Today's Worship: Our passionate God.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 12:14,

 

 "Ephraim has bitterly provoked him [the Lord] to anger; his Lord will leave upon him the guilt of his bloodshed and will repay him for his contempt."

 

Israel had turned from God, rejecting him, "The land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." Hosea 1:2. The resulting and inevitable decline as a nation into increasing sin and wickedness is clearly evidenced by the Lord's indictment of the Israelites. He will repay Israel for their guilt of bloodshed and contempt.

 

What is clear here is that God is no mere ethical principle or standard to live up to. He is a real person with real feelings, and as seen here, a passionate person at that. The sin of the Israelites has "bitterly provoked him to anger". God is not pictured here as a judge at his bench dispensing justice in some impersonal, untouched manner. He reveals himself as intimate as the husband of a wayward and unfaithful wife. He has been provoked to anger, "bitterly".

 

I often think of God in terms of bright bold colors, not soft pastels, in the overwhelming booming intensity of an horrific thunderstorm, not in the soft flutter of humming birds. I see him in an intensity that we all might find impossible to survive were we subjected to it at too close a proximity. I don't mean to say that I don't see him nudging us in the tenderness of his love and affection, just that that love and affection comes from one who loves immeasurably and intensely, the dimensions of which we struggle to wrap our minds around (see Ephesians 3:17-19.) Whether it be his justice or his love, it is frightful or overwhelming to behold. Here in Hosea he has not simply been angered. In his great passion, God has been bitterly provoked to anger. While this speaks of the degree to which the Israelites sinned, it certainly speaks of the intensity of his anger.

 

I am mindful that God does not only get angered, he also loves, both of which I see as expressions of his heart in an intensity or a level of passion that surpasses my comprehension. He has revealed other passions of his in Scripture as well, for instance we are told in James 4:5 that he "envies intensely". Additionally, he has also revealed to us these passions of his collide with one another from time to time. In the midst of his proclamation of his judgment upon Israel he says, "How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused."

 

We live in a world that is removed and estranged from God. We don't see him today as we will one day. In the absence of that view, I want to ensure my impression of God, of his personality, is shaped by what he has revealed to us through the Scriptures. One thing is clear to me: he has passion I can scarcely conceive. The cross of Jesus Christ is the great expression of this. At the cross of Jesus Christ I see both the expression of God's passionate wrath as he visits his horrific punishment upon the Son of his love as well as his passionate love for all mankind by sending his Son to pay the penalty for our sins.

 

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

Today's Worship: The Lord is our refuge in times of trouble!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 7:11,

 

"Ephraim is like a dove, easily deceived and senseless— now calling to Egypt, now turning to Assyria."

 

As Israel became desperate due to the poor choices they made as a nation, rather than turning to God for help and deliverance, they turned to either the big power to the south, Egypt or the big power to the north, Assyria. It has been said that Israel at this time was like a house cat caught in an alley with a ferocious tiger at each end, Egypt on the one end and Assyria on the other. Israel sought alliance with one or the other. Eventually it would be the big cat from the north, Assyria that would consume Israel.

 

Although God said he desired to redeem them, verse 13, he observed that Israel refused to turn to him for help, verse 16. Sadly, it had been forgotten that God loved them and was, in fact, the only one that could help them. As Israel turned to her powerful neighbors for help, it was these very neighbors that God used to bring his judgment against them.

 

This morning I am reminded that God is the only one that is a reliable help in time of need. He is the one that can deliver. He is the one who has the power to provide all that is ever needed, regardless the circumstances. "The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:9-10. Another wonderful passage that speaks to this is Psalm 34:7-8, "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."

 

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

Today's Worship: The beauty of God, the ugliness of sin.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 4:2,

 

"There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed."

 

Israel had wandered from God. In his indictment against Israel, the Lord says of her, "... the land is guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord." Hosea 1:2. This verse in 4:2 is furnished proof that Israel had, in fact, wandered from the Lord. The actions prompted by the condition of their hearts provided indisputable proof of their rejection of God which resulted in a certain, unavoidable consequence: their embrace of sin.

 

What this points to is that those who have an active relationship with God reflect his character and nature in their lives. We find the beauty of the Lord - his beauty, his wonderful qualities - displayed in the lives of those who are near him. All others inevitably drift to those things that reflect the ugly nature of sin. The Israelites had drifted.

 

The Israelites have not been the only ones. Paul wrote to Timothy about the terrible nature of the godlessness prevalent in our day, "There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power." 2 Timothy 3:1-5. This is what mankind sinks to when God is rejected. As with Israel in the days of Hosea, the ugliness of sin permeates people who turn from God.

 

On the other hand, when God is embraced, the beauty of his character becomes reflected in his people. Things like, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Galatians 5:22-23.

 

There is no beauty like the magnificent beauty of our God. What a wonderful thing to behold when God's people reflect him!

 

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

Today's Worship: The great mystery of God's heart!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 11:12,

 

"Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit. And Judah is unruly against God, even against the faithful Holy One."

 

Here is something of a summation of the sinfulness of Israel. Lies, deceit and unruliness against God. Israel, as a nation, displayed the sinfulness within her heart and the Lord will act. His judgment against Israel will be certain and severe. "Swords will flash in their cities, will destroy the bars of their gates and put an end to their plans." Hosea 11:6.

 

However, as we see in the final chapter of Hosea's prophetic book, God's judgment is part of a plan that will ultimately bring restoration to the nation. "I will heal their waywardness and love them freely, for my anger has turned away from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he will blossom like a lily. Like a cedar of Lebanon he will send down his roots; his young shoots will grow. His splendor will be like an olive tree, his fragrance like a cedar of Lebanon." Hosea 14:4-6.

 

As I read of Israel's sinfulness, I am reminded she is but a mirror of the sinfulness of all of mankind. Lies, deceit and unruliness against God is certainly the mark of mankind as a whole. In Jeremiah 17:9 we read, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Paul's perspective is as true today as it was in his day and in Hosea's day, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23. And, yet, as with Israel, in spite of sin, God seeks to redeem and to restore.

 

In light of this, here is the great mystery that I do not understand. To me, it is as astonishing as anything I have ever considered: in light of my sinfulness, in light of the sinfulness of all mankind, how is it that, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

 

To me, it is a great mystery. I can't fathom it. All I can do is marvel at the boundless love and mercy of the great, kind and compassionate heart of our God! How he could do such a thing for someone such as me is bewildering! I know it. I believe it. I am astonished by it. I am bewildered by it. Most of all, I am eternally grateful for it!

 

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

Today's Worship: The timing of God's terrible judgment!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 10:10,

 

"When I please, I will punish them; nations will be gathered against them to put them in bonds for their double sin."

 

God's judgment awaited Israel. She had sinned to the point she found the limit of God's mercy and now she faced the punishment due her. This verse points to not "if", but the "when" of God's judgment. It will be when he pleases to do so. The historical record tells us it was 722BC when God's judgment finally overcame the northern ten tribes of Israel.

 

Today the world awaits the judgment of God. Again, it is not a question of "if" but "when". We are told this age will come to a close when Jesus Christ comes back to planet earth to gather to himself those who are his. The rest, all of those who will not embrace him in faith, will be brought to God's terrible judgment.

 

Peter speaks of this. In 2 Peter 3:10-12 we read, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat." Here is a frightening scene! The story doesn't end until those who will not embrace God in faith are cast into a fiery lake of burning sulfur. We read of it in Revelation 20.

 

Peter makes a wonderful point about God's patience in all this, however. Where Israel had no opportunity to avoid God's judgment by the time he proclaimed it through Hosea, God patiently awaits today, holding off his judgment of the wicked, that there may be more who will embrace him - to join his kingdom. "Do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:8-9.

 

God's terrible judgment is coming! It is not a question of "if", but "when"!

 

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

Worship for Today: Seeking the Lord.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 7:10,

 

"Israel's arrogance testifies against him, but despite all this he does not return to the Lord his God or search for him."

 

As the list of Israel's wayward actions are given, the Lord points out that Israel did not return to the Lord or even seek him. When confronted with their sins they didn't look to God for his forgiveness.

 

When David was confronted with his sin regarding Bathsheba, he recognized his transgressions and sought the Lord's forgiveness. Having been confronted by Nathan, the prophet, David sought the Lord and begged for forgiveness. In Psalm 51:1-5 we read, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." David goes on to ask the Lord to cleanse him from his sin.

 

David turned from his sin and sought God. Several hundred years later, during Hosea's time, when the nation became ensnared with sin, it failed to seek the Lord and look for his forgiveness. Seeking the Lord is important when we sin. The failure to do so places us squarely in the hand of God's judgment. In speaking of the sinfulness of mankind, Paul quotes Psalms and Ecclesiastes in Romans 3:10-12 , "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

 

The Lord told his followers to seek first the kingdom of God. Matthew 6:33. He said that if we seek him we will find him, Matthew 7:7. Paul tells us that God determined the times and places peoples would live so they might seek him, reach out for him, and find him, Acts 17:26-27. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

 

How wonderful it is the Lord will respond to us when we seek him!

 

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

Today's Worship: God provides us a compass!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 8:12,

 

"I wrote for them the many things of my law, but they regarded them as something alien."

 

As the Lord recounts the many ways in which his people have turned from him, he points out that he provided them his expectations, expectations that the Israelites eventually regarded as "something alien".

 

Things that are regarded as alien are those which we find strange, for someone else, not us. In our day all of Scripture appears as foreign and alien to those who reject God and seek to restructure all of life according to their own best ideas. The problem with the current progressive movement of our day is it seeks to define life, what is just and what is appropriate, without reference to the Creator of life. However, the human heart is corrupt. When we reject God and the things of God we become lost in a darkness, stumble, and follow in the footsteps of those who have earned God's judgment.

 

What strikes me this morning is that God did express his expectations and his directions for how to live life, "the many things of my law". Providing us a compass for how to live in this life and how to enter into eternal life is one of the many wonderful things our Creator has provided us. How strange it is folks would find these things as "something alien"!

 

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

Today's Worship: Redemption and resurrection!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 13:14,

 

"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues? Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

 

In the midst of the Lord's proclamation of judgment upon Israel for her spurning him to turn to the vapid, lifeless idols of her neighbors, the Lord injects the greatest of all hopes for his people: redemption and resurrection! In the darkness and gloom of God's judgment, he brings the bright ray of eternal hope for those who need it most, people who have sinned and facing his judgment.

 

While Israel will not escape the short-term judgment of God for her rebellion against him, he speaks of a future time when he will provide redemption from death. Paul quotes this passage, as well as Isaiah 25:8 in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55, "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: 'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?'"

 

Here is the great hope we have as believers! From this hope spring the faith and love that energizes our ardency for our wonderful Lord and our fervor and tenacity in living productive lives for him. It puts that edge of excitement to our faith in him. Colossians 1:5. I am reminded that when Martha told Jesus she knew about the resurrection, that she would see her brother again, Jesus proclaimed, in perhaps one of the most dramatic accounts in all of Scripture, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." John 11:25-26.

 

What a hope we have in the redemption provided by our Lord Jesus Christ and our resurrection we look forward to! 

 

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

Today's Worship: God keeps an accounting.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 7:1b-2,

 

"They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets; but they do not realize that I remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are always before me."

 

Here is a sobering thought: God keeps a very accurate account of things. He tells Israel that their sins are always before him.

 

The accounting of God for all we think, do and say is pretty startling and unsettling to think of. God does keep his books. In Revelation 3:5; 13:8 and 17:8 we read about his book of life where all who will inherit eternal life in the resurrection have their names written. We read of other "books" on judgment day that will be opened, where the deeds of those who will be judged are recorded. There the book of life is mentioned as well, Revelation 20:12. We are told that all whose names are not written in the book of life will be thrown into the "lake of fire". Revelation 20:15. In Revelation 21:27, the book of life is called "the Lamb's book of life" indicating this book belongs to Jesus Christ.

 

A strict accounting of things is maintained by our Creator. Just as the sins of Israel were before God, so also the sins of every person in the whole world are recorded. Every sin in thought, word or deed. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 we read that even our motives are kept track of. None of it will be hidden from God, Hebrews 4:13, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." 

 

However, we are told that God is loving and merciful. He will forgive and forget our sins and enter our names in the Lamb's book of life if we embrace him in faith. As we read in the announcement of the new covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34, "For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more."

 

I can't think of anything better than that!

 

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

Today's Worship: The day of reckoning approaches!

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 9:7a,

 

"The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand."

 

As the Lord brings his indictment against Israel, he lets them know that judgment is at hand. A frightful turn of events for this nation is headed their way at the hand of God for their abandonment of him.

 

I am reminded of the horrific judgment of God that faces the world. From time to time I think of the frightful future of all who reject God. While many who do so enjoy life here as it is, this life is so very short compared to all eternity that all mankind is ushered into following this life. For those who have embraced Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, there will be a bright and wonderful future of eternal pleasures at the right hand of God. For those who reject God's provision for escape from his judgment in Jesus Christ, there will be wrath and anger.

 

Paul tells us in Romans 2:6-11, "God 'will give to each person according to what he has done.' To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism."

 

Jesus spoke of the horrific nature of his judgment, "The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear." Matthew 13:41-43. Also verses 49-50, "This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

Also, in the last book of our Bibles, we read, "The lake of fire is the second death. If any one's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:14b-15. Another passage that comes to mind in Revelation is chapter 21:6-8, "He said to me: 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.'"

 

We all have fair warning: "The days of punishment are coming, the days of reckoning are at hand." It is my prayer that we all find ourselves safe in God's hands on that day!

 

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

Today's Worship: The gift of righteousness.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 10:12,

 

"Sow for yourselves righteousness, reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on you."

 

What a verse! Here is a an invitation that is the salient point of life for every generation of mankind. The one profound and unique purpose of every individual in this life is to pursue what will become ours in the next. This life only lasts a short while. Life in the resurrection lasts an eternity. It has no end. Those who believe God know that the event that brings this life to a standstill and ushers in life in the resurrection is coming our way. It is formidable. It is unstoppable. It is certain.

 

In this exhortation to plow what has remained fallow, the Israelites are told to seek what can be theirs if they sow in this life what is required to "reap the fruit of unfailing love" in the next. The promise of seeking the Lord brings a reward that has such value, it cannot be measured in terms of any treasure. It brings the gift of righteousness!

 

Righteousness is that most valuable currency that brings eternal life. It could be viewed as our "ticket" to the eternal pleasures at God's right hand. Paul says in Romans 5:15-17, "But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ."

 

In speaking of the resurrection, David expressed what that looks like in Psalms 16:11, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

 

"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." 2 Corinthians 6:2b. "... for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers righteousness on 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

Today's Worship: The Lord's appearance.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in Hosea 6:3,

 

"Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth."

 

The Lord speaks of the judgment he is going to bring on Israel. It will be a misery that is designed to bring them to admitting their guilt, Hosea 5:15. The Lord speaks of a time, following his judgment of the nation, when Israel will "earnestly seek me" in repentance. The first few verses of chapter six provide what might be said by Israel in her contrition before the Lord.

 

The words of Hosea 6:3 remind me of the certainty of the Lord's visit to his people. The Lord looks for a time when his people will acknowledge him and trust in the certainty of his coming to them, something he had promised them. When Jesus Christ was born, God's Son did come to visit the nation. The Israelites, as a nation, rejected him when he came to them. But to those who did embrace him, he told of another visit he will make to planet earth. I am reminded of what the angels told his followers on the day Jesus Christ left earth to return to heaven, to take his seat at the right hand of God the Father. "Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11.

 

Paul tells us, "The Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. In the last chapter of our Bibles, the Lord tells us, "Behold, I am coming soon!" and "Yes, I am coming soon." Revelation 22:7,20.

 

As Israel's confession of contrition might include an exhortation to themselves to acknowledge the Lord and trust in his coming to them, I am reminded of the two visits of the Creator to his creation. The first is an historical fact, when Mary bore her infant baby: the Son of God, the lamb of God. The second is a future certainty, a different kind of appearance altogether as Jesus Christ comes to planet earth as the lion of the tribe of Judah, come to take his own. This second appearance is as certain as the first was. What an astonishing day that will be when all existence comes to a standstill before its Creator as he assumes his rightful position over all creation. What a day that will be!

 

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