Category: Glory

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12.22.24. Blessings?

Rules are given for a purpose

Revelation 16 Blessings or Damnation

While the angels pour out the horror from heaven, the earthlings refuse to repent.Yet,those who do echo these words: “Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition be seen.”

Men are stubborn and refuse to repent, but this is not new news. Reading this morning about the King of Assyria who mocked God and boasted of his accomplishments died in his temple by the hands of his sons. Pharaoh mocked God and he drowned in the Red Sea.  Over and over, God has given us these truths to remind us of Galatians 6: “Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.”  

God is clear. Mock Him and pay the price. Honor Him and be blessed. 

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12.10.24.Focus

God is God
He knows everything from the hairs on your head to what you are facing

We read about his splendor in Revelation 1. He is clothed with the garments of the celestial heavens. He walks among the clouds and the angels.  He was dressed in a robe extending down to his feet, and he wore a wide golden belt around his chest.  His head and hairwere as white as wool, even as white as snow, and his eyeswere like a fiery flame.  His feet were like polished bronzerefined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of manywaters. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharpdouble-edged sword extended out of his mouth. His faceshone like the sun shining at full strength.

Psalm 145 Today’s Focus

The psalmist gives himself direction for his life: I will focus on your honor and majestic splendor and your amazing deeds. What is my focus today? 

Do I focus on honoring God, His majestic splendor and His amazing deeds? What do I focus on? 

When I / we read this and meditate on it, how does it change my/our focus this day the 10th of December, 2024?

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12.4.24. Jesus is the LIGHT

Psalm 139 tells us a truth that we need to attend to. Examine me Lord. Show me just as You showed John to the 7 churches. You see all, nothing is hidden from your sight just as a lighthouse has a beam of light to alert the sailor to the shoals and dangerous rocks as it swivels around. As God’s light swivels around he reveals to us our lack of holiness, our lack of understanding, our pride in thinking we can navigate this life apart from him. But as His light swivels around and reveals the rocks that are before us that are dangerous , rocks like untamed words, untamed motives, untamed directions and yet God knows what we will do with what we see. Some men see but refuse to acknowledge. Some men see and reroute to avoid the catastrophe that could take their life. And yet in His loving way he allows us to choose which route we will take. 

Paul told the captain and the centurion to not set out from the safe harbor but they refused. the result was the Perfect Storm to show them that Paul was His servant. Again they thought just emptying the cargo would save them but it only caused the ship to drift ever closer to the rocks. In the end, the ship was lost but the men were saved. God allows the Perfect storms to come into our lives so we may set our course towards a safe harbor and when there to remain there until the weather changes. What lessons did those 276 persons learn …not one was lost…did they then realize that God is the one who ordered that storm to show His power, His presence, His perfect understanding of men’s hearts?

What about me? Am I looking at the Lighthouse which is Christ? Am i navigating the perilous waters around me which hold the rocks of destruction?

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12.1.24. Preparing for Advent

Revelation 1 Behold He is coming soon

Over and over Jesus prepared his disciples with wisdom and knowledge that they might tell the good news: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead. All of these precious disciples suffered and died but John alone has remained and it is he that has received this vision to share with us, the reader.

John begins by reminding us of this: to be blessed is to take this Word and share it with those who have not heard. John writes: Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. Are we watching for His return knowing that with God a day on our calendar is like a thousand years in His sight. Are we just reading these words to fill our minds or are we reading it so we know the plan of God for us? 

As this book begins we are given a glimpse into our Lord in all of His majesty. What will you do with this vision? Will you meditate on the beauty and glory of our risen Savior? 

Challenge for December: read and choose one thought to meditate on for that day. Share that thought with someone so they might receive a blessing too because behold, He, our risen Savior is coming soon. 

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11.15.24. The LIGHT!

John 12 The LIGHT!~

The mornings are dark now with the changes in the time. As I walk about the darkness of my home, I sense the uncertainties of where I put each step and that is why we have night lights burning to guide us. But, soon the sun is rising and with it a new day with the brightness that the sun brings and then the dust bunnies and things that are not in their right places is seen. My neighbors outside lights were brightly shining but now they are extinguished. So it is with the souls of men. Some are walking in darkness because their deeds are evil and they love darkness rather than light. Others hear and rejoice for the LIGHT has come into the world and they submit to its brilliance. 

Eighteen times in this book Jesus refers to Himself as the LIGHT. Light is one of our most precious gifts for it reveals what our souls need to be saved. We once were in darkness of sin, but then the LIGHT came and we submitted to it. The book of Revelation reveals the brilliance of that LIGHT in all of His glory. Ezekiel saw that same LIGHT and was used to tell the people of Israel that He is coming for His own to transform them…if they will yield to them.

Where are you today precious reader? Are you walking in the darkness or has the LIGHT of the world removed it so you can see and praise Him who is the LIGHT? 

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11.14.24. God’s glory!

John 11: God’s glory revealed

open the eyes of my heart Lord
I want to see you high and lifted up shining all of your glory

In John 9, the disciples asked Jesus who caused the man’s blindness. Jesus said no one’s sin caused it, but it was to reveal God’s glory. Here Lazarus is sick and Jesus again says It it for God’s glory and so that He himself would be glorified through it. It is interesting that in John 9 none of the disciples gave God glory for the blind to be seeing. In John 11 we see that men did not give God glory for the resurrection of Lazarus, instead they sought to kill Him for this miracle of life. 

This miracle of resurrection of Lazarus would prove to all that He is God’s Son with power over sickness and death. It is for this reason he came…to glorify God.

When I see the work of the Lord, do I stop and give Him words of affirmation and glory or do I still seek self glorification? 

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Give God Praise!

Praising God

John 5 One on One

It is interesting to me, the reader, to see the travels of Jesus. We saw him in Cana, then in Samaria, and now back in Jerusalem. Each place his foot trod, he found the needy and met those needs practically be it water or by healing a cripple. He never tired or quit looking. His eyes were everywhere looking for that one person who needed something to make their life full. He continues to do that even today through His Word. What do you need today? Jesus is right there beside you to meet your needs. 

Are you like Jesus looking for the needy in your community? Or are you satisfied it just let others do it? Take for example the story of when Jesus heals a lame man on the Sabbath. The man didn’t know who Jesus was but he complied with his instructions to take up his bed and walk.  It seems he never looked back and never said thank you. Instead he meandered all through Jerusalem with his old mat signifying his before status. In the meantime the religious leaders found him and were quick to judge the healed man. Imagine being accosted by the religious “police” and you have no response to their queries! But, Jesus finds him and warns him to not sin again and he quickly tells the authorities about him. Do you find that strange? What does this say about this man and about us? 

Put yourself in the position of the healed man and ask yourself, am I the person who receives that special gift from the Lord and fail to stop and thank Him? Do I tattle on the one who made me well? Do I make judgments about another’s work and even more so if it is the work of God? The Pharisees were quick to make judgments but not praise for a work done by God. Jesus reminded them that Moses wrote about Him and if they were students of Moses they would be doing as he did—-obeying and honoring God. They had the false idea that their salvation was in his words, not the words of God. 

What need do you have today? Are you quick to receive but slow to give thanks? Do you seek salvation in the words of Moses or the words of God? 

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The Majesty of God

Psalm 104 The Lord God Almighty 

When we believe that God spoke His truth through the Bible, our lives are anchored upon a solid foundation of God’s power, perspective and purpose.

Over and over the writers of scripture remind us that God is light and in Him there is no darkness. Darkness is a picture of sin and God is pure with no sin. Light reveals what darkness cannot. It reveals purity and righteousness and holiness. The psalmist reaches back into Genesis and the creation to share his thought of how holy and pure and righteous God is. 

The Apostle John wrote that “Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all.”[1 John 1:5] Are we proclaiming that truth to others? Are we praising God for His creation? “O Lord my God, you are magnificent.You are robed in splendor and majesty.He covers himself with light as if it were a garment.” [Ps 104:1 and 2] 

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What is our goal?

God has revealed His glory

Hebrews 4 Jesus our High Priest

The author continues to press onward challenging us to walk circumspectly and to be faithful to Jesus and God. Thus he wrote: “For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help.”  [Heb 4:15-16] 

Where is my focus today? Where is yours? Is it on being faithful and obedient to the One who has called you and me out of darkness?  The words of Jesus ring forth: “I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” [Jn 17:4] Is this our goal and our prayer? Are we glorifying God or self? Are we about the business of completing the work that He has called us to do? 

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Praise God!

The key to salvation

Eph 3 Praise God for His immeasurable grace and gift of salvation 

Paul writes to the Ephesians to know that it was by the grace of God that He revealed the promise of salvation to all Gentiles…as well as the Jews. This mystery was revealed so that we might glory in this revelation. Paul writes: 

“the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.” [Eph 3:6]  Consider those points: fellow heirs of the kingdom of our Savior, fellow members of the body meaning the church. In addition, fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. No longer do the 

Gentiles sit apart from the grace and salvation of God but now we, who are the Gentiles, are able to say praise be to God for now I, like the Jew, can inherit the kingdom of God.  I can glory in the promises of Christ with all its blessings. I, like the Jew, can inherit the kingdom which awaits for His appearance and gathering of the saints. 

Remember and cling to this promise: “the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access to God by way of Christ’s faithfulness.”[Eph 3:12-13] We the Gentiles now have all of the above and in addition, we have this promise: we can boldly enter the Holy of Holies to present our gifts and prayers to the Father. And this all happened because of the faithfulness of God’s Holy Son who gave his life for us.

Amazing thoughts to ponder today. 

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