Saturday, August 17, 2013, 7:08 a.m. – the Lord Jesus woke me with this song:
My Jesus, My Savior / Michael W. Smith
My Jesus, My Saviour,
Lord there is no one like you,
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You…
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Revelation 1:1-8 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%201&version=NIV
Take it to Heart
The book of Revelation is a message from God to the true church - to Christ’s true servants and witnesses, i.e. his special representatives to the people of this world. God the Father gave Jesus the message. Jesus then gave it to the angel to give to John, and then John shared it with the church – specifically with the seven named churches in Asia. Seven is the number of completeness (wholeness). I believe these seven churches are representative of the whole church throughout all ages and throughout the whole world. These seven churches exemplified a vast array of qualities and characteristic traits - righteous and unrighteous, godly and ungodly, holy and unholy, and obedient and disobedient. So, this message to the churches still serves today to encourage, counsel, teach, rebuke, bless, honor, chastise, promise hope, and warn of strong disciplinary action for unrepentant hearts, because this is the living and active word of God to us still today.
We are blessed (made holy; consecrated to God; sanctified; and/or joyous), i.e. we reap many such spiritual benefits from God if we read the word of God written to the church, if we listen (pay attention and act on what we hear; obey), and if we take it to heart (take it seriously; consider it significant; and are impacted and affected by it). The Bible says we are not to be just hearers of the word, but we are to be doers (we are to obey what we hear). Jesus often called his hearers to “listen” to what they were hearing, and to understand what was being taught. And, he also called upon them to obey what they heard him teach. He said that whoever obeys his word will never see death (spiritually speaking), i.e. they will live with him for eternity. He said if we love him, we will obey his teachings. And, he commanded us to go and to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all of Christ’s commands. In light of the end of time and the judgments that will come, it is critical that we understand this and we take it to heart.
The Faithful Witness
Who Has Freed Us
Amen! I am so thankful for God’s love for me! And, I am eternally grateful that he loved me enough to tell me the truth, and to be willing to go to the cross so I could be free from slavery to sin. I know what it is like to be enslaved to the passions and desires of my sinful flesh, and I know what it is to be free, and I never want to go back! Jesus Christ did not die that horrible death, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world just so we could go to heaven one day, as wonderful as that will be. He died to free us from the control of sin over our lives while we still live on the face of this earth, and day-to-day. That is awesome! That is good news! If we believe we have come to faith in Jesus Christ and yet we have not repented (turned from) our sins, and we have not turned to walk in obedience to Christ, in his righteousness and holiness, then what we have believed is not the good news. The good news is that Jesus came to set us free! And, that means death to sin!
He has also made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father. We are a spiritual nation of people, no longer a physical nation of the people of God, as was the nation of Israel. And, we are all priests, i.e. we are all ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ – to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations, and to comfort, bring healing, encourage, counsel, instruct and assist our fellow believers in Christ to spiritual maturity in Christ. We are all given spiritual gifts to use for the building up of the body of Christ, and Christ has assigned each one of us a role (part) in the body of Christ which we are to fill. He has given each one of us an assignment (or a task) to fulfill. So, as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as his servants, we are to be about following him in obedience wherever he leads us in doing whatever he has called us to do.
He is Coming!
One day Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the world and to take his own to be with him forever. I know I am looking forward to that day! Yet, many will face eternity, not only without Christ/God, but in eternal torment, because they did not trust Jesus Christ to be Savior and Lord of their lives. So, we must be diligent in getting out the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as possible before Christ returns, so that they, too, can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” instead of “Depart from me. I never knew you.”
Fully Surrendered / Alfred C. Snead / George C. Stebbins
Fully surrendered—Lord, I would be,
Fully surrendered, dear Lord, to Thee.
All on the altar laid,
Surrender fully made,
Thou hast my ransom paid;
I yield to Thee.
Fully surrendered—life, time, and all,
All Thou hast given me held at Thy call.
Speak but the word to me,
Gladly I'll follow Thee,
Now and eternally
Obey my Lord.
Fully surrendered—silver and gold,
His, who hath given me riches untold.
All, all belong to Thee,
For Thou didst purchase me,
Thine evermore to be,
Jesus, my Lord.
Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;
Fully surrendered, Savior divine!
Live Thou Thy life in me;
All fullness dwells in Thee;
Not I, but Christ in me,
Christ all in all.
Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/442#ixzz1FB6YmZcT
My Jesus, My Savior / Michael W. Smith
My Jesus, My Saviour,
Lord there is no one like you,
All of my days, I want to praise
The wonders of Your mighty love.
My comfort, my shelter,
Tower of refuge and strength
Let every breath, all that I am
Never cease to worship You…
Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. I read Revelation 1:1-8 (NIV): http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%201&version=NIV
Take it to Heart
The book of Revelation is a message from God to the true church - to Christ’s true servants and witnesses, i.e. his special representatives to the people of this world. God the Father gave Jesus the message. Jesus then gave it to the angel to give to John, and then John shared it with the church – specifically with the seven named churches in Asia. Seven is the number of completeness (wholeness). I believe these seven churches are representative of the whole church throughout all ages and throughout the whole world. These seven churches exemplified a vast array of qualities and characteristic traits - righteous and unrighteous, godly and ungodly, holy and unholy, and obedient and disobedient. So, this message to the churches still serves today to encourage, counsel, teach, rebuke, bless, honor, chastise, promise hope, and warn of strong disciplinary action for unrepentant hearts, because this is the living and active word of God to us still today.
We are blessed (made holy; consecrated to God; sanctified; and/or joyous), i.e. we reap many such spiritual benefits from God if we read the word of God written to the church, if we listen (pay attention and act on what we hear; obey), and if we take it to heart (take it seriously; consider it significant; and are impacted and affected by it). The Bible says we are not to be just hearers of the word, but we are to be doers (we are to obey what we hear). Jesus often called his hearers to “listen” to what they were hearing, and to understand what was being taught. And, he also called upon them to obey what they heard him teach. He said that whoever obeys his word will never see death (spiritually speaking), i.e. they will live with him for eternity. He said if we love him, we will obey his teachings. And, he commanded us to go and to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to obey all of Christ’s commands. In light of the end of time and the judgments that will come, it is critical that we understand this and we take it to heart.
The Faithful Witness
Jesus Christ is God the Son. The Father sent him to the earth to suffer and to die for us so that we could go free from slavery to sin; free from eternal damnation; and free to walk in Christ’s righteousness and holiness while we still walk the face of this earth. He was faithful in all that he did – in obedience to the Father, in fulfilling his mission and calling, in teaching the truth of God’s word, i.e. the gospel of our salvation, in ministering to the hurts, pain, sufferings and sins of the people of this world, and in dying on the cross for our sins, so we could go free. He was faithful even to the point of suffering and dying at the hands of those who were of his own race and nationality, of his own town, his own family, and his own faith. It was the religious-political leaders of his day who instigated the crowd against him and who called for him to be crucified. And, we, as his followers, servants, and witnesses must also remain faithful to the calling we have received, even to the point of death, and perhaps even at the hands of our present religious-political system, the institutional church.
Who Has Freed Us
Amen! I am so thankful for God’s love for me! And, I am eternally grateful that he loved me enough to tell me the truth, and to be willing to go to the cross so I could be free from slavery to sin. I know what it is like to be enslaved to the passions and desires of my sinful flesh, and I know what it is to be free, and I never want to go back! Jesus Christ did not die that horrible death, taking upon himself the sins of the entire world just so we could go to heaven one day, as wonderful as that will be. He died to free us from the control of sin over our lives while we still live on the face of this earth, and day-to-day. That is awesome! That is good news! If we believe we have come to faith in Jesus Christ and yet we have not repented (turned from) our sins, and we have not turned to walk in obedience to Christ, in his righteousness and holiness, then what we have believed is not the good news. The good news is that Jesus came to set us free! And, that means death to sin!
He has also made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father. We are a spiritual nation of people, no longer a physical nation of the people of God, as was the nation of Israel. And, we are all priests, i.e. we are all ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ – to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make disciples of all nations, and to comfort, bring healing, encourage, counsel, instruct and assist our fellow believers in Christ to spiritual maturity in Christ. We are all given spiritual gifts to use for the building up of the body of Christ, and Christ has assigned each one of us a role (part) in the body of Christ which we are to fill. He has given each one of us an assignment (or a task) to fulfill. So, as ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and as his servants, we are to be about following him in obedience wherever he leads us in doing whatever he has called us to do.
He is Coming!
One day Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the world and to take his own to be with him forever. I know I am looking forward to that day! Yet, many will face eternity, not only without Christ/God, but in eternal torment, because they did not trust Jesus Christ to be Savior and Lord of their lives. So, we must be diligent in getting out the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ to as many as possible before Christ returns, so that they, too, can hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” instead of “Depart from me. I never knew you.”
Fully Surrendered / Alfred C. Snead / George C. Stebbins
Fully surrendered—Lord, I would be,
Fully surrendered, dear Lord, to Thee.
All on the altar laid,
Surrender fully made,
Thou hast my ransom paid;
I yield to Thee.
Fully surrendered—life, time, and all,
All Thou hast given me held at Thy call.
Speak but the word to me,
Gladly I'll follow Thee,
Now and eternally
Obey my Lord.
Fully surrendered—silver and gold,
His, who hath given me riches untold.
All, all belong to Thee,
For Thou didst purchase me,
Thine evermore to be,
Jesus, my Lord.
Fully surrendered—Lord, I am Thine;
Fully surrendered, Savior divine!
Live Thou Thy life in me;
All fullness dwells in Thee;
Not I, but Christ in me,
Christ all in all.
Source: http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/h/442#ixzz1FB6YmZcT