The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Revelation 13:9-10,
"He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints."
We hear a lot these days, and it isn't all truthful. How many times have I turned on the television only to hear some self-appointed expert in the things of God say that since God loves us he wants us to be prosperous! Since God loves us he doesn't want us to be sick or to suffer, does he?
That is one view. But there is another viewpoint, what the Scriptures actually have to say. This passage tells us that there have been, there are and/or there will be God's children, whom he loves, saints, that suffer. Captivity, imprisonment and even death await some of the ones God loves. Why does God allow it? I couldn't say. Job couldn't say and I can't either. All I know is that God has his purposes and has his own agenda. My agenda does not include captivity and being killed with the sword, but God's agenda for me may be just that.
John tells us that this calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints. The question for me is, do I find Jesus Christ worthy of my suffering for him? Well, is he? Is he really? He suffered for me, didn't he? He laid his life down for me didn't he? As the creative agent of the Trinity, I owe my very existence to him, don't I? It boils down to an observation made by the four living creatures and twenty-four elders when they sang a new song to the Lamb, "You are worthy..." They don't just stop at the point of saying Jesus Christ is worthy to open a scroll, they tell him why, "you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth."
Here is the essence of true worship. The extolling of the matchless character and nature of our Lord! The telling of his great deeds! And what is the word from the elders and creatures? That Jesus Christ is worthy! He is worthy of any suffering I am called to endure. And from this passage I see that if I am called to endure such, God will not deliver me from it, he will not intervene on my behalf. There are many passages in Scripture that point to a wonderful reward that God has for those who are his, and particularly for those who suffer for him. But, for today, no matter what comes, he is worthy! He is worthy of all patient endurance and faithfulness from me.
How about you?
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!
Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com
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