May 25, 2023

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE READING:

“As I watched, I heard an eagle that was flying in midair call out in a loud voice: ‘Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!‘.” (Revelation 8.13)

TODAY’S REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

There is truth that knowledge alone does not save us or provide for us a “true understanding.” We are called to walk, that is live, by faith and not by sight. We are taught that “faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11.1) In order to “understand” the Book of Revelation, we must have faith. We must have faith not in ourselves (that we should boast) or in anything of this world (that we should be deceived), but faith in God alone who in Christ “is the author and perfector, finisher, of our faith as Christ seeing the joy that was established before Him endured the cross and was then restored to sit at God’s right hand.” (Hebrews 12.2) that we might be saved being brought through death into eternal life. By faith, we acknowledge that Jesus is the Christ. By faith, we accept that Jesus was born of a virgin called by God to be born as a man while He was yet fully God. By faith, we trust in His Word which brought to bear all the prophecies from the Old Covenant witness which spoke of His coming. By faith, we seize upon His willing sacrifice to evidence so great a love as this world has never or will ever know when He took up His cross and followed the will of God to Calvary for our sake. By faith, we accept that He who surrendered His Spirit into the hands of God and was dead and buried in a sealed tomb was raised from that grave and given the Spirit of life back to walk on earth as He would in Heaven. By faith, we hold dear the outpouring and indwelling of the anointing of that promised Holy Spirit on all who will believe in Him and on Him so that knowledge becomes wisdom, wisdom becomes confidence and confidence becomes our hope. By faith, we know our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. By faith, we do not lament the days which are ahead nor allow ourselves to be so caught up in the imagery presented but embrace the message which that imagery declares. That message is “we must hold true to our faith in God through Christ by the Holy Spirit.” We must cling to it as we do to the cross we are called to take up and follow after Him. We do so knowing that “In this world there will be trouble but we must be at peace because we already know what is ahead: He has overcome the world.” (John 16.33) We know this because He has told us and shown us by the testimony of His own life who is in store for us in this world on earth as in the next when His Kingdom comes in all its fullness. We may be surrounded by horrible circumstances and the wages of sin which is death shall stand on every side. Yet, when the trumpets of the Lord shall sound, we shall tremble but not fall; we shall shudder but not faint; we will walk but not grow weary; we shall stand and not be moved. Why? Because, mighty ones of God, we are clothed in the full armor of God made sure by “Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” His call, His promise and His anointing is on us. He never fails to deliver. So, as bad as it seems it is not yet as bad as it will get. In the words of the mighty eagle who soars in the heights of heaven “Woe, woe, to those who inhabit the earth for there is more to come!” We are called to endure because we have faith in the joy which is established before us. It shall be ours and is already. Nothing can deny it to us but our lack of faith, not our unbelief. There are many things which we do not yet know nor do we understand. But, this one thing is for sure if we know Christ as Lord and Savior: in Him there is life and that life is the light for all people; it is the light which the darkness cannot overcome nor consume. (John 1.4) So, let us stand in His light and His life putting on faith on Him who has put His faith in us…regardless of the circumstances that have been, now are and are yet to be. –Selah

A PRAYER FOR TODAY:

You are our God and we shall be Your people in spirit and in truth. Continue to dwell among us. Let the revelation by Your Holy Spirit inspire us to greater service in a more refined identity. We do not live as ourselves for ourselves. Rather, we live in Christ as He lives in us. We declare it with all the elders and angels in Heaven, saying “Holy, holy, holy is He who was and is and is to come.” In Jesus’ name we live, serve and pray. AMEN.