Revelation, Day 11 God’s power. Read Revelation chapter 11. We read in Revelation chapter 11 about two witnesses who give testimony of the power of God and demonstrate that power themselves. What’s exciting about this chapter is that we see towards the end that God himself begins to reign and the people are excited about it and worship and praise him. God has the power and the authority to reign and rule over this world. He has that power now, but chooses to allow us to make our own choices. When we look at the world around us, we need to realize that God is still in control even when…

Revelation, Day 10 No, you can’t share. Read Revelation chapter 10. John has been diligently recording all that he has seen and experienced during this vision. However, here he was told not to write it down and to keep it a secret. Why does God do that? Throughout my life, there have been plenty of things that God could have told me or shared, but for whatever reason, he chose not to. We often need to remember that we are not entitled to know everything. We want to. But we do not get to. The question becomes, can we be comfortable trusting God for the unknown in our life?

Revelation, Day 9 No repentance. Read Revelation chapter 9. As I read through all of the horrible judgments that are poured out through this chapter, this last verse still surprises me. Every time I read it, I keep thinking that the response would be different. When God brings judgment, do we recognize and turn to him in repentance? For the people of the world, the answer is no. Even with all of the millions and billions of people that will die as a result of the judgments and plagues that are brought on the world, people continue in their sin and do not repent. What will it take for people…

Revelation, Day 8 The prayers of God’s people. Read Revelation chapter 8. Before he moves to the discussion about the judgments from the trumpets, John reveals to us that there is an angel who brings an offering to the Lord. That offering includes the prayers of God’s people. Before the judgments are even announced, God receives the prayers of his people. Our prayers matter to God. Bringing our desires and our wants and our hopes to the foot of the throne of God allows us to better understand his holiness and his mercy. Those prayers are important and matter to him and they are heard before God moves forward with…

Revelation, Day 7 Salvation belongs to God. Read Revelation chapter 7. While much of revelation deals with the prophecies of judgment and destruction, it is also full of praise and glory of who God is holy. Reading this verse, we are reminded that salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone. There is no other plan for salvation apart from our relationship with Jesus Christ. Do we recognize and exalt Jesus Christ for who he is, and have we given him the place of honor and glory in our lives as the giver of salvation? How are we sharing that love with others?

Revelation, Day 5 The lion and the lamb. Read Revelation chapter 5. Here in these verses we see a scroll that has been sealed with seven seals. John is looking to see who would be able to open this scroll. The people tell him not to worry, the lion is able to open it because he has been victorious. When John looks, what he sees is a slain lamb. Sometimes, when we are looking for God, we are looking for one thing and something different is what we see. Our perception of God at different times may be that he should show up like a lion and tear through things.…

Revelation, Day 4 What is God worthy of? Read Revelation chapter 4. As we read through the fourth chapter of this book, we see John explaining the next steps in his vision. He sees the Lord high and lifted up, and recognizes that he is worthy of glory and power and honor. God is worthy of all things. Everyone around him is to recognize that and everyone near him should see all that God is able to do. Do we praise God for who he truly is? Do recognize all of the power that he truly has? We can do nothing without him and he is worthy of all of…

Revelation, Day 3 Keep God’s Word. Read Revelation chapter 3. As we read through chapter 3 of Revelation, we see the remainder of the letters to the churchs. God continues to share with them the truths that he has for them and recognize that he knows them. God wants them to understand that he is intimately familiar with everything they do and all that they are. He sees the struggles that they go through. He sees their obedience even in the hard times. All of those things are of critical importance, and he wants to share that with the people. God knows the same about us. There are times that…

Revelation, Day 2 Tree of Life, Read Revelation chapter 2. Reading through the letters to the churches is always an interesting challenge to me. This time I saw the reference to the tree of life. There lay time this was referenced was in genesis and God was specifically saying that he was going to keep man from eating of the tree of life. When we are victorious with God we are given the right to go back and eat from the tree of life. Good provides for us to receive freely from him that which was once forbidden. Are we seeking the victorious life that God commands so that we…