Read Revelation 4:1-11

“Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”
(Revelation 4:8)

Thoughts… When you read John’s awesome, breathtaking description of God upon his throne, it only makes sense that the continual activity of heaven is the worship of Almighty God. That is what the angels, the elders and all living creatures do: they fall before the Creator of all and worship.

That is what you and I will do when we get there. One second in God’s presence and we will be overcome with worship. Our eyes, our minds, our mouths, our hearts, our bodies—every fiber of our beings—will be completely and irrevocably undone when we finally gaze upon Him who loves us more than we can comprehend, and we, too, will fall before the throne and join the chorus of heavenly hosts singing,

“Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come.”

That day is coming—sooner that you think. Finally, and fully, you will be able to express your love and devotion to God as you deeply long to worship Him in your heart. But for now, you have opportunity to worship God in the community of the saints as you gather to praise Him in church. When you lift your voice in song, you are practicing what you will be doing one day in heaven.

So lose yourself in the wonder of worship now. You are only engaging in the activity of heaven. If you are bored with worship now; if don’t like the style of worship now; if you see worship as the warm up act for the sermon now—then you are now going to enjoy heaven all that much.

The next time you have opportunity to worship, imagine yourself before the throne of God with all of the redeemed—and cut loose with your praise. The details of the worship service do not matter—the song selection, the style of music, the worship leader, the skill of the musicians. Worship is not for you anyway; it is for God.

So express yourself as best you know how and give all the glory and praise to God. Make it your aim to bring a smile to his face.

You are going to do that one day in heaven. Why not get it right in the here and now!

Prayer… Father God, you are worthy of praise. All glory and honor belong to you. You are holy, and you alone deserve my worship.

One More Thing… “The Scotch catechism says that man’s chief end is ‘to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ But we shall then know that these are the same thing. Fully to enjoy is to glorify. In commanding us to glorify Him, God is inviting us to enjoy Him.” —C.S. Lewis

Read: Revelation 3:7-22

“To the church in Philadelphia…To the church in Laodicea…”
(Revelation 3:7 & 14)

Thoughts… Throughout the centuries, Biblical scholars have interpreted the letters to the seven churches in Revelation in a variety of ways. Some have suggested that these letters are written literally to seven contemporary churches throughout Asia Minor during the time of John’s imprisonment, describing real conditions that existed in those churches. Others suggest that these seven churches represent eras of church history, with the last two, Philadelphia and Laodicea, concurrently representing the condition of the church at the end of time.

However you wish to interpret, the message to these last two churches is clear, and quite applicable to the church in our day. At this point, a couple of thoughts come to mind:

One, God assesses the condition of his church way differently than we do. What we consider weak, ineffective and unattractive in a church God considers whole because of that church’s fidelity to his Word. Size, slickness and sizzle do not impress God if his Word is not being honored above all else.

On the other hand, what we might consider attractive, powerful, and impacting in a church because of its bigness, buildings and budget, God may assess as way off the mark because Biblical truth has been neglected or compromised, all in the name of cultural relevance and church growth.

That leads to the second thought: Beware of all the bells and whistles when evaluating the church. If these last two churches do represent the condition of the church in the last days, it is rather obvious that many of our churches are indeed the church at Laodicea. Don’t get caught up in the personality cult and celebrity worship of TV preachers or the hype of the mega-church.

Ask yourself: Does my church honor God’s Word above all else? Is my pastor and are my spiritual leaders truly people of God—full of the Holy Spirit, evidenced by the fruit of the Spirit in their lives, bent on fulfilling the purposes of God for the church without compromise? Is this a church with whom God is well pleased?

If so, then you’ve got a great church. If not, start praying!

Prayer… Father, purify you church, that we might be the Bride of Christ, pure, spotless, and ready for the return of the Bridegroom.

One More Thing… “God doesn’t look for charisma, his looks at character.”

Read: Revelation 2:18-3:6

“To him who overcomes and does my will to the end,
I will give authority over the nations.”
(Revelation 2:26)

Thoughts… I am spending a few days in London on my way back from a missions trip to Africa. One of the places I visited yesterday was Buckingham Palace—home to the kings and queens of England. Although British royalty has no real authority and power in British politics these days, they still hold sway in the hearts of the English people. To say that the British are infatuated with royalty would be an understatement.

I found myself sharing that infatuation as I watched the palace guards and observed the fawning attentiveness of the onlookers. Most people feel the same no matter where they are from. There is just something about ruling and reigning and royalty that is planted deep within the human heart, and we just can’t get away from it.

Perhaps our infatuation is really a deep spiritual longing to experience what God has planned for us in eternity: To reign with Christ and rule over the nations in his eternal kingdom. From our reading in Revelation today, John teaches that this kind of royal authority is waiting for us when time ends and eternity begins: “I will give [you] authority over the nations.”

However, there is a condition to our eternal royalty. We must overcome the evil one in this life. We must wrestle with our sinful nature and, through the help of the Spirit of God, overpower it. We must do the will of God all of our days until the very end of life. In other words, what we do now in this life counts in the life to come. Our purity, our integrity, our submission to God’s will, our partnership with the purpose of God matters a great deal.

That is why day-by-day, we must give every effort to our part of the salvation equation. God has marvelously saved us by his grace through faith we place in Jesus and his saving work. There is nothing we can add to it.

Yet our response to salvation is critical. Out of love for God, gratitude for his gracious gift of eternal life, and in preparation for our eternal calling, we must give maximum and sustained effort now to overcome the evil one. We must expend our full energies in doing God’s will and fulfilling his purposes each and every day of our lives for the rest of our lives.

Our lives now are a staging ground for what will take place in eternity. Therefore, we would be wise today to invest in time in such a way that it will pay off handsomely in the age to come.

Prayer… Father, you have redeemed me not just to keep me out of hell, but to fulfill your glorious purposes both now and for all eternity. I want to give my best efforts today, and every day until I die, so that one day I can rule and reign over the nations with my Lord Jesus Christ. With your help, I will overcome and do your will to the full.

One More Thing… “He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent.” —St. Augustine

Read Revelation 2:1-17

“Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.
Remember the height from which you have fallen!
Repent and do the things you did at first.”
(Revelation 2:4-5)

Thoughts… Like the love of a husband and wife that grows cold through the years, so a church can grow could in their love for the Lord. That would be true for individual believers as well.

You can do all the right things—go to church, sing in the choir, give in the offering, teach a Sunday School class, participate in an outreach, share your faith—yet not be head-over-heels in love with Jesus like you were when he first redeemed you. Your actions are there. Your head is there. But your heart isn’t!

It is not like you hate God, or are angry with him. It’s not even that you ignore him or are indifferent to him. You just have not kept your love for him as your number one priority. But the truth is, God wants your heart more than anything else.

So what can you do if that is the case? Jesus gave John the cure in verse 5: First, you must remember what it was like when Jesus first found you! Remember the passion, the energy, the willingness, the excitement you had for the Lord in those days. You were consumed with him. Dwell on that for a while until you long for the thrill of those days once again.

Second, you must repent! You have forsaken your number one priority: To nurture a loving relationship with Jesus Christ. To neglect that is a sin, an offense to the One who loved you so much that he gave his life to redeem you. Allow sorrow to fill your heart over grieving him. Ask him to forgive you. Make a 180-degree turn in your present behavior so as to live in congruence with those words of repentance.

And three, return to the things you did at first. Rediscover the joy and thrill that you once knew in walking with Jesus. Go to church with an attitude of anticipation. Enter into worship with joy. Express your love to God with passion. Share you faith with the lost. Serve the poor. Give generously. Act like you are in love with Jesus, and soon you will feel love for Jesus like you did at first.

The Lord wants your love more than anything else. Love him first. Love him early and often. Love him again as you did at first. Love him above all else, and everything else will fall into place.

Prayer… Jesus, I do love you. However, I have taken you for granted. I have often been more engaged in doing for you than in loving you. Forgive me. With the help of your Holy Spirit, I will keep my love for you as the first and highest priority of my life.

One More Thing… “Love God, and do what you want.” —St. Augustine

Read Revelation 1:1-20

“Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy,
and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart
what is written in it, because the time is near.”
(Revelation 1:3)

Thoughts… John was promising God’s blessings upon those who read and acted upon the words of his prophetic revelation. The same double blessing applies to all of God’s Word—both Old and New Testaments alike.

Today, when you read the Bible, there is a blessing that will be upon you. You are not just reading another book, you are reading God’s Book. You hold in your hand the very revelation of God himself, inspired by God, revealing God’s nature, God’s will for all of mankind—which includes you, and God’s plan for the ages.

To all who read with an open heart and a humble spirit, God’s favor will rest. But there is another, even better blessing: It is for those who not only read the Word of God, it is for those who act upon it. This blessing is for those who translate their belief into behavior.

As you read this portion of Scripture, the Revelation of John, what behavior is required of you? Simply this: Since this prophecy concerns God’s plan for the end of days, you must seek to apply it in readying yourself for Christ’s return.

So then, how do you actually live such a ready life? First, you must live with an end-time perspective. Verse 7 says, “Look, he is coming with the clouds…” Jesus is coming soon, and everything you think, say or do ought to be lived in the light of his return.

Second, you must realize that you have been redeemed to be both a king and a priest in God’s eternal reign. Verses 5-6 remind us, “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priest to serve his God and Father…” You are going to rule and reign with Jesus in the eternal kingdom soon, so you ought to act like a king and priest now!

And third, until then, you must patiently endure trial and tribulation. In verse 9, John reveals himself as “your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus…” John was able to endure great hardship—harder than you will ever face, most likely, because he knew what was coming. When you know the end of the story—that you win—you can put up with anything in your present circumstances.

Reading and receiving the blessing promised in this book requires you to adjust your beliefs and your behaviors to it. So develop an eternal perspective, act like the priest of God’s kingdom that you are, and patiently endure difficulty.

When you do, one day you will be handsomely rewarded for it!

Prayer… Dear Lord, I have read the opening words of your Revelation of end-time events. Now bless me, I ask. And even more, strengthen me to put it into practice this day—and everyday until you return.

One More Thing… “Looking forward to the eternal world is not…a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.” —C.S. Lewis