What Time is It?

Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Revelation 14:6-13 (the Message) 

Voices from Heaven

 ^6-7I saw another Angel soaring in Middle-Heaven. He had an Eternal Message to preach to all who were still on earth, every nation and tribe, every tongue and people. He preached in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory! His hour of judgment has come! Worship the Maker of Heaven and earth, salt sea and fresh water!"  ⁸A second Angel followed, calling out, "Ruined, ruined, Great Babylon ruined! She made all the nations drunk on the wine of her whoring!"
 ^9-11A third Angel followed, shouting, warning, "If anyone worships the Beast and its image and takes the mark on forehead or hand, that person will drink the wine of God's wrath, prepared unmixed in his chalice of anger, and suffer torment from fire and brimstone in the presence of Holy Angels, in the presence of the Lamb. Smoke from their torment will rise age after age. No respite for those who worship the Beast and its image, who take the mark of its name."
 ¹²Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God's commands, staying faithful to Jesus.
 ¹³I heard a voice out of Heaven, "Write this: Blessed are those who die in the Master from now on; how blessed to die that way!"
   "Yes," says the Spirit, "and blessed rest from their hard, hard work. None of what they've done is wasted; God blesses them for it all in the end."

For Reflection
What time is it?  Ignore the past -- it is gone.  The sins of the past are wiped away.  Disregard the future - what control do you have over it anyway? The time is now! What are you doing today, now, that glorifies God? What if the "hour of judgment" is now?  What would you do differently?  What is holding you back?

Pray for strength to over come the tyranny of our time -- our Beast.  Pray for the courage to do today what your know in your heart needs doing in service to our Lord.

In Praise of God

Christian Commitment
in Today's World
Revelation 7:9-17 (The Message)

 ^9-12I looked again. I saw a huge crowd, too huge to count. Everyone was there—all nations and tribes, all races and languages. And they were standing, dressed in white robes and waving palm branches, standing before the Throne and the Lamb and heartily singing:

   Salvation to our God on his Throne!
   Salvation to the Lamb!
All who were standing around the Throne—Angels, Elders, Animals— fell on their faces before the Throne and worshiped God, singing:

   Oh, Yes!
   The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving,
   The honor and power and strength,
   To our God forever and ever and ever!
   Oh, Yes!

 ^13-14Just then one of the Elders addressed me: "Who are these dressed in white robes, and where did they come from?" Taken aback, I said, "O Sir, I have no idea—but you must know."
 ^14-17Then he told me, "These are those who come from the great tribulation, and they've washed their robes, scrubbed them clean in the blood of the Lamb. That's why they're standing before God's Throne. They serve him day and night in his Temple. The One on the Throne will pitch his tent there for them: no more hunger, no more thirst, no more scorching heat. The Lamb on the Throne will shepherd them, will lead them to spring waters of Life. And God will wipe every last tear from their eyes."

For Reflection
   Oh, Yes!
   The blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving,
   The honor and power and strength,
   To our God forever and ever and ever!
   Oh, Yes!
How often do you think of the saving grace of God and feel the passion and joy in thanksgiving that is reflected in these passages?  Believers have been scrubbed clean and anointed with the blood of the Lamb.

Pray.  Spend this day rejoicing in the love and charitable arms of God. Give thanks.  Sing, Dance, think beautiful thoughts.

Worthy is the Lamb

Christian Commitment
in Today's World

Revelation 5:9-14 (The Message

 ^6-10So I looked, and there, surrounded by Throne, Animals, and Elders, was a Lamb, slaughtered but standing tall. Seven horns he had, and seven eyes, the Seven Spirits of God sent into all the earth. He came to the One Seated on the Throne and took the scroll from his right hand. The moment he took the scroll, the Four Animals and Twenty-four Elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb. Each had a harp and each had a bowl, a gold bowl filled with incense, the prayers of God's holy people. And they sang a new song:

   Worthy! Take the scroll, open its seals.
   Slain! Paying in blood, you bought men and women,
   Bought them back from all over the earth,
   Bought them back for God.
   Then you made them a Kingdom, Priests for our God,
   Priest-kings to rule over the earth.
 ^11-14I looked again. I heard a company of Angels around the Throne, the Animals, and the Elders—ten thousand times ten thousand their number, thousand after thousand after thousand in full song:

   The slain Lamb is worthy!
   Take the power, the wealth, the wisdom, the strength!
   Take the honor, the glory, the blessing!
Then I heard every creature in Heaven and earth, in underworld and sea, join in, all voices in all places, singing:

   To the One on the Throne! To the Lamb!
   The blessing, the honor, the glory, the strength,
   For age after age after age.
The Four Animals called out, "Oh, Yes!" The Elders fell to their knees and worshiped.
.
For Reflection
Such joy in victory!  Celebration with singing and fragrant incense filled the air.  We who worship the living God are rewarded with a priest's authority to minister in the Kingdom. 

Pray pray that you will find such joy in celebrating the living God.

Remain Steadfast in the Faith

Christian Commitment
in Today's World

1 Peter 5:6-11 (The Message)

 ^6-7So be content with who you are, and don't put on airs. God's strong hand is on you; he'll promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.

He Gets the Last Word

 ^8-11Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ—eternal and glorious plans they are!—will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does.

For Reflection
Live a carefree life! Easier said than done!  When life's a bear, is it really a lack of trust in the Lord that makes it so?  Keep a cool head, a firm grip on the faith and wait patiently for God.

Pray for the patience to wait for God to act.  Pray that your keep a cool head.

A Night to Remember

Christian Commitment
in Today's World


Acts 20:7-12
 ^7-9We met on Sunday to worship and celebrate the Master's Supper. Paul addressed the congregation. Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning, but Paul talked on, way past midnight. We were meeting in a well-lighted upper room. A young man named Eutychus was sitting in an open window. As Paul went on and on, Eutychus fell sound asleep and toppled out the third-story window. When they picked him up, he was dead.
 ^10-12Paul went down, stretched himself on him, and hugged him hard. "No more crying," he said. "There's life in him yet." Then Paul got up and served the Master's Supper. And went on telling stories of the faith until dawn! On that note, they left—Paul going one way, the congregation another, leading the boy off alive, and full of life themselves.

For Reflection
This weekend we celebrate a great world experiment.  A nation governed by its people.  Its tenets were formed from evolving European values and was influenced by Christianity. 

There are and will continue to be times when we stumble and fall asleep.  There are and will continue to be times that we appear to have lost our way and are dying.  Some would claim we are dead!  But, there is life in us.  It is the life in each believer, transformed by the Holy Spirit.

If our Government appears to become more and more atheistic it may not be such a bad thing.  Such separation between church and state ensures the freedom of the Holy Spirit to move in our midst.  It ensures that God in man's image does not overrule man in God's image. 

Pray for those who each day give their lives to this great experiment.  Pray for the freedom to follow God and to do His will. Pray that you will conform to the Kingdom of God. Pray that God's will be done. Pray that God will hug us hard and breath life into a fumbling nation.

Blaimless at Christ's Coming

Christian Commitment
in Today's World


1 Thessalonians 5:1 (The Message)
 ^1-3I don't think, friends, that I need to deal with the question of when all this is going to happen. You know as well as I that the day of the Master's coming can't be posted on our calendars. He won't call ahead and make an appointment any more than a burglar would. About the time everybody's walking around complacently, congratulating each other—"We've sure got it made! Now we can take it easy!"—suddenly everything will fall apart. It's going to come as suddenly and inescapably as birth pangs to a pregnant woman.

For Reflection
How many times have you heard a child say, "That's not fair!" We all have a pretty strong concept of fairness.  Jesus spoke many times about what is fair in the eye of God is not the same as fair in the eye of mankind. 

Paul's new converts sacrificed a lot to follow the Way.  They needed to know that even death would not separate them from their hope in Christ.  They needed to know that God would take care of the fairness issue. This hope would serve to keep the flock vigilant and mindful of their commitment to the Way.

What gives you hope?  What prepares you for the day when suddenly it all falls apart?

Pray - Confess to God those things which inhibit your commitment to God's way.  Turn your mind to those acts which are consistent with your faith.  As for courage to remain vigilant and mindful of your commitment as a child of God.

The Comming of the Lord

Christian Commitment
in Today's World

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 (The Message)

 ^12-13And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
 ^13-15Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part. Our counsel is that you warn the freeloaders to get a move on. Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other's nerves you don't snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.
 ^16-18Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
 ^19-22Don't suppress the Spirit, and don't stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don't be gullible. Check out everything, and keep only what's good. Throw out anything tainted with evil.
 ^23-24May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ. The One who called you is completely dependable. If he said it, he'll do it!

For Reflection
We are all ministers of the Word.  We were created to minister to each other. What does that mean to you?

Pray - "May God himself, the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together—spirit, soul, and body—and keep you fit for the coming of our Master, Jesus Christ."