-

 Revelation 15 - Fearless and Faithful

God cares about our every thought.  God knows everything about us and wants the best for us.  But that can and should look different than worldliness.  To this end, we look at the examples of the Sons of Zebedee (James and John), James and Jude (Jesus’ brothers), Peter, Paul, and the rest of the Apostles.  God knew their every need and He provided for them; we will see their faithfulness when we meet them in heaven.

        God knows of our sicknesses, needs, motives, and vulnerabilities.  Just as He knew the needs of the Saints.  God can do more than we can ask or think immeasurably, but we must understand and fulfill our God-given responsibility.

I’m loving Roman history right now.  I can’t get enough of it.  We can learn so much from those who’ve gone before us.  The Apostle John wrote the letter of Revelation to the church when he was in his fifties - by fifty we’ve usually got some good miles under our belts.  It’s an age where we need to man up and lead well.  By this age and beyond we know that God is faithful.  And we should know by now how very much we need God.  God’s mercies never cease; thanks be to God!  Let’s be like John, fearless and joyous and confident in our God.

We are born again with living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Our inheritance is reserved for us by God in heaven.  We don’t pray for an easy street here - we pray for opportunities to shine for Jesus and to make disciples by our good example.

When John wrote down the Revelation it had been thirty years since Jesus’ ascension to heaven - yet John’s faith grew stronger.  John backed down from no authority of this world - hence the effectiveness of his ministry and the opposition he faced being exiled by Nero and again later in his life by Domitian.  With the same mindset John preached to the early church, he also led by example and feared not the evil rulers and authorities.  He went into the prisons and tough places.  He fought well to the very end.  

John didn’t love the things of this world.  Nor did he lay up for himself treasures on earth.  John led the early church just as Jesus prepared him to do.  John gave the repeated message to press on, to persevere, to fight with the divine spiritual weapons, and to do the will of God (1 John 2:15-17).

May our aim today be the aim of the Apostles of Jesus Christ: to please God and do His will.  Amen.

God desires for every person to live a disciplined and successful life (Proverbs 1:3).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

-
Image
 Leadership in Crisis           In times of tariffs and market volatility, we naturally worry.  Yet Jesus commands us not to worry (Matthew 6:25).  These are times to depend on God, increase our productivity, store up treasure where it ought to be stored, and grow.           Christ-commissioned leaders seek to advance God’s Kingdom in all spheres of our lives.  And in good times, and bad.  Green market days and red.  So in these troubled waters let’s lead with confidence in Christ.  It’s not too hard to see when a storm is coming, but when you are amid a gale the calm seems far off.  Depend on God.  Pray.  Lead.  Serve others.  And keep checking your priorities.  Are they world-focused or Kingdom-focused?            Jesus says, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need...
Read more
-
Image
 John 10 - Growth Mindset Through the Gate           Jesus says His purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life.  I’m in!           Have you ever felt more than ready for a change and a reset?  I was by Christmas and I am now.  I’m gladly watching what I eat and exercising.  It’s shocking how much more energy you have when you cut out the junk for a few weeks.  By reaching your 50s, you ought to know well what your body, mind, and soul need.  That's true, but like a child, I still feel like I’m learning new things - and need to do so.           I’m praying we all learn in this breakthrough year.  As Christians it is necessary to recalibrate weekly, nay, daily, to ensure we do not drift off course.  Shipwrecks are real.  No one can snatch you from God, but you can indeed for lack of fear of God and intentional neglect and disobedience take your ...
Read more
-
Image
 John 2:13-25 - Beer with Vance or Brunch with Baker           The church is desperate for authenticity, and genuine Christ followers.  Americans are desperate for good leaders, those who lead selflessly with hard work, intelligence, and grit.  We are sick of being lied to and sick of the hypocrisy.  It’s the same in the church.  The good news is that God shows us the way to authenticity and how to be good leaders.           I heard a local pastor a few years ago tell the congregation that if they ever see him drinking alcohol in a restaurant they should call for his resignation.  I too am for moderation and I have no problem with those who don't drink.  Good, great actually.  Yet the same legalists who preach legalistic messages are sometimes gorging themselves at the buffet and care nothing of transparency and living above reproach.  We all need to walk the walk.    ...
Read more