Category: Revelation

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He Reigns

The news has been filled with stories on world leaders; some have died, some refuse to vacate the office that is no longer theirs and others are vying to be elected.

However, there is one King, the King of Kings, who will never be dethroned.

“ For God is the King of all the earth. Sing praises with a well written song. 8 God rules over the nations. God sits on His holy throne. 9 The rulers of the people have gathered together as the people of the God of Abraham. For the powers of the earth belong to God. He is much honored.” Psalm 47:7-9 NLV

Through the ages many have sat on thrones and commanded homage. Peoples have been subjected to cruel and unjust rulers while others have heralded theirs as wise, kind, righteous and good.

But none of those rulers have ruled for any great length of time.

We are blessed to be under the lordship of the eternal King.

“‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God All-Powerful. He always was, he is, and he is coming.’…They worshiped him who lives forever and ever. They put their crowns down before the throne and said, 11 ‘Our Lord and God! You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power.
You made all things. Everything existed and was made because you wanted it.’” Revelation 4:8-12 ERV

When there is so much uncertainty, we who have a relationship with Christ can trust His immutability, His unconditional love, His mercy and His grace.

“‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” This saying is true, and it can be trusted. I was the worst sinner of all! 16 But since I was worse than anyone else, God had mercy on me and let me be an example of the endless patience of Christ Jesus. He did this so that others would put their faith in Christ and have eternal life. 17 I pray that honor and glory will always be given to the only God, who lives forever and is the invisible and eternal King! Amen.” I Timothy 1:15-17 CEV

Before we close there is one more thing that we must always remember about our King of Kings and Lord of Lords, who reigns eternal. He is just, absolutely, and He is merciful and gracious and always ready to help us in our time of need.

“ Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment].” Hebrews 4:16 AMP

There is a song which will be sung in heaven but maybe you will join me in singing it now.

“Then I heard all beings in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and in the sea offer praise. Together, all of them were saying, “Praise, honor, glory, and strength forever and ever to the one who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” Revelation 5:13 CEV

Our God Reigns!

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Who Is God?

I’ve enjoyed having the last couple of mornings to sleep in and days to do nothing but relax and soak in the beauty around me. But I’ve missed sharing with each of you.

We all have times when we need to pull aside and let our heavenly Father speak in His reassuring words, reminding us who He is and what He desires to do for us and in us.

I found you a peaceful place to sit and listen to His voice. Join me at the creek side and hear the Lord speak.

To Abraham: Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. Genesis 15:1

“I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1

To Moses: “And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14

To Israel in the wilderness: “for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2

To David: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10

To those who followed Him, Jesus said: “I am that bread of life.” John 6:48

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, ” John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” John 11:25

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

To the church: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

God the Father isn’t the I was; He is the great I AM!

We can spend time looking at the problems in our world, our society, our lives but I encourage you to look at the answer and not the problem. Look to the Father, He is the answer; He knows the way to go!

“Great blessings belong to those who don’t listen to evil advice, who don’t live like sinners, and who don’t join those who make fun of God. 2 Instead, they love the Lord’s teachings and think about them day and night. 3 So they grow strong, like a tree planted by a stream—
a tree that produces fruit when it should and has leaves that never fall. Everything they do is successful.” Psalm 1:1-3 ERV

Who is God? He’s our loving Father and He is all we need!

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Year End

Good morning!

Today I slept in. I think the activities of the last week and the two days of travel caught up with me and my body needed the extra rest. But now that I’m awake, I’m ready to go. Sitting here with coffee in hand I’m thinking about the year of 2023.

There were some great moments of joy and excitement, unexpected blessings, times of peace. Some once-in-a-lifetime moments. There were also some days of heartache and loss, times when we needed to comfort and encourage, times when we needed comfort.

How will our year end?

If we trust in the Lord it should end the way it started – with expectancy.

“Christ has made us a holy nation of religious leaders who can go to His God and Father. He is the One to receive honor and power forever! Let it be so. 7 See! He is coming in the clouds. Every eye will see Him. Even the men who killed Him will see Him. All the people on the earth will cry out in sorrow because of Him. Yes, let it be so. 8 The Lord God says, ‘I am the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of all things. I am the All-powerful One Who was and Who is and Who is to come.'” Revelation 1:6-8 NLV

Our Father has been here from the very beginning, He always was and has always been.

“In the beginning God made from nothing the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 NLV

In the beginning God!

“ I am the First and the Last. I am the beginning and the end. ” Revelation 22:13 NLV

At the end of all things is God!

It is my goal each day to encourage you in your walk with the Lord. I want you to know that God desires to be a part of everything you do – the mundane and the marvelous. He wants to be your first thought in the morning and your final thought each night.

His love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness are limitless. The character of God has no end.

As this year ends celebrate! Celebrate the goodness of God. As the new year begins celebrate. Celebrate the faithfulness of your loving heavenly Father and thank Him for the marvelous plans He has for you!.

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24/7/365

I have to tell you; I love finding God in every day occurrences.

I can find Him in the grocery store, in traffic, at a noisy NASCAR race, in the still quiet of the morning. I can find Him while holding David’s hand in prayer, in conversation with friends, in spontaneous outbursts from my grandchildren. I can even find God in a Hallmark movie or in the commercials that come in between shows on television.

That’s where I found the Lord speak to me yesterday. I had one of those sentimental movies playing on television while I sat knitting a Christmas stocking. I wasn’t really paying much attention to the movie, it was the commercial that gained my attention.

I don’t remember what item was being prompted but the dialogue said something like this, “it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year through”. I looked up and said out loud, “that’s God love! It’s the 24/7, 365 gift. That’ll preach.”

I told Dave, “I have tomorrow’s blog title”. 24/7/365

Today I will share with you some of those 24/7/365 verses that mean so much to me.

“The Lord came to us from far away, saying, “I have loved you with a love that lasts forever. So I have helped you come to Me with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3 NLV

“When the rain-bow is in the cloud, I will look upon it to remember the agreement that will last forever between God and every living thing of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the special thing to see because of the agreement I have made between Me and all flesh upon the earth.” Genesis 9:16-17 NLV

“Go into His gates giving thanks and into His holy place with praise. Give thanks to Him. Honor His name. 5 For the Lord is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. And He is faithful to all people and to all their children-to-come.” Psalm 100:4-5 NLV

“For to us a Child will be born. To us a Son will be given. And the rule of the nations will be on His shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Teacher, Powerful God, Father Who Lives Forever, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 NLV

“Trust in the Lord forever. For the Lord God is a Rock that lasts forever.” Isaiah 26:4 NLV

“Those whom the Lord has paid for and set free will return. They will come to Zion with singing. Joy that lasts forever will crown their heads. They will be glad and full of joy. Sorrow and sad voices will be gone.” Isaiah 35:10 NLV

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Whoever puts his trust in God’s Son will not be lost but will have life that lasts forever.” John 3:16 NLV

“We give honor and thanks to the King Who lives forever. He is the One Who never dies and Who is never seen. He is the One Who knows all things. He is the only God. Let it be so.” I Timothy 1:7 NLV

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13 NLT

There you have it. Love, promises, strength, joy, loving-kindness or mercy, Father, King and life – all of these gifts are from our Eternal Father and all of these gifts are eternal – 24/7/365. God’s gifts to us!

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A Place of Worship

Recently our granddaughter was in Montreal, and she visited the Notre Dame Cathedral there. She sent us a picture and it is absolutely stunning, breathtaking as a matter of fact.

Churches and Cathedrals were once built to reflect the glory and majesty of God.

I have read over and over again the instructions that God gave Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle, which was the place of worship for the Israelites. It needed to be portable and easy to move during their wanderings in the desert, but it was also ornate and full of rich detail. Massive amounts of gold were fashioned for the decor. Only the finest linen was used, gemstones were hewn for the priests’ breastplates, even the carrying poles had gold rings and end caps.

This was God’s house and it had to reflect His grandeur of His majesty.

But as beautiful as that Tabernacle was only the priests could enjoy the beauty. Not everyone had open access to enter.

However, when Christ came a different and more common temple was fashioned.

“You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. 20 God paid a great price for you. So use your body to honor God.” I Corinthians 6:19-20 CEV

We, the body of believers, are the dwelling place for the Spirit of God. We’re not quite as fancy with gilded walls and tapestries but we are where God has chosen to dwell.

“ 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

Christ asks our permission for entrance. He desires to make His home in our hearts, bringing His supernatural character to our natural existence.

“My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.

20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.” Ephesians 3:15-20 MSG

All He asks of us is permission to enter, an open door into our lives. His presence makes us a glorious temple, a place of worship.

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Up Close & Personal

This morning as I was praying, I found myself thinking about and depending on my “personal” relationship with my heavenly Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit.

My Father, my Savior and older brother, my Holy Spirit given as helper, comforter and constant counsellor.

It would have been strange, growing up, to have called my dad the Father. Nothing personal about that.

I have an older brother and I always called him by his name because we had a personal and loving relationship. I have no counsellor or trusted confidant but one and I call him Holy Spirit.

With all three, my relationship is deeply personal. That’s the way He designed it to be.

He was always willing to announce who He is and who He desires to be in our lives.

To Abraham: “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis 15:1

“I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” Genesis 17:1

To Moses: “And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.” Exodus 3:14

To Israel in the wilderness: “for I am the Lord that healeth thee.” Exodus 15:26

“I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” Exodus 20:2

To David: “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth” Psalm 46:10

To those who followed Him, Jesus said: “I am that bread of life.” John 6:48

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” John 8:12

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, ” John 10:9

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.” John 10:11

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” John 15:5

To the church: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8

God the Father isn’t the I was but He is the great I AM!

We can spend time looking at the problems in our world and our lives, but I encourage you to look at the answer and not the problem!

“May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ…4 Even before the world was made, God chose us for Himself because of His love. He planned that we should be holy and without blame as He sees us. 5 God already planned to have us as His own children. This was done by Jesus Christ. In His plan God wanted this done.” Ephesians 1:2-5 NLV

Our Father chose us before the world began. He has no greater desire than to have us as His children. He wants us to be up close and personal.

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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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