Every day, rain or shine, is a day for growth. As Christian leaders, we recognize the spiritual battle we are in every day and know that we will be held responsible for leading others in this battle. God is the one who makes us new creations in Christ and equips us for every good work.
God works through His people. The exciting thing is that God’s people are many, and more of us are joining His family daily across the globe. As servant leaders, we are responsible for helping others grow and pursue their potential with confidence. Scripture commands the Christian to grow in virtue, knowledge, and humble confidence in who we are in Christ. Encourage another believer today with the truth that we are created in the image of God with free will and that God has an eternal home for us.
We read in Revelation 14 that those who die having faith in Christ are blessed. “For they will rest from their hard work; for their good deeds follow them!” (Rev. 14:13). Amen. Thanks be to God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are a people of purpose, people of God’s promise. We can and must influence for good. Our God hears and answers our prayers. God desires that our families, communities, and our nations be good and just. That requires us to be courageous and to work hard. A day of rest will come. But today is a day of hard work.
By God’s grace, we will prosper in all things. Excellent things. And by His mercy, we will have all that we need to succeed, good health, clear minds, and unity in purpose. You can tell genuine Christians by the way they act. They are supposed to be known for their love, rejecting discord, dissension, and all things of the flesh. Hard-working servant leaders strive for self-control and yield to the supernatural guidance of the Spirit of Christ.
We pray to God that He will keep us from presumptuous sins so that we don’t let our wrong assumptions rule over us (Psalm 19:12-13). Those of us a little long in the tooth know we still have a lot to learn. As we are blessed and encouraged by Revelation let us be open to learning from the Holy Spirit. God is our teacher. He’s taught us since our youth and He’s teaching us today as older men. Some lessons are hard to learn, but we serve a God of miracles. And for the person that Jesus teaches He commands that we apply the lessons He’s taught us as we teach younger men. It’s time we take our God-given responsibilities seriously.
God’s confirmation here that blessed are those who die in the Lord from now on (14:13) is a key verse to understanding the Kingdom of God). This Scripture would have been incredibly powerful and encouraging to those readers of the first century. God was showing them that having the mark of God was essential. And that they could trust in God. They were to endure, obey Christ, and maintain their faith in Jesus. Yes, there would be as there always are those who would turn away and who would not keep the faith. But many would obey God and persevere through the persecution of the Sanhedrin and the Roman Empire. We too can persevere and trust in God’s promise of rest. We can face any obstacle. We are commanded to work hard. God will judge each of us and He confirms here that there is a blessing for believers who lay up treasure in heaven by their good deeds in this life.
Scripture aligns with Scripture. God is consistent. We see that in the Apostle John’s message here in Rev. 14 with the Apostle Paul’s message in Romans. Paul (like James) told the early church to rejoice in their tribulations, knowing that the tribulation produces perservenare; and perservrane, character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-5). God’s promise of blessing will not disappoint. We can trust Jesus.
We read in Revelation a lot about having the mark of God, the mark of the Lamb. We know what it means to be a follower of Christ. It means following the Lamb with our mind, and our with all our strength. Those who follow God grow in purity and righteousness. Many early Christians took heed of the Mark 13 Prophcey of Jesus and scattered abroad. Many men and women were persecuted by the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem and throughout the Roman Empire - but especially for 42 months in Rome. Those who were persecuted and killed in the first century's wrath died yet were in heaven with God. They were in the very presence of God - righteous in His sight - and singing a wonderful new song. Redeemed in Christ by faith, purchased by the blood of the Lamb.
Jesus Reigns. He’s the King of kings. Our job is to work hard and grow in Christ. We are not to speculate about the day and the hour of Jesus Judgment Day. It will come. Be prepared in every way. But be ready. Maintain your faith in Christ today. Let’s increase our faith and Christ and grow. We are warned not to drift from Christ, and not to engage in behaviors that can shipwreck our faith.
Lord Jesus, please guide our words thoughts, and motives. Please do not let our hearts yearn for evil. Help us to get the rest we need to fight well. And let no iniquity have dominion over us (greed, envy, sexual impurity, pride, anger). Lord Jesus, please help us to grow in virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love.
Amen.
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