trust what I have already done for you. I love you.

It made my heart glad to understand this. You see, no matter what is happening all around us, we still have Jesus. We are covered. We are saved. Forever and ever. Amen.

Whose Kingdom Is It?

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Matthew 6:10 (ESV)

What do you think God’s kingdom looks like? We pray this prayer but rarely do we stop and ponder what it would look like for God’s kingdom to be here on earth.

I imagine if God’s kingdom were here on earth “as it is in heaven”, there would be certain things that were obvious. For starters, there would be beauty everywhere. Nature would explode and we would be mesmerized by it. That happens on earth in a beautiful sunset or majestic mountains. There is nature that takes our breath away.

There are other things that I think are part of God’s kingdom that maybe we don’t see all the time.

• Worship - we will always be worshiping in Heaven.

• Love - there will be lots and lots of love. We will be taking care of each other, sharing, caring, and offering kindness.

• Laughter and happiness - the Bible tells us there will be no more tears. I’m looking forward to that!

• Productivity - I do think we will have things to do whether it be work or pleasure, we won’t be idle.

So, if we pray “Your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven,” what’s stopping it? If we truly want heaven on earth, why aren’t we seeing it?

One thought that popped into my mind is that there are too many kingdoms and too many rulers trying to reign. If I want God’s kingdom to be here, right now, in my heart, then I have to move my kingdom out of the way. If I’m being honest, the agenda for my kingdom is in conflict with God’s kingdom. They cannot both exist together.

There can be only one ruler. There can be only one kingdom. Which one will you give allegiance to today?

Dipping and Soaring!

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the faint,
    and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Even youths shall faint and be weary,
    and young men shall fall exhausted;
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
    they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31 (NLT)

Recently this text got stuck in my head. Maybe because some days I feel so tired! Don’t we all? We run here and there, do this, do that. Our lists are never ending. Right? I kept thinking about the wings like eagles….what would that feel like? I dug into it a little and as usual, it’s beautiful. This may have to be one of the texts that I hang around the house so I can remember it.

God starts off asking them if they don’t remember what he’s done and how he has provided what they need in the past. Almost a little sarcastically really “Have you not heard?” Of course they heard! The stories of his rescue from Egypt were told over and over again. It’s who they were! But, it seems like they forgot. Glad we don’t do that.

Then he goes on to tell them (again) that he gives the power. When you are totally done, can’t take any more he will give you the strength that you need. He says that when we wait for the Lord, not go ahead and try to do it ourselves but wait for the Lord, we will get all the strength and power we need.

Another really cool thing is the word renew. It means to exchange (like a suit of clothes.) In other words, you have to take off what you are carrying around and put on what God has to give you.

When we do that, we will soar! We will take off and fly gliding on the winds, dipping and circling and soaring again! I can’t help but think if we allow God to be our strength, it will be a lot more fun than a never-ending “to do” list.

Imitating Perfect Love

See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! 1 John 3:1 (NLT)

Recently I was spending time at my daughter’s house loving on my two grandsons. This, by the way, is one of my favorite thing to do! I was holding the new baby and telling him what a precious boy he was and my oldest grandson suddenly looked at me and said “Yiayia, I still your boy?”

My heart melted. I said “Yes! You will always be my boy. Always. You are also Mommy’s boy and Daddy’s boy and Papou’s boy”….and I listed other people in his life that he adores. He was reassured by that answer and continued doing what he was doing.

Made me think of us and God. Sometimes we wonder how God can love us each equally and so intimately. It seems impossible doesn’t it? But that’s because we are only seeing with our human hearts. Think about it.

If we can love many people with the same intensity, can’t God do even more? If our hearts can grow every time someone is added “to the family” or to our world, can’t God exceed that capacity? If our faulty hearts can do that, can’t God’s perfect heart love perfectly?

But it gets even better. When we enter into a relationship with Jesus and we spend time with him, our capacity to love increases and the way we love becomes more and more selfless. Maybe that’s why God tells us to love him first and then our neighbors. If we tried to do it the other way our love would surely not be Godlike.

My grandson needed to know that he was still the apple of my eye. He doesn’t understand yet that I can love many people with all my heart. Maybe we don’t understand that about God either. But, my grandson trusts me when I tell him that he is mine. Perhaps that’s where we start with God too.

A Minute In It - The Hall of Faith

A minute in God’s Word will change your life. Take a moment to read the text below and then ponder the questions at the bottom of the post.

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, 18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.” 19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.

20 It was by faith that Isaac promised blessings for the future to his sons, Jacob and Esau.

21 It was by faith that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, when he was about to die, said confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt. He even commanded them to take his bones with them when they left.

23 It was by faith that Moses’ parents hid him for three months when he was born. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s command.

24 It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. 27 It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. 28 It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the Passover and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons.

29 It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned.

30 It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down.

31 It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies. Hebrews 11:17-31

Read the names below of the people mentioned in the text. What did they have to have faith for? Did they always see the outcome of their faith?

Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Joseph
Moses
Israelites crossing the Red Sea
Israelites marching around Jericho
Rahab

What do you need to have faith in today? Will you see the outcome of your faith? If not, will you still believe?

Did You Hear That?

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Psalm 32:8 (NLT)

On a pretty regular basis I hear people say they don’t know what God’s will is for their life. Or they say that they aren’t sure what God wants them to do. Sometimes, this conversation comes with a little (maybe a lot) of angst. I get it.

Sometimes, I go down that path too. I get all spun up in questions like “Am I doing the right thing?” or “What if I’m hearing you wrong?” That last one is my favorite. As I feel God telling me to do something, I start down the path. “What if this isn’t you? Could this be me inventing things?” And I don’t make any movement at all because I am afraid of making the wrong movement. And we all know not doing something is a decision in itself.

As I ponder this, I begin to look at who God is. This is the God that got people’s attention through the most amazing circumstances. He talked to them in dreams, through angels, through animals, through storms, in burning bushes, through Scripture, through manna falling on the ground to name a few….

And then I remember texts like today’s verse. God takes the responsibility of talking. He initiates the conversation and tells us over and over again in the Bible that it is his job to get us where we need to be. He will tell us the way to go, he will direct our paths, he will say go this way or that.

Why is it I think I am going to miss the message? If God can talk to people in all these ways, he can certainly get my attention. And as I reflect on how I’ve heard God and known it was him in the past, I am sure he can do that again.

So what are we to do? The Bible says our job is to believe. To believe in Jesus, to believe that God will do what he says he will do (and there are a ton of promises about how he will work out his plan.) So listen for the voice. Don’t be afraid to follow it. Don’t dismiss it. God is talking to his kids…..every single day.

The Proper Way to Fight A Battle

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us! 1 Samuel 17:47 (NLT)

There are so many ways to unpack the story of David and Goliath but one thing really stands out. David’s understanding of whose battle it was.

When Saul told David he was too young and inexperienced, David points back to God. In verse 37 he says “The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” Did David have to take risk going to meet a giant? Yes. Did David have to step into an uncomfortable situation where the outcome was not determined? Yes. Did David have to prepare for the battle and collect his weapon (five smooth stones)? Absolutely.

But there was one thing David did that we find hard to do. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt who was in charge of this battle. He knew this was not about him. He knew it was about God. And he knew God was going to fight the battle for him.

One time during a prayer meeting, the leader asked us to take a piece of paper and write down all the things we were worried about. Then, they asked us to put the items into two columns. In the first column put the things that we can do something about. In the second column put the things we have no control over. It was an eye-opening exercise. Most of the things I was worried about I could do nothing to solve. They were beyond my control.

Those were God’s. Those are the things I should be in prayer about and the things I should leave in more capable hands. Just like David, we too can prepare for battle and use our weapons. Our weapons are prayer, the Word of God and our relationship with Jesus. We also need to remember whose battle this is. It’s not ours. It’s God’s.

Timing

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
    A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
    A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
    A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
    A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
    A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
    A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
    A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

Lately I’ve been spending time with my daughter who just had a baby. Anyone remember the chaos a newborn brings to a household? Add to that the antics of a three year old who is trying to adjust to this new version of family, things can get pretty hectic. On top of this, a project at work needed attention so I was seriously juggling.

You know how it goes. Trying to make sure the new baby is doing well, making sure my daughter is doing things like eating enough and drinking enough water. Paying attention to my grandson so he settles into the new “normal.” Keeping the house picked up, cooking meals and running errands …. and oh, i have a telephone meeting in 10 minutes.

One day as we “handled” everything; we were walking out the door for a toddler Family Valentine’s Day Party (I forgot how hard it is to get two kids ready on time), I was feeling pretty good about the morning’s accomplishments. I looked down as we walked out of the room and saw the evidence in the potty chair that the three year old’s potty training was working. Geesh! How did I miss that?

This made me laugh. It seems like no matter how you think you have it together, you probably don’t. Especially if you are a caregiver. It doesn’t matter if you are taking care of a newborn, a toddler, a sick relative, an elderly parent or _____________ (you fill in the blank.) Things go wrong or you just can’t get it all done.

That’s when I decided to take some Biblical advice. There is a time for every activity under the heaven. A time to work, a time to rest, a time to love. In these very hectic last two weeks, I decided to cherish the moments. Moments of sitting and talking with my daughter. Moments of laying on the floor and pretending I was a runway as my grandson piled airplanes, cars and boats on my stomach. Moments of staring into the face of a newborn baby sleeping peacefully in my arms.

The other chaotic stuff comes and goes. But the memories we share with people will last forever.