The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in 1 John 4:4,
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
This morning my thoughts have been centered on the blessedness of being on the “winning team”.
Whether it’s the news, hearing of those who take advantage of others while seeking their own gain, people being unfair to others, politicians, religious charlatans, our judicial system that seems to be less than just so often, predators of all kinds of stripes, a growing darkness that seeks to destroy all which has been produced by our Judeo-Christian heritage (western civilization) etc., hearing of these things have a way of being disheartening at times.
But then I am reminded that we who have embraced Jesus Christ have One who will make all things right one day. We have anchored ourselves to the winning team. “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” One day all these wrongs will be made right.
This is so much the case that Paul encourages us to keep from condemning these miserable exploiters who seek to take advantage of others. He tells us to leave it to the Lord. “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5.
In Revelation 21:6-8 we read, “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.’”
In reading this I find I must admit, there, but for the grace of God, go I. The end of things will be a horror for those who reject the true God and continue in their ways. This thought leads me to compassion and concern: is there anything I can do to help these see the light?
It is wonderful being on the “winning team” that overcomes. How I wish all were!
This morning my thoughts have been centered on the blessedness of being on the “winning team”.
Whether it’s the news, hearing of those who take advantage of others while seeking their own gain, people being unfair to others, politicians, religious charlatans, our judicial system that seems to be less than just so often, predators of all kinds of stripes, a growing darkness that seeks to destroy all which has been produced by our Judeo-Christian heritage (western civilization) etc., hearing of these things have a way of being disheartening at times.
But then I am reminded that we who have embraced Jesus Christ have One who will make all things right one day. We have anchored ourselves to the winning team. “the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” One day all these wrongs will be made right.
This is so much the case that Paul encourages us to keep from condemning these miserable exploiters who seek to take advantage of others. He tells us to leave it to the Lord. “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.” 1 Corinthians 4:5.
In Revelation 21:6-8 we read, “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.’”
In reading this I find I must admit, there, but for the grace of God, go I. The end of things will be a horror for those who reject the true God and continue in their ways. This thought leads me to compassion and concern: is there anything I can do to help these see the light?
It is wonderful being on the “winning team” that overcomes. How I wish all were!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
No comments:
Post a Comment