Random Thoughts and Commentary on the Bible

Feb 11 – Thirst for the Lord – Ps 42:1-2a

2011-02-11T09:07:00.000-08:00

As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.

This is a very familiar verse. But, today I thought a little more about the deer panting for the streams of water. To a deer, finding water is a matter of life and death. They learn where to find water. They have multiple places to go get water in case predators surround one of their sources or that source has gone dry. They never stray far from their water source. To drink in water is to revive their strength and it brings life to them.

Let it be so in our relationship to God. Let it be a matter of life and death to us to be in close relationship with our heavenly Father (because it is!). Let us learn where to find God in our everyday life – He is everywhere. Let us have many places where we can go to refresh and renew ourselves with Him. Church yes, but not only church. Groups we meet with on a regular basis, friends we can count on when we are in need, in our yard in the quiet, in the mountains on the trail, by the ocean with its constant roar of power. Let us never get far from the Lord; keep Him with us every hour of every day. When we purposefully meet with Him, drink Him in and let your spirit be revived, let your faith be strengthened, let your life be filled!

Yes – let your soul thirst for the living God!

Feb 20 - Just Something about Paul - Acts 27:21-25

2010-02-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

In this passage, Paul is on the ship sailing for Rome. Against Paul’s advice, they had set sail rather than find a harbor to winter in and encountered a fierce storm.

In these verses, Paul relays to the ship’s crew what he had heard from an angel, assurance that not one man on board would lose his life. Now I don’t know about anyone else, but looking around at the damage to the ship and seeing the storm unrelenting, I would think Paul was crazy. But the men on the ship were encouraged and the verses following, they followed Paul’s advice on different occasions. There had to be something about Paul that caused men to believe him even when he said things that were in the natural unbelievable. The Spirit of God was on him and people could tell. He had an unwavering faith and so spoke with confidence and authority – people believed him. What about us? Do we carry the Spirit and the confidence in faith that enables us to speak with authority and cause those around us to believe what we say whether it makes sense or not. I have experienced this rarely – Lord I desire to be more yielded to you such that my life might be this kind of witness and influence!

Feb 3 - Peter's "Aha" Moment

2010-02-15T14:37:00.000-08:00

In Acts 10:34-35, Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Even though Peter in earlier sermons and teachings alluded to God saving all men, it wasn’t until his vision and being summoned to Cornelius’ house that he had his “aha” moment. At this time he then truly realized how wide-reaching this truth was and what it truly meant. Peter had gone from ignorance to faith, but in this moment, he progressed from faith to knowledge. A knowledge he wouldn’t always live in as at a later time, he would be confronted about his error in the double-standard he lived by regarding eating with the Gentiles – but still a knowledge that he now had by revelation and experience. I love those moments when something I've known in my head and maybe even have spoken in word, now becomes real in a new, "aha!" sort of way.

Jan 7, 2010 – Different Strokes for Different Folks – Luke 7

2010-01-07T07:56:00.000-08:00

In Luke 7, after Jesus had been talking about the life and purpose of John the Baptist, in verses 33-35, he compared the perspectives of people's view of John and of Himself. He said that some people viewed John the Baptist and his ascetic lifestyle and thought he had a demon. Then he said about Himself that He came eating and drinking and people thought him to be a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Then comes a key verse in 35 – “But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” In other words, John had a different role and purpose than Jesus. So they behaved differently. In both cases, wisdom was shown to be true in both their lives. We should not think someone is odd because they do ministry or service differently than we do. We should not think someone is a sinner because they do not follow the practices we follow. We should look at their life and see if they are bearing fruit. If God’s purposes are being served, then perhaps this person who is so different from us is also one of wisdom’s children. Learn to appreciate all the variety of wisdom personified in different people. God has good and great purposes for all His followers and we should not expect them to all look the same!

Dec 5 - Ps 119 - Take Delight in the Word

2009-12-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

This will be a short entry today - but a challenging one. In Psalms 119:16, the psalmist says “I delight in your decrees.” I know that I should follow the Word of the Lord. I know I should seek and learn His ways so that I may walk rightly. But do I delight in His word and His instruction? Delight means something that gives a high degree of pleasure or enjoyment; joy; rapture. Is this my response to God’s word? Or is my reaction more a sense of duty, a knowing it is good for me like medicine. Lord, my prayer today is that you help me by your Spirit to find delight in your decrees.

Oct 1 - Whose life is it anyway?!

2009-10-01T08:43:00.000-07:00

Luke 14 spoke to an issue I've been thinking a lot about lately. What is Christian commitment all about? What does it entail?

Luke 14:26 - "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters — yes, even his own life — he cannot be my disciple. "

I don't think Jesus is saying that we should hate those people who we are in significant relationship with. I think this is more about what you place hope in. Is your hope for happiness and fulfillment in your family or in the conduct of your own life or is it in your relationship with Jesus. Christian commitment starts with recognizing that it isn't about my life, it is about the Lord of my life - Jesus Christ.

Luke 14:33 - "In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple."

Is Jesus literally saying we should give away everything we have to be his disciple. Again I think he is speaking of a heart condition. Are you willing to give up anything you have for the sake of your relationship with Him. As with Abraham when God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac, what God really wanted to know was that Abraham was willing to give anything in obedience to the Lord. So it is with us, God wants to know that we are not placing anything above Him.

It is easy to read this and think life is going to be hard and unpleasant; that anything we enjoy will be something we have to give up. But my experience has been that God wants to bless us with an abundant life (Jn 10:10). He knows how to give us good gifts (Matt 7:11). He wants us to have a balanced life - that is why he established a Sabbath rest for us each and every week. You will likely find that once you have let go of some things in your heart, that you now will be able to morefully enjoy those very things to the fullest.

Now it is interesting to me that this teaching from Jesus comes right after He describes those who have been invited to a great banquet, but when it came time for the event, many made excuses about why they couldn't come. I have at times in my life simply refused to come to the "banquet" when God was calling me. Someone would approach me with an opportunity to serve and my mind immediately went to all the reasons why I didn't have time or just couldn't do it at the time. Really the only reponse I or anyone should have when called upon is to seek the Lord to see if it is He who is calling. If the "invitation" isn't for me, I can in good faith decline the opportunity. If it is God's will for me, then there is but one response: "Yes."

The bottom line to both these teachings is to understand whose life it is anyway. When we come to follow Jesus, it is no longer our life, it is His. We just have to get over the fear that if we give our life up to Him that it will be all sacrifice all the time. That is not what He has in mind. Yes there will be times of sacrifice, but there will also be times blessing. Matt 16:25 says "For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it." To find true life, we have to be willing to lose our life for Jesus. This doesn't just mean be willing to die for Him, but on a daily basis be willing to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

June 24 - 1 Tim 4:7-8 - In Training...

2009-06-24T08:50:00.000-07:00

1 Tim 4:7-8 - train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

The realization hit me as I read these verses: we can train ourselves, or at least be trained to be godly. Christians often say it is a life long journey and this is true. But we often forget it is a journey of intention and effort. We can't expect to just live 70-80 years and arrive at a more godly state. We must seek it.

This training can take on many forms. The establishment of new habit patterns by repeating the desired behavior or attitudes over and over again until they become part of our nature. The more subtle form of godly training is yielding more and more of ourselves to the Holy Spirit and allow His fruit to grow in us. As Romans 12 says, our we can be transformed by the renewing of our minds - even our minds can be trained to think differently. We were just talking about this in my Life Group, that we do not have to accept that the way we react to situations is something we are stuck with. We can by the power of the Spirit be trained to respond differently.

Imagine, today we get frustrated and angry because of bad traffic. Tomorrow, we can remain calm and realize that getting angry does not change how quickly we will get to our destination. Today we may respond angrily to our child who disobeys for the umpteenth time, tomorrow, we may be able to sit down with our child and explain yet again why that behavior is not acceptable and calmly impose the appropriate consequences.

It can be discouraging when we are disappointed in how we respond to various things in life, but I am encouraged by the prospect of being transformed more and more into His likeness (2 Cor 3:18) through the training in godliness. I think of how a Bonzai artist trains their plants to grow in certain shapes and patterns. The artist uses carefully planned pruning and applied pressure to get rid of what is not wanted and to direct the path of the branches. God uses similar tools to train us in holy living.

The other realization in this passage in Timothy is that training ourselves to be godly is not just something necessary for our eternal destiny in His kingdom, but it pays dividends today. As I described above, the way we experience life can be so different than how we experience it today. We can have more affect and influence on others by the testimony of our changed life. So I encourage you - begin your training program today!

Apr 3 - Ps 49: Oh God How Much You Love Me!

2009-04-03T11:07:00.000-07:00

I read Psalms 49 a couple days ago and these select verses lept off the page to me:

Ps 49:7-8 - No man can redeem the life of another or give to God a ransom for him — the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough —

Ps 49:15 - But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself.

These verses scarcely need any commentary, but of course I can't resist. ;-} What no man can possibly do, for himself or for another, God assuredly does so. We do not possess what is necessary to pay for the ransoming of even one life that is lost to sin, but God has what is needed to redeem all mankind. And elsewhere in Scripture we see that he was pleased to do so and did this out of His love for us. Nothing we did provoked this loving response to our condition, God did this simply because He loves!

Verse 9 adds the point of this need for ransom - "... that he should live on forever and not see decay." The continuation of the thought in v.7-8 is that we can't pay enough to have life eternal. But v.15 says God will redeem us from the fate of eternal death and bring us to Himself.

All I can say is Praise God for how much you love me, how much you love all of us!

Mar 30 - Judges 2:7-13 Have you seen the Lord's work?

2009-03-30T09:20:00.000-07:00

Reading in Judges lately has brought a couple things to light. First, In Judges 2, we read that Israel served the Lord all during Joshua's lifetime and the elders that outlived Joshua. These were all people who had seen first hand the great things that God had done for Israel. The implication is that they remembered these things and reminded Israel and kept them focused on serving Him. But after all those had died, a generation grew up that had not seen these things and they did not "know" the Lord personally. They immediately fell into evil and pursued their own view of what was right or they were easily influenced by other people's religious practices.

This says to me that we need to capture those times in our life when we know God worked in His awesome way, remember them, talk about them, teach our children about what He has done. Then what follows is an expectation and faith that He will continue to work in our lives if we trust Him. Failure to constantly remember God and all He has done places us in danger of falling into evil just as Israel did.

As I read further into Judges, a pattern emerges. Israel falls into evil. An enemy torments Israel. God raises up a judge to lead them. He delivers them from their enemy. Israel enjoys a period of peace. It has always been so easy for me to judge Israel and wonder how they could abandon God so quickly and easily. This is not really the case. When God saved them each time, they had significant periods of peace. Then it was during this time when things were going good that they fell away from God and into evil practices. Aren't we the same way? We often think less about God when things are really going well and we turn to Him more readily when things aren't so good. I am much less judgmental of Israel now and I realize that thanking God every day and staying aware of His hand in my life is important at all times - even more so when things are good.

Feb 18 - Numbers 3-4 - Naming names

2009-02-18T10:53:00.000-08:00

Reading these two chapters today, this is what struck me. God directed Moses to appoint specific families/clans to specific jobs. One clan had responsibility for one part of the care and transport of the Tabernacle and another had different duties associated with the care and transport of a different part of the Tabernacle. Then in chapter 4, God names specific names. One clan would work under the direction of Aaron. Another would work under the direction of Eleazar. And another clan would be under the direction of Ithamar. I thought about being one of those men, and knowing that the Lord has spoken my name and assigned duties to me. How amazing it would be to really know that He knows me and that He wants me to do something! I would feel a bit overwhelmed that the Lord of the universe gave little ol' me something to do for Him. And I would feel completely commited to doing the appointed task. After all, if He knows me enough to make the assignment, He will know what I do with the assignment. I would want to give it my all, do everything possible to do it the best I could.

Well guess what, I believe He names names today. I believe that for every believer, He has called your name and said, I want you to do this particular job. He knows you, He has assigned something to you, and He knows how you are doing with that assignment. Gulp!! It seemed more straight-forward when God spoke directly to Moses and gave these specific individuals assigned tasks and a little easier perhaps to sense the awesomeness of the Lord's direction for that individual. To me, it simply means that we must diligently seek Him to learn what He has for us at this season of life. And it means just as much as then that we should devote ourselves wholeheartedly to doing it.

The great thing is that God has prepared us for the task He has for us, He has given us His Spirit to enable and empower us, and in confident faith we can see the job accomplished, maybe through our hands, but most assuredly by His Strength. Philippians 4:13 says "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (NKJV).

Feb 12 - Leviticus - Holy Cow!

2009-02-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

So I have been reading through Leviticus these last few days and as many others have experienced, I began to wonder what I'm supposed to get out of these passages. The sacrificial and behavioral laws are being described and at least the sacrifices are no longer a part of our relationship with God. And the behavioral stuff, you need to sort through to determine what was applicable to that culture and what is universal and applies to us today (much discernment required in this - you can to easily rationalize away something important!). Certainly you get the picture that for Israel to make sacrifices for their sin and guilt, there was a lot of work involved and it was messy. Holy cow! I can't imagine killing, draining the blood, piecing out and burning even one animal in a day, but Israel had many, many animals sacrificed in one day. So this is all interesting, but what am I supposed to take away from this.

Two things have struck me so far. One is the realization of just how costly a mistake it was for mankind to fall into sin. It cost us relationship with God without some provision of atonement. To make atonement cost a lot in terms of both the value of unblemished animals and the blood that was necessary to cover sin. This must have something to do with the fact that sin brought death to us and somehow to make amends for it required that something else die in our place.

That brings me to the second thing. It makes it all the more amazing to think about the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf when you think about all these sacrifices Israel made over centuries. Jesus covered them all and made them unnecessary. I have heard some say they are so thankful to be on this side of the cross and reading Leviticus really highlights one of the reasons why.

This next thought is a "freebie", not really related to my latest Scripture reading. Although reading all the rules given to Israel relates a little. Have you ever come across someone who doesn't believe in Jesus and their view of Christianity is that it is just a bunch of rules designed to spoil all the fun in life? This illustration has occurred to me. When you buy a complicated piece of electronic gear (or anything else really involved), you will probably spend at least a little time consulting the instruction manual which was put together by the manufacturer - the people who designed the product and knows how it works. Maybe you have also experienced not consulting the instructions thinking you can figure it out yourself. You may get some things right, but it only takes doing one thing wrong for it not to work right (I'm thinking about when I hooked up my surround sound system!). Well, many unbelievers do believe there is a God (even if they don't know Him yet) and many believe there was intelligent design behind the creation of the world. The "rules" of Christianity are not fun spoilers, they are the designer's instructions telling us how things work best in what He created. I have always found that doing things God's way makes for a better functioning life with more blessings and (dare I say it?), fun than trying to do things on my own. Try it, you might like it!

Jan 28 - Acts 4 - Does anyone know you have been with Jesus?

2009-01-28T08:51:00.001-08:00

Wow, it has been awhile since I've posted. Time gets away so quickly. I've been enjoying reading some of my favorite passages in recent weeks about Joseph and Moses and the Day of Pentecost. Today In Acts 4, verse 13 stood out to me. "When they (elders, rulers, high priest) saw the courage of Peter and John and realized thay they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus."

What hits me is that it stood out to those questioning Peter and John that they had been with Jesus. Affected by Jesus, taught by Jesus, empowered by Jesus, encouraged by Jesus. These men were doing and saying things way beyond their worldly capabilities and education. This was only possible because of thier encounter with Jesus and the empowering of the Holy Spirit sent by Him. It made me wonder, would anyone know that I have had an encounter with Jesus? Do I operate beyond my natural abilities because of Him and the working of the Holy Spirit? Do you?

Now these questions can feel judgmental and condemning if the answer is something along the lines of "Not so much." But for me it is more of a challenge. I believe it happens over time.
2 Cor 3:18 says "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." Ever-increasing implies to me that we forever grow into His likeness, it doesn't happen at once. So the challenge to me is to let my words and my actions reflect more and more the fact that "I have been with Jesus!"

Jan 9 - Gen 23 - Do the Right Thing

2009-01-09T11:12:00.001-08:00

I've been enjoying reading about Abraham the last several days, and then I came across this curious story in Gen 23 today. Abraham's wife Sarah had died and he wanted to buy a burial site in the land in which he was living. He asked the Hittites if he might purchase a suitable site to bury his wife. The Hittites viewed Abraham as a wealthy and powerful prince and they told him that any one of them would happily give Abraham their best tomb site for his family. Again Abraham insisted that he buy the site and he apparently had his eye on a specific location, a cave at the end of a field that belonged to Ephron. Abraham insisted that he pay full price.

Ephron came to Abraham and said he would gladly give him the field and the cave. Now at this stage of the story, I'm thinking this is an amazing gesture of kindness and respect. I'm thinking Abraham should accept the gift with dignity and go on to bury his wife. But no! Abraham insists again on paying full price. Ephron tells him what the price of the field is, Abraham pays him and goes to bury his wife with a clear conscience.

This got me to thinking and wondering why Abraham was so insistent on paying for this land. Several thoughts have come to me. First, when you accept a gift, there is a sense of obligation or indebtedness to the giver. Abraham did not want to be indebted to the Hittites. Second, I felt that there was a matter of honor about where you buried your family. To bury a loved one on someone else's property would not accord the proper respect to your departed family member. But I felt that there was something more than this. Now Abraham had trusted God his whole life and exhibited tremendous faith in various situations. So while this whole incident may simply have been a matter of doing the right thing to honor his family, it may also have been that Abraham's trust in God would somehow be lessened if he accepted such a great gift. His sustenance and his blessings all came from God. He needed to trust God for provision, not these strangers that he lived among. It does happen that God will bless someone through the kindness of others, but Abraham knew this gift from the Hittites was not from God and would turn him away from his faith in the Lord.

These kind of situations require much discernment. In a different setting and with different players involved, this could have been how God provided. How do you know the difference? Only by the Holy Spirit can we discern God's will. And then only if we are transformed from the world's ways to God's ways by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2) - and I believe this renewing is also the work of the Holy Spirit within you. Then we will be able to know God's will. Then we will know what the right thing is.

Jan 5 - Luke 5 - The Call to Follow Jesus

2009-01-05T09:21:00.000-08:00

Today in my reading, I noticed a difference in the call of Simon Peter, James and John from that of Levi. Peter, James and John spent the day listening to Jesus teach the crowd from one of their boats. They then experienced a miracle in the huge catch of fish they had when Jesus instructed them to put down their nets again (after a long night of catching nothing!). When Jesus asked them to come with Him to catch men, they were ready. They had been convinced, they knew there was something about Him, they expected to see and do great things.

Levi on the other hand, simply had Jesus walk up to him and ask him to follow Jesus. Levi responded immediately. Now we can suppose that Levi had heard something about Jesus, maybe even saw Him at some point. But all we have recorded in Scripture is this simply "Follow me."

I believe it has been the same for all people down through the ages. Some people need to hear and think and comtemplate what they have heard and seen about Jesus. They slowly become convinced that He is who He claims to be and ultimately make a decision about following Him. Others have this immediate recognition that Jesus is the Son of God, a Savior who died for them and they know right away that this is what they want for their life. In both circumstances, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that speaks to the heart and mind of the person. Is either path to Jesus more holy or spiritual than the other? No, not at all. For those of us who are Christians, this tells us we need to have patience and let the Spirit work in the way that is most effective for any given individual. The last thing we want is to pressure someone into making a decision they are not ready for only to see them rebel, or make a choice that they quickly fall away from later (see the parable of the seeds, Matt 13, Mk 4 & Luke 8). Our job is to show the light of Christ in us and let the Spirit do the rest. Praise God for the many ways He can deal with us!

Jan 1 - Home with the Lord

2009-01-01T15:04:00.000-08:00

My entry today will be short and simple. Our in-law Peggy went home to be with the Lord last night. While my heart goes out to my daughter and her husband, all the family and especially Peggy's husband Perry, I also rejoice that Peggy's suffering was not long and she is now in that wonderful place - in paradise with Jesus.
God bless all the family who are mourning the loss of this special family member. May your time of sadness be short and may your memories be sweet and sustaining.

Dec 31 - Rev 19-22 - A New Jerusalem

2008-12-31T09:25:00.000-08:00

It is with sadness I write today. Just got off the phone with my daughter. Her husband's mother who has been battling stage 4 cancer the last few months is in the hospital and has taken a turn for the worse. Doctors give her about 36 hours. My daughter and son-in-law are in a whirlwind of activity trying to figure out their next move. We have been praying for a miraculous healing, but it appears God has a different plan. It is in that context that I read Rev 19-22.

These chapters cover the judgment, the lake of fire and such, as well as the appearing of the New Jerusalem - our eternal dwelling place with God. What struck me as I read about the New Jerusalem today was the phrase "prepared as a bride, beautifully dressed for her husband." (Rev 21:2). I was reminded how every wedding I go to, there is something about the bride; she is beautiful, she glows, she is expectant. I mean no offense by this, but no matter how plain or beautiful a woman may be in everyday life, she is at her most beautiful on her wedding day. Now, as I re-read the description of the new Jerusalem, I think of the beautiful bride and can picture more clearly how glowing and beautiful this new city will be. And while it seems that this new Jerusalem will not come into being until the very end of this age, it is to this destiny that our dear in-law Peggy is headed.

If she in fact is taken from earth in a few hours or days, we know with confidence that her hope is in Christ and her name is surely written in the book of Life. The chapters I read today clearly describe the result of our choice here on earth. Some wrestle with the notion that God would actually condemn someone to death, but I don't. Rev 21:27 says that "Nothing impure will ever enter into it," speaking of the New Jerusalem. God is perfect, His dwelling place is perfect and pure, He can not allow even one speck of impurity into His Kingdom because then it would no longer be pure. Our purity is not of our own effort, it is in the covering of Jesus who lived sinlessly and sacrificed for us. And the great thing is, this is a free gift to any who would take it. You too can have this eternal destiny by only accepting this gift and turning your life around to live for Jesus. Which of you will give back unopened this wonderful Christmas present?

Peggy with her husband Perry - the day before our daughter married their son.
Peggy & Perry with their two sons and new daughter-in-law

Finally, Peggy dancing with her son at the wedding reception

Dec 28-29 - Rev 5-14: Worship and Judgment

2008-12-29T11:39:00.000-08:00

The chapters of these last 2 days of reading bring two words to mind.

Worship: There are several scenes of various worship services giving praise to God the Creator, the Lamb our Redeemer and the Sovereign Ruler of all. Angels worshipped, elders worshipped, a huge host of redeemed souls worshipped and creatures worshipped. Our own worship of God is not a trivial thing. It is a testimony of God and all He is, all He has done, is doing and will do. We worship with our lives in how we conduct ourselves; we worship with our voices, singing and speaking praises; we worship in the giving of gifts be they our talents, our resources, our time or our acts of charity (love) and service. Praise be to our God, the Almighty, Sovereign Lord! Praise be to the Savior of His creation! Glory to His Name.

Judgment: In contrast, we see the results of living in denial of God and His rightful place in our hearts and lives. Unspeakable suffering chases after those who rebel against the reality of God. Their hearts become hard and they are easily deceived into believing anything that appears to be great and wise and good - as long as it is not God! The suffering they endure causes them to become angry at God and all the more defiant. Admitting their errors and repentence is not even a thought. Their choice is fully realized in the judgment they will face. We see in these chapters only the beginning.

My response to these chapters is the same as Joshua's when he says "...choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Josh 24:15).

Here is a little of my worship of God the Creator....

Dec 27, 2008 - Rev 1-4: Rewards for the Faithful

2008-12-27T10:39:00.000-08:00

Obvious learnings from the letters to the seven churches are the warnings about the things that God hates to see in His people. But what struck more today was how much hope there is in these letters. To those who overcome, persevere and stay true to the end, these are the rewards that await them:

The right to eat from the tree of life

Access to the paradise of God

They will not be hurt by the second death

They will receive hidden manna

They will receive a white stone with a new name on it that only they will know

They’ll have authority over the nations

They’ll receive the morning star

They will get clothes of white

They will remain in the book of life

They will have protection from the coming hour of trial

They will be a pillar in the temple of God

They will have the name of God and His city written on them

They will receive a new name

They will have the right to sit with Jesus on His throne

In a word; WOW! To remember what our eternal destiny is, the sacrifices (the things we give up for the sake of Jesus) in this life are pale and empty in comparison. Give your all, your whole life to Jesus and it will be worth it, both now and in eternity.