Category: Revelation

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It’s Supper Time

Maybe some of you are like me, no family this year at Thanksgiving. Our kids and their families will all be in different places. It makes me a bit envious of those who have their families living close by.

When the kids were little, we lived close enough to be with my folks but as time passed, we moved farther and farther away. The kids grew and they moved. Although we are close in heart, family holiday traditions were not high on our list.

This year we’ll be doing something new. I volunteered to cook the turkey and dressing, make the gravy and then we will share it with our neighbors, who also won’t be with family.

As I woke this morning a song was going through my head, imagine that. It was written in the 1940-1950’s by Ira Stanphill and was recorded by a myriad of Country and Gospel singers. Come Home, It’s Suppertime.

“Come home, come home, it’s suppertime
The shadows lengthen fast
Come home, come home, it’s suppertime
We’re going home at last”

Jesus told his disciples a story about a banquet that was thrown by a King. He invited many people to attend but some refused His invitation. They made one excuse after another. So, the king sent out His servants to invite those of lesser reputation in society.

“‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ 22 After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ 23 So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full.'” Luke 14:21-24 NLT

We are some of those who have been invited to this banquet. God the Father has issued the invitation. “Come home, it’s suppertime”. There will be one more banquet, a type of wedding feast. This one will be in heaven and all of us who have accepted Christ as Savior will be invited.

“A voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Give thanks to our God, you servants who are owned by Him. Give thanks to our God, you who honor Him with love and fear, both small and great.’

6 Then I heard what sounded like the voices of many people. It was like the sound of powerful rushing water. And it was like loud thunder. It said, ‘Thanks to our God. For the Lord our God is King. He is the All-powerful One. 7 Let us be full of joy and be glad. Let us honor Him, for the time has come for the wedding supper of the Lamb…

9 The angel said to me, “Write this: ‘Those who are asked to the wedding supper of the Lamb are happy.’” And he said, “These are the true words of God.” Revelation 19:5-8 NLV

God, the Father, is anticipating having all His children home. The banquet will be great. Whether you are joined by family and friends or alone this Thanksgiving, give thanks that the Father has welcomed you to His table.

Very soon we will hear, “Come home, it’s suppertime”!

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Time to Sing

Remember yesterday I told you “God’s Got This”! Well, we had the opportunity to live that out last night when we helped a camper and her kids who were in need.

Because of that, today’s post is later than normal. In fact, it’s one I recycled from years back. However, the truth conveyed has not changed.

Today’s mandate:

“Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels. The angels were around the throne, the four living beings, and the elders. There were thousands and thousands of angels—10,000 times 10,000. 12 The angels said in a loud voice,

“All power, wealth, wisdom, and strength belong to the Lamb who was killed. He is worthy to receive honor, glory, and praise!” 13 Then I heard every created being that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, everything in all these places, saying, “All praise and honor and glory and power forever and ever to the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” Revelation 5:11-13 ERV

Sing with me and all the heavenly hosts:

To Him who sits on the throne and unto the Lamb – be blessing and glory and honor and power forever!

On Labor Day, labor to enter into the rest that God has called you too.

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Open the Door

The other day I made mention of some verses in Matthew. They are part of Jesus’ sermon on the mount.

“Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. 8 Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks…11 As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.” Matthew 7:7-8, 11 CEV

Jesus said that the Father is ready to give us good things when we ask. He isn’t an evil or angry Father. He’s a good Father and He loves his children. He says ask for what we need, search for the things of value and knock on doors that we need opened.

The image I am using with this morning’s blog is a modern adaptation of several paintings that were done in the early 1900’s. I’m sure you’ve all probably seen one of those. It’s a picture of Jesus standing at the door to home knocking.

The artist based the picture on a verse from the book of Revelation.

“Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will eat together.” Revelation 3:20 CEV

In these verses, Jesus is speaking to Christians who hearts have grown cold. They are people who had a strong relationship with the Lord at one time but life got busy, worries increased, too many cares and distractions and as Jesus said they were now lukewarm in their love for Him.

Here Jesus is repeating the message of knocking, only this time it’s not us doing the knocking but it’s Him.

He spoke those words ” Knock, and the door will be opened for you.”, and now He’s knocking. He is putting His Father’s promise into practice. Jesus doesn’t want to lose relationship with any of those He loves.

He pursues us with a loving heart.

“ Then Jesus told them this story :4 If any of you has 100 sheep, and one of them gets lost, what will you do? Won’t you leave the 99 in the field and go look for the lost sheep until you find it? 5 And when you find it, you will be so glad that you will put it on your shoulder 6 and carry it home. Then you will call in your friends and neighbors and say, “Let’s celebrate! I’ve found my lost sheep.” Matthew 15:3-6 CEV

I, for one, am glad that Jesus came looking for me when I had closed the door to my heart. He didn’t give up on me, He kept knocking on my door until I opened it and our relationship was restored. His love for me had never grown cold even though mine had.

Now, the door is no longer closed. It’s always open to Him and His leading.

If you’ve closed the door to a daily relationship with the Lord I encourage you to open your heart. You’ll find Him knocking, waiting there for you to open the door and He will come in for fellowship.

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Camping Fun

You’ve probably wondered where I have been the last couple of days. I, and I don’t know how many thousands of others, have been without the service of our Verizon carrier. From what we’ve been told, a guilty party or parties vandalized the fiber optic lines and we were without service from 3:30 pm on Saturday until almost 3:30 pm on Monday.

But, I’m back!

In my last blog, I shared with you about keeping clean spiritually.

Saturday morning our youngest daughter, her husband, youngest grandchild and I went for a long walk through the campground. Dave was tasked with watching our almost 5 year-old granddaughter and her almost 7 year-old brother. When we returned from our walk and entered our campsite this is what we saw.

Two youngsters playing in the dirt – covered from head to toe in black mountain dust. I had to stop and literally laugh out loud! It was a site of pure fun for the kids and that’s what camping is all about.

Making memories. Our oldest daughter and her husband had been with Dave, watching them as they played and her comment was “what happens in the campsite, stays in the campsite”.

I think I heard God laughing too.

“And this is not all that is meaningless in our world. In this life, good people are often treated as though they were wicked, and wicked people are often treated as though they were good. This is so meaningless!

15 So I recommend having fun, because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat, drink, and enjoy life. That way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 8:14-15 NLT

Moments of real joy should fill our lives, after all, our lives in heaven will be filled with singing and there will be no sorrow or tears.

“I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” Revelation 21:3-4 NLT

Maybe we should all be a little more innocent and childlike in looking for joyful moments, especially when we must face unexpected frustrations and set backs.

“The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7 NLT

Our Father takes pleasure in bringing us joy. He wants us to experience hearts filled with joy!

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Crazy Temperatures

I don’t want to make you all jealous but this is the reason so many people come to Arizona in the winter. In the RV circles, I’ve heard it referred to as chasing 70.

70 degrees, that is.

I’m not asking for your sympathy, but this kind of weather puts me in a weird predicament. It’s warm all day, need to run a fan and occasionally turn on the A/C for a few hours and at night, I find myself pulling the covers up under my chin and turning the heat on first thing in the morning.

Shorts during the day and sweaters at night. Finding the right temperature for a constant comfort level can be challenging.

That’s how it is with many of the things we enjoy in life. I like my coffee, soup, french fries and bath water hot. My ice cream, salad, soda, fruit and cheeses cold. None of the things l listed above would be good lukewarm.

I guess that’s why these verses create such a vivid picture in my mind.

“’I know what you do. You are not hot or cold. I wish that you were hot or cold! 16 But you are only warm—not hot, not cold. So I am ready to spit you out of my mouth…So show that nothing is more important to you than living right. Change your hearts and lives. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you. And you will eat with me.” Revelation 3:15-20 ERV

Jesus was saying this to Christians. They had lost their zeal for the things of God and were wishy-washy about their commitment to Christ, lukewarm. He was admonishing them to “turn up the heat” on their spiritual lives. Christ knows we can’t do it alone, so he said, “if you invite me in, we’ll have breakfast, lunch and dinner together”. It will change your life!

Sad to say but I was a lukewarm Christian for many years. Just going through the routine of saying prayers over meals, praying occasionally (complaining) and reading my Bible from time to time. No warmth.

And then, through a series of events, the Lord showed me how much He loved me. He always had and He always will!

“You accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, so continue to live following him. 7 You must depend on Christ only, drawing life and strength from him. Just as you were taught the truth, continue to grow stronger in your understanding of it. And never stop giving thanks to God.” Colossians 2:6-7 ERV

This was my turning point – drawing my strength, my very life, from Him. My spiritual temperature began to rise and I can honestly say it’s better to be hot than lukewarm.

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Not Today!

This morning’s blog came with great emphasis in my heart this morning – no fear, not today!

All through the night a song from Sunday’s worship service kept running through my mind. It was published by Bethel Music, just last year, (I must give credit where credit is due), “No Longer Slaves”.

From my mother’s womb
You have chosen me
Love has called my name
I’ve been born again to a family
Your blood flows through my veins

I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I’m no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

Fear can be paralyzing; fear can be demoralizing; it robs the richness of life – an abundant life that Christ came to give us.

“ A thief comes only to rob, kill, and destroy. I came so that everyone would have life, and have it in its fullest.” John 10:10 CEV

“ God’s Spirit doesn’t make cowards out of us. The Spirit gives us power, love, and self-control.” II Timothy 1:7 CEV

Every day we are bombarded with fearful reports. “There’s a storm coming; the crime rate is up; the newest COVID cases; inflation; shortage on the grocery store shelves…and the list goes on.

NO!! Not today! I will not be a slave to fear, I am God’s child and He is my protector and my provision.

Not today! I am with the Shepherd and He uses His rod to beat back my enemies!

“I may walk through valleys as dark as death, but I won’t be afraid. You are with me, and your shepherd’s rod makes me feel safe.” Psalm 23:4 CEV

Not today! God is with us; He will protect us!

“Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Don’t tremble with fear. I am your God. I will make you strong, as I protect you with my arm and give you victories.” Isaiah 41:10 CEV

Not today! Christ is in control!

“Don’t be afraid! I am the first, the last, 18 and the living one. I died, but now I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys to death and the world of the dead.” Revelation 1:17-18 CEV

Not today, dear friend – you are God’s child and He has promised to never leave you!!

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King of All

As I read through the verses in Ephesians 1 again this morning, I had this memory. It was from a scene in the movie, “Titanic”. Maybe you remember it too. Leonardo DeCaprio stood on the bow and yelled out “I am king of the world”.

That’s how I feel when I read verses throughout the New Testament like our final verses today.

“I pray that the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ may give you the wisdom of His Spirit. Then you will be able to understand the secrets about Him as you know Him better. 18 I pray that your hearts will be able to understand. I pray that you will know about the hope given by God’s call. I pray that you will see how great the things are that He has promised to those who belong to Him. 19 I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him. 20 It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. This same power put Christ at God’s right side in heaven. 21 This place was given to Christ. It is much greater than any king or leader can have. No one else can have this place of honor and power. No one in this world or in the world to come can have such honor and power. 22 God has put all things under Christ’s power and has made Him to be the head leader over all things of the church. 23 The church is the body of Christ. It is filled by Him Who fills all things everywhere with Himself.” Ephesians 1:17-23 NLV

The power of God that we were discussing yesterday is the authority that Christ has in heaven – authority over ALL things. Nothing or no one has preeminence over Christ. He is ruler of this world and the world to come.

Now here’s what Paul wants us to understand. This authority and power that Christ has makes Him the head of the church, not a religious organization, but the church, those who believe in Christ. We become a collective body with Christ as our head.

As His body, He fills us with Himself – with His power and authority!

“I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. 10 And because you belong to Christ you are complete, having everything you need. Christ is ruler over every other power and authority.” Colossians 2:9-10 ERV

We have everything we need because we are complete in Christ!

“May kindness and peace be yours from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness. Jesus was the first to conquer death, and he is the ruler of all earthly kings. Christ loves us, and by his blood he set us free from our sins.6 He lets us rule as kings and serve God his Father as priests. To him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6 CEV

The power and authority we have as believers in Christ is not of our own making. It is given to us by God Almighty. Jesus is our example of kingly authority. He never did anything for selfish gain; He never retaliated in anger; He never showed prejudice or favoritism.

He is a just and loving King. “I pray that you will know how great His power is for those who have put their trust in Him”. I pray that you will know this too; that we all will know by experience the great authority and power that God has for us.

He is King of All!

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The First Noel

The last few days have been very busy; picking up our new RV and getting boxes unpacked and finding places for everything. Long and tiring days.

When I woke up later this morning, I sat quietly in front of the electric fireplace waiting patiently for the coffee to finish brewing and a song began to waft through my head.

The First Noel the angel did say
Was to certain poor shepherds
in fields as they lay;
In fields as they lay, keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter’s night that was so deep.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.

We hear this song sung every year and this morning I finally asked Google what the definition of Noel is:

“Noël is “Christmas” in French. Noel can also mean good news, coming from the French phrase bonnes nouvelles (“good news”). Noel can even mean birthday. With this meaning understood, no wonder we sing Noel at Christmas to celebrate the good news of the birth of Jesus!” from Christianity author Kristi Walker

But that day when Christ was born, there was no such thing as “Christmas”. All of Jewish society had been waiting for the birth of the Messiah. It had been predicted for hundreds of years. So, the words of the song are a little inaccurate as far as the French meaning but spot on when you consider it also means good news.

There was no greater news than “ But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay.” Luke 2:11-12 CEV

If that was the “First Noel” will there be a final Noel? For those of us who have received Christ as Savior there will never be a final Noel. We read in the book of Revelation that heaven will be a place of constant praise and adoration.

“And so they stand before the throne of God and worship him in his temple day and night.
The one who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. 16 They will never hunger
or thirst again, and they won’t be troubled by the sun or any scorching heat.

17 The Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. He will lead them to streams of life-giving water, and God will wipe all tears from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15-17 CEV

Heaven will be a place of worship, day and night. As long as there is God in heaven, and there always will be, we will be singing His praise and remembering the time of the “First Noel”.

Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel – born is the king of Israel!

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Thankful for Wisdom

I have to share with you briefly this morning. Yesterday morning, as I sat here in my chair talking to the Father about some things that had been keeping my mind in a spin I received the clarity I needed to make what I know is a right decision.

Here’s how it happened: I was talking to the Father. We’ve been praying over some real decisions for the past four months. Each step we have taken, we have taken with peace. However, in the last few weeks Dave and I have had multiple situations coming in from all sides. There are times when one or the other of us has been overwhelmed.

We know that’s not God, that’s not His peace. Friday night was like that, so much so that I couldn’t sleep. I asked for wisdom…

“If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking.” James 1:5 CEV

So I was laying everything out to the Father. I knew He knows the details but it helps me to speak it out or write it down so I can see my thoughts clearly. I had a peace that everything would work out right but I still didn’t have the way to do it.

I began to write to a friend. I was emailing her and began telling her the same thing I asked the Lord about. As I was putting it down on the page the answer came to my heart. I told her thank you for listening and helping me see the right path. But more than her, for she had said nothing, it was the Lord directing my path.

I am so thankful for God’s wisdom!

“Share your plans with the Lord, and you will succeed.” Proverbs 16:3 CEV

God is faithful. We can never take Him anything that He has to stop and say, “Wow, that’s a big one Kris. I’m not sure what you should do”. No, He has infinite wisdom. He is wisdom! If you’re struggling today with decisions bring them to the Father. Lay them before Him and ask for wisdom and then thank Him for the answers.

“The angels who stood around the throne knelt in front of it with their faces to the ground. The elders and the four living creatures knelt there with them. Then they all worshiped God 12 and said,

“Amen! Praise, glory, wisdom,
    thanks, honor, power,
and strength belong to our God
    forever and ever! Amen!” Revelation 7:11-12 CEV

All of heaven praises the Father for His wisdom, power, glory and strength – we should too!

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Red Carpet Treatment

How many of you have seen those celebratory events where the red carpet is rolled out in honor of a special occasion?

It seems every sport, association, organization and political group has their own red carpet event honoring the best of the best.

Just last weekend there was another awards show on television and every news outlet and society page has carried a story about who attended, what they were wearing, how they performed and who the big winner was.

It’s like a fairy tale. A dream come true. Being recognized by the world for your accomplishments. Most of us will never walk a red carpet and have an adoring public calling our name.

However, those of us who know Christ have a much greater celebration awaiting us!

Remember yesterday’s verses? We are heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus. Our Father has given us an amazingly, incomprehensible inheritance. We will do more than walk a red carpet for just a few hours. We will walk on streets of gold for all eternity!

“The wall was made of jasper, and the city was pure gold, as clear as glass. 19 The wall of the city was built on foundation stones inlaid with twelve precious stones: the first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were made of pearls—each gate from a single pearl! And the main street was pure gold, as clear as glass.” Revelation 21:18-21 NLT

The Apostle John gives us the above description of heaven. It sounds beautiful, absolutely heavenly. But that’s just part of it. There won’t be a golden award to place on a mantel. What we receive is so much greater. We will receive a new body – no pain, no sickness, no tears, no heartache or death. Our minds will be new – no senility, no tormenting thoughts, no emotional distress, no deficiencies; peaceful, strong minds.

“I heard a loud voice coming from heaven. It said, “See! God’s home is with men. He will live with them. They will be His people. God Himself will be with them. He will be their God.  4 God will take away all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have passed away.” 5 Then the One sitting on the throne said, “See! I am making all things new. Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Revelation 21:3-5 NLV

And we will be in the presence of God Almighty. We will see Jesus face to face and we will hear Him say “I am making all thngs new”.

I can truthfully say that I do not crave any earthly red carpet treatment. My desire is to live in glory with the King of Kings and walk the streets of gold!

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