The Return of the King

Revelation 22:6-17.

One of the things loved about thriller films is the unpredictable storylines and variety in themes. This is because unpredictable could be generally engaging. But the icing on the cake is the ending. How a film ends can justify if it was a time well spent.

I think of the Book of Revelation like an action thriller with very uncommon scenes and themes - heaven, hell, angels, demons, beasts... but then this thriller comes to a happy ending - a promise.

The very last recorded words of Jesus in Scripture, the happy ending promise, were very profound: "Look, I am coming soon!" (v7, 12, 20).

Do you ever wonder:
Is this second-coming thing still real? The answer from Jesus is:

"Look" - v7, 12, (yes, pay attention).
"Yes" - v20.

I know it's real, but when is it happening? Jesus says:

"No one knows" - Matthew 24:36.
"Soon" - v7, 12, 20.

"Soon" means anytime since God lives outside of time. Also, the word "soon" can mean "don't worry about the specific time that the kingdom will be restored" (Acts 1:7). However, the passage does show us what to do while awaiting His return:

Keep His Word - v7.
Do His Work - v12.

And I love the invitation that the Holy Spirit in unity with the Church offers - the invitation to come and drink, come and rest, come and be refreshed, come come come - I feel this is one of God's favourite words (Matthew 11:28). Keep coming back. Keep living His word and doing His work, because he says "Yes, I am coming soon" (v20).

Reflect & Pray

How do you feel about the thought of Jesus' return? In what way can you live more expectant of that day?

Father God, may our response always be like that of John, with hearts that say "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus". The grace of the Lord Jesus be with us. Amen.

God bless you exceedingly,
Sam.

In Christ is all we need

Luke 5:1-11 NIV; 2 Peter 1:3 NIV. Praise God! Happy new year!!! One time, I was meeting friends for a game of badminton. When I arrived at the court, I noticed I had come with the wrong bag. I planned to play in shorts, but I played in trousers, and my very competitive friends were not merciful. Peter described the Christian life almost like my backpack experience, except that he made the right switch. He picked the one that had all he needed for his journey. In Luke's passage (Luke 5:1-11 NIV), he records Peter's first meeting with Jesus. It was at a time when he had toiled all night but couldn't catch any fish. So he parked his boat by the seashore. But when Jesus saw Peter's boat, he got into it and used it to teach the crowd the word of God - to meet their spiritual needs. Again, in displaying his divine miraculous power, he used the boat to provide much fish - to meet the physical needs of Pet...

Disciples are Blessed

Matthew 5:1-12 NIV. [Series on: The Blessed] How would you describe a blessed and happy life? One of my friends believes there’s only one happy person each week, the lottery winner, and the rest of us just have make-believe happiness. Maybe you share my friend's view or have your own picture of happiness. The Bible also has its own picture, and in this short series on the Blessed we'll see who are the blessed of Scripture. In today's passage, Jesus gathers His disciples to the mountainside, away from the crowd and teaches them what a truly blessed and happy life—beatitude—looks like. Jesus shows that a blessed life is the life of a disciple, those who are: Poor in spirit (v3, Psalm 42:1; 63:1): who depend on God in everything. Mourning (v4, Isaiah 61:2-3): who seek God’s rescue/forgiveness by repentance. Meek (v5, Psalm 37:9-11): who humbly wait for the Lord amidst life’s ...

In trials, Be Holy!

1 Peter 1:13-2:3 NIV. Knowing the joyful truths from the last session about our faith, Peter then goes on to say, therefore...be holy! (v13). Being holy means to live a God-centred life. It looks like not conforming to ungodly desires (v14, 2v1) but setting our minds on the eternal things of God (v13, 2v2), living in reverent fear of God (v17) and loving God's people (v22). This cuts against the grain of the me-centred worldview of life. It is, therefore, no surprise that every trial and distraction in life combats any attempt at living a God-centred life. So how do we respond? Peter's encouragement in verse 15 is: be holy in all you do — keep being holy, continue (2 Timothy 3:12-13). In trials, be holy for three profound reasons - all based on the very nature of God. In trials, we are to be holy (keep being, continue to be) because: God is holy. Verse 16 says "Be holy, bec...

A Devotional Life

Search This Blog