Saturday, November 8: Ecclesiastes 1-.

As I turn to Ecclesiastes this morning, I feel like I am grinding gears. It is such an abrupt change from the Revelation.

The writer strikes a sour chord… “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” (2, NIV).

 “Absolutely pointless!” says the spokesman. “Absolutely pointless! Everything is pointless” (2, GW).

The Teacher says, "Useless! Useless! Completely useless! All things are useless" (2, ICB).

Meaningless, pointless, useless… All things are meaningless, pointless, useless. Such are the sentiments of this chapter.

As I read and pondered this, my mental wheels began spinning. If I reduce life to simply the things I do, there is a sense the author is right. I (we) spin our wheels. We do this and that, but what change do we really effect?

A modern proverb that connects with this thought goes like this: “the more things change the more they stay the same.”

I began thinking about my life, what gives me (my life) meaning. Truthfully it is my kingdom work. Not mowing the lawn or cleaning the bathroom or doing my laundry or any of the myriad of chores that must be done but will need to be done again in short order. No, the things that give my life meaning are the kingdom things I do and the relational connections I foster. These bring me meaning and the kingdom things I do will last, because God who is eternal is in them.

I began to think, “I should give more energy to the things that give life meaning and will last, rather than seeking after the meaningless, pointless and useless things of life.”

I should put more energy into quality relationships and kingdom endeavors…

Oh, the places the Lord takes me when I spend time in His Word.

Guide me, O God, to deeper places with You. Spur me on to a greater kingdom –Your kingdom- endeavors. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Friday, November 7: Revelation 22- Only God Almighty is worthy of worship!.

And with this chapter the Revelation ends with the picture and promise of life for those who worship the one true God.

The brief vignette in verses 8-9 caught my attention. I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

John, awed and overwhelmed by what he had just seen and heard, fell down in worship before his angelic guide. Without a hesitation and with forceful rebuke, the angel corrected John, Don’t do that!

Why? Because the angel is a fellow servant with you…

And then the angelic rebuke concludes with 2 words, Worship God!

What was likely an honest mistake is met with a stinging rebuke. I pondered that and realized John’s mistake was the heart of much, if not all, sin… Worshipping something other than God!

The angel understood this.

My heart heard the warning. “Beware not to ever worship anything other than the Lord for nothing in all creation, no matter how great, is worthy of worship. And only God Almighty is worthy of worship!”

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

 “You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created and have their being.”

 “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom

and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

 “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

Amen.

(Rev 4 & 5)

 

Thursday, November 6: Revelation 21- All things new.

I am making everything new! (5)

The end of evil has come. God’s reign has come in fullness and perfection. The old is gone. God is making everything new!

What an incredible thought.

I sat on a beautiful fall morning, thinking about these words. The sky was brightening as the sun rose. Tree leaves remaining were a mix of various colors. Mums were blooming rust/red and yellow on our deck but summer flowers were no more. The air was crisp but not yet cold.

I love this time of year. Regarding “that” day God said about that day, I am making everything new! No death, no mourning, no crying, no pain… no sin! The earth will no longer groan in waiting the consummation of our God. People will treat people with dignity and the Fruit of the Spirit will be in full bloom.

I tried to imagine this.

Oh, there will be no sun or moon… they are not needed.  God himself is our light and the Lamb, our lamp.

In our day when the sun is up, whether I can see it or it is buried behind clouds, it rules the day. Its presence is omnipresent… everywhere it gives life to everything directly or indirectly. Flowers grow because of the sun’s light. I can see the earth’s beauty because of the sun’s light. And so on. Yet in this new day God will be as omnipresent as the sun is in our day. He will directly be our source and provision.

What a day… and everlasting day that will be.

Oh, the wonder of that day.

Thanks be to God for the grace and atonement of Jesus. Thanks be to God for the gift of belief. Thanks be to God for the book of life and names written there in! Thanks be to God. Alleluia. Amen.

 

Wednesday, November 5: Revelation 20- Standing before God.

 

There are things in the Book of the Revelation I do not understand, among them, the 1000 year imprisonment of Satan before his final defeat and banishment to eternal torment.

In the same way there are images that make sense to me. I tend to focus on these. The white throne judgment scene fits this latter category and so I spent my time meditating upon it.

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire (11-15).

Standing before God, the deeds of my life listed for Him and me to see. There will be no Johnnie Cochran or Alan Dershowitz to wrangle a “not guilty” plea. No, it will be raw hard truth. And the only word I deserve to hear is “Guilty.”

All this is true, save one thing… the blood of Jesus. With Jesus’ covering, my name is written in the book of life. Thanks to Jesus I escape the second death.

My mind wandered back to my deserved guilty sentence.  Oh, the gift of grace. Oh, the delight of faith in Jesus.

I have no words… only an offer. Faith in Jesus will provide you with the same result.

Life or death… your choice.

Lord God, all I can muster is Thank You. Praise You. Bless You, Father Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

 

Tuesday, November 4: Revelation 19- God's victory was never in doubt!.

Reading today, I found it fascinating that heaven rejoices and worships God before the final battle. It is as if the victory celebration occurs before the battle. Such, I thought, is the way of God. The outcome of the battle was never in doubt. God’s victory was ‘a given’ from the beginning. That thought rolled around and around in my head.

God’s victory was never in doubt!

God’s VICTORY was never in doubt!

What a mistake it is for me to ever doubt God or doubt His Word. If the victory and defeat of the forces of evil was never in doubt, why would I doubt that God would keep His Word about anything?

The Lord God is trustworthy and true. This is the BIG take away for me today.

This is nothing new for me, but it does reiterate and cement what I know already…

Thanks be to God for His incredible faithfulness and the absolute surety of His Word!! Halleluiah! Amen.

 

Monday, November 3: Revelation 18- Woe.

Repeated 3 times, Babylon’s judgment caught my attention.

“ ‘Woe! Woe to you, great city,

where all who had ships on the sea became rich through her wealth!

In one hour she has been brought to ruin!’

(10, 16-17, 19)

The middle line changed with each repeat, but the song was the same. Woe to Babylon the great city.  In one hour you have been brought to ruin.

The kings, merchants and seafarers sing this song as terror grips them and they mourn the loss of their ‘golden egg”, the source of this success. It seems, too, they are gripped by their inevitable destruction and torment because they lived luxuriously in the coat tails of Babylon.

Fear, terror but no hint of remorse. They were drunk with the success they had…

This is a very sad picture. It is the crime boss or cartel lord or despotic ruler watching the trial of another, knowing his/her day is coming, all the while singing “I did it my way.” Completely blinded to the truth of God.

So, so very sad is this picture. 

And yet, at the same time, the saints of God rejoice.

“Rejoice over her, you heavens!

Rejoice, you people of God!

Rejoice, apostles and prophets!

For God has judged her with the judgment she imposed on you.”

Judgment day for God’s enemies will be vindication day for God’s saints. The contrast of that day is seen in the contrast of two words: woe and rejoice.

Lord, the difference between these two responses in faith in You. Your spirit in the saints and their protection from Your wrath allow them to REJOICE. Halleluiah! I bow in wonder and awe that You saved me and allow me to be in the company of saints who rejoice at Your wonder and fall in awe and love at Your feet.

Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Maranatha! Amen.

 

Saturday, November 1: Revelation 17- God will watch over me.

In this chapter God gives John some understanding of who the beast and other players are. What God shows John might be a bit cryptic for us in the 21^st century but certainly understandable to John in his day.

What caught my eye and heart was in verse 8, I bolded the part that got me meditating.  The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come.

How God watches over His people… those whose name is NOT written in the book of life will be astonished by the beast and his counterfeit miracles.

I don’t know when all of this will play out. I don’t know if I will be alive when it happens or if I will already be with the Lord. But sometimes I wonder, will I discern the times? Will I catch God’s signs? Will I be duped by the evil one? The bolded lines above from God’s Word remind me that God will guide me through those times if I am to live through them. As His son, He will watch over me. It is not my wisdom or cleverness that will protect me. It is the mighty hand of God. And God will give me everything I need for that day, should I be alive to go through it.

In turn this bolstered my heart for today.  If God will watch over me then, He will do so today. He has given me everything I need in Him to live effectively and powerfully for Him today!

The whisper of God came to me, “Go, Bill, live boldly for Me today.”

Lord, show me how I may serve You and serve You best today. Lead me and guide me today and all of my todays for Your sake. Halleluiah Amen.