Today’s Reading: Revelation 2 & 3

“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. You have patiently suffered for me without quitting.

“But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first! Look how far you have fallen! Turn back to me and do the works you did at first. If you don’t repent, I will come and remove your lampstand from its place among the churches. But this is in our favor: You hate the evil deeds of the Nicolaitans, just as I do.” – Revelation 2:2-6

John received seven messages for seven churches, represented in his revelation as seven lampstands. This first message was for the LOYAL CHURCH in Ephesus. Each message sounds a lot like a job performance review. Do you recognize it? You are doing these things really well…Here is where there is room for improvement and where your performance is lacking…This is what the consequence will be if you do not start doing things differently…This is the reward waiting for you if you do as I have asked you to do…

“To everyone who is victorious I will give fruit from the tree of life in the paradise of God.” – Revelation 2:7b

There are six more messages to six more lampstand churches. Lord, show us if one of these “performance reviews” describes where we are at spiritually. Protect us from false guilt but open our hearts to the truth as revealed by Your Spirit. Amen.

Smyrna is seen as a SUFFERING CHURCH – a Church who has suffered much for God but they have done so in fear. God is guiding them – Don’t be afraid of the suffering that is ahead of you. If you remain faithful through this difficult time, I will give you a crown of life (2:8-11).

Pergamum is the COMPROMISING CHURCH. They remained loyal during times of persecution but they had also tolerated false teaching. They have a choice set before them – repent of your sin or I will come and fight the false teaching myself with the sword of my mouth. If you find victory in this area of pushing away false beliefs, I will give you manna from heaven. And, to each of you, I will give a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name no one understands except the one who receives it (2:12-17).

The Church in Thyatira has a similar problem – they have been the OVERLY TOLERANT CHURCH. God has seen their love, faith, service and patient endurance. In the presence of constant improvement, they have unfortunately allowed teaching that permits sexual sin and the eating of food offered to idols. When given the opportunity to repent, they have chosen immorality over God’s plan. To this church God is saying – I know the thoughts and intentions of every person and I will give to each of you whatever you deserve. If you choose to obey me to the very end, you will be given victory and authority (2:18-29).

The Church in Sardis has a reputation for being alive but God sees that their actions do not meet His requirements – they are the SPIRITUALLY DEAD CHURCH. They need to go back to what they believed at first and hold to it firmly. Then they will wake up and be strengthened. There were some in the church who had not “soiled their clothes” and they would walk with God in white because they were worthy of this privilege. Their names will be written in the book of Life forever (3:1-6).

To the OBEDIENT CHURCH in Philadelphia: I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, YET you obeyed my word and did not deny me…Because you have obeyed my command to persevere, I will protect you from the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world to test those who belong to this world. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown. – Revelation 3:8-11

The message to the Church in Laodicea is probably the one we are most familiar with. They are the LUKEWARM and UNCOMMITTED CHURCH. They are not completely cold and dead, but neither are they on fire for God. They are like lukewarm water that God will spit out of His mouth. They are rich and think they have everything they need, but they are wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

To the lukewarm God says, “I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference. Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.” – Revelation 3:19-21

So where did you find yourself among these bad news / good news reviews? There is hope! The difference between these 7 messages and job performance reviews is found at the end of each message: “Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches.”

God is saying – I’m not asking you to perform based on your own abilities. I’m asking you to enter into my presence and allow my Spirit to fill you. Then listen to the Spirit and pray for understanding of how the Spirit is asking you to live. As we discovered yesterday, we can position ourselves to hear from God by entering into His presence to worship Him. It is in these times that we hear from Him and receive strength from Him.

God, that is exactly where we want to be – positioned to hear from you. We want to be filled with Your Spirit so that we can respond minute by minute to your leading. Lord, we confess the areas in which we have been lacking and thank you that “GRACE” is written in red all over our performance review. Thank you for coming in and sharing this morning coffee together as friends. Open our ears so we can listen to Your Spirit and understand what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Revelation 1

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. – Revelation 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22

This is the command given at the end of each of the messages for the seven churches. This is where I start as I begin my study of the book of Revelation and as I end this 12 month journey through the Bible. Now I find myself on my knees asking for ears to hear so that I can listen to what the Spirit wants to say to me through this final book in God’s word. I pray for understanding of what He is saying to the churches and asking Him if there is a message in this book for me today.

God blesses the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and he blesses all who listen to its message and obey what it says, for the time is near. – Revelation 1:3

Lord, we are prepared to be blessed as we spend time in your presence studying this book of Revelation. Reveal to us your message. Reveal to us your heart. Reveal to us the good you see in us and reveal to us the bad – the areas in which we are lacking and need to make changes.

God gave Jesus a revelation, which he then sent to John through an angel. The words of this book, though written down by John while imprisoned on the island of Patmos, are the words of God himself and the testimony of Jesus Christ. This letter was written to the seven churches in the province of Asia and still has a powerful message to believers in today’s churches.

Before John reveals the seven messages to the seven churches, he gives us a better understanding of where the message is coming from. He wants his readers to clearly understand that these are not his thoughts, this is not his message. He is simply a fellow believer and brother in Christ. He is a partner in suffering and in God’s Kingdom. He is patiently enduring what Jesus has called him to, just as the believers in the churches were doing.

It was the Lord’s Day, and I was worshipping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. It said, “Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” – Revelation 1:10-11

Let’s not miss that this moment in which John heard from God was while he was worshipping in the Spirit. He was in God’s presence filled with the Spirit focused on worship when he experienced God like he had never experienced Him before. Because he was positioned to hear from God, he heard from God and the result was that God was able to use him to reveal His message to His people.

Almost 17 years ago I heard from God through a Nazarene pastor in Ohio, Rev. Daniel Witter. The message God sent me changed my life forever but I also walked away with a deep gratitude for a man who had positioned himself to hear from God. His faithfulness to his time alone in God’s presence resulted in him hearing from God and I received God’s promise for me. The promise gave me hope. The fulfillment of that promise changed my life. But the realization that my faithfulness to entering into God’s presence daily could result in God communicating to others through me made the greatest impact of all.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look – I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.” – Revelation 1:17-18

When we enter into God’s presence, we position ourselves to hear from Jesus himself – the one who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his own blood for us. He then makes us a Kingdom of priests for the service of God the Father (1:5-6).

I was initially concerned about starting the book of Revelation so close to Christmas day, but now it makes more sense. Perhaps it is during the Christmas week that we are the most likely to be POSITIONED TO HEAR FROM GOD. Most of us will take time off work and close out the many distractions of our daily routines. We are attending special Christmas programs and hearing the Christmas story over and over again. We are worshipping to familiar Christmas carols and pondering the birth of our Savior. God has our attention. The Alpha and Omega has something to say to each of us as we end our journey through the Bible and say goodbye to 2015.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega – the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come – the Almighty One.” – Revelation 1:8

From A to Z – there is nothing outside of God’s domain. When we come to Him and sit at His feet, we are entering the presence of a God whose power and authority is all-encompassing. He is fully in control and nothing is beyond His knowledge or ability. This is the God I love, the God I serve, and the God with whom I look forward to sharing my morning coffee each day.

[Do you have plans for how you will position yourself to hear from God in 2016? On January 1st, I will be returning to Genesis 1 to begin another chronological journey through the Bible. We will study Genesis through Revelation in 365 days. By following the daily reading plan, you can read through the entire Bible in a year. Perhaps for some of you, this is where our journey goes separate ways. If so, thank you very much for taking the time to read this blog in 2015. I hope there are some of you who would choose to go back to Genesis with me – to join me in daily positioning ourselves at the feet of Jesus while we share in His Word and a cup of my morning coffee.]

Today’s Reading: 1 John 4 & 5 and 3 John

I love the strong message of love that John presents in his letters. It was what I needed to hear over the last three days and a great reminder as we celebrate God’s perfect expression of love throughout the Christmas story. God loves us enough to change us into who He created us to be. John goes on to speak of four different life changes that take place in our lives when we:

Remain in fellowship with Christ
Have the Holy Spirit living within us

We will gain discernment.

When the Spirit lives within us, we will become more and more discerning of the truth. When we hear something that is not truth, the Spirit within us will warn us and we will experience uneasiness. The Spirit living within us is truth and is greater than the spirit who lives in this world. Because we belong to God, we listen to the Spirit and are able to DISCERN TRUTH from deception (1 John 4:1-6).

We will grow more perfect in love.

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, OUR LOVE GROWS MORE PERFECT. – 1 John 4:7-17a

We will obey out of love and not fear.

Such love has no fear, because PERFECT LOVE EXPELS FEAR. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. We love each other because he loves us first…And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their Christian brothers and sisters.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. – 1 John 4:18-5:3

We will overcome evil by our faith.

For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God. – 1 John 5:4-5

As John reminded us earlier in this first letter, we live in this evil world and love the people around us but we do this without loving the world and the things of this world (2:15). So, though surrounded by sins and encouraged daily by the unsaved around us to join in their sin, we choose instead to remain in fellowship with Jesus and give in to the urgings of the Spirit instead of the urgings of the sinful nature.

We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.

And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. – 1 John 5:18-20

Sin will not overpower us. We don’t have to be afraid that we will sin when we remain in fellowship with God. We are children of God and no evil in this world is more powerful than him. BUT, we also have to keep our hearts devoted to Him and avoid situations or temptations that could weaken our resolve to remain in relationship with Him. We need to make sure that we do not start making other things in our life more important than Him. God wants more than just first place in our lives, He wants Lordship over EVERYTHING in our lives.

John ends this first letter with great advice for us, especially during this Christmas season, and so I end my morning coffee pondering this verse.

Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts. – 1 John 5:21

Lord, thank you for the evidence we are already experiencing in our lives, evidence that you are at work and creating us into a new person. We thank you for Your perfect expression of REAL LOVE as demonstrated in your birth and in your death on the cross. Lord, continue to strengthen our faith in you and our love for others. Amen.

Today’s Reading: 1 John 3 and 2 John

If we listen to the Holy Spirit living within us and if we remain in fellowship with Christ, as we talked about this week, it will be no problem for us to live the holy life John, Paul and Peter have been teaching about. If we try to do it on our own, we will most definitely fail. Our humanity will be stronger than our will. But God has given us the Holy Spirit to prompt us when we should not say what we are about to say, or that what we just said was wrong and we need to apologize. It becomes sin when we choose to ignore what the Spirit is saying to us or ignore what we have learned while studying God’s word and enjoying fellowship with Him. Let’s consider James’ definition of sin: Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it (James 4:17).

John goes on to explain what true fellowship with Christ looks like.

And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Anyone who continues to live in him will not sin. But anyone who keeps on sinning does not know him or understand who he is.

Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it show that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God. So now we can tell who are children of God and who are children of the devil. Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to God. – 1 John 3:5-10

These are powerful words. God’s plan is to make us into who He created us to be. His grace gives us the strength to overcome sin, not just unmerited favor that looks the other way while we continue to submit to our sinful nature (James 4:6). LOVE – this is what it looks like to respond to Christ when we are in relationship with Him; to love Him enough to obey and to demonstrate our love for Him in our actions towards others.

This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another…

And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us. Those who obey God’s commandments remain in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Spirit he gave us lives in us. – 1 John 3:11, 16-24

And so we end right where we began – Our life is different when the Spirit lives in us and when we remain in fellowship with Jesus Christ. Our life produces this kind of love naturally as we live in obedience and relationship with our Savior.

I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning. Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. – 2 John 5-6

I love the circle that John creates in these verses. If we truly love God, we will obey whatever He commands. And what does he command, to love one another. So, if we truly love God, we will love one another. In fact, we show our love for God by loving others – demonstrated in word and action. And this verse in John’s second letter is consistent with what he wrote in his first letter:

But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. – 1 John 2:5

Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love…Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us. – 1 John 4:7-8,11-12

I know. We’ve heard all of this before. But I think it is helpful for me to study it again, to remember what true obedience to God looks like – loving others in word and deed. I can say I love everyone and that my love for God is expressed in the way I love others, but then I need to consider when I complain and speak negatively about someone else. Does this express my love for God? Do I love God well when I’m avoiding someone or focusing on how someone gets on my nerves?

Lord, forgive me for my lack of love for others. Lord, perfect YOUR love in me. I want to live a life of obedience and love. Please fill me with Your Spirit today and love through me! May your truth be evident in our actions today as we love each other just as You intended us to. Fill us with the kind of REAL LOVE John spoke of – the kind of love that would give up our lives just as Christ gave up His life for us. Amen.

Today’s Reading: 1 John 2:7-29

Dear friends, I am not writing a new commandment for you; rather it is an old one you have had from the very beginning. This old commandment – to love one another – is the same message you heard before. Yet it is also new. Jesus lived the truth of this commandment, and you also are living it. For the darkness is disappearing, and the true light is already shining. – 1 John 2:7-8

God’s message from generation to generation, from the Old Testament to the New, is consistent – we are to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. In fact, God teaches us that the best way for us to show our love for Him is by loving others. He does not let us get by with saying – I love you, God, but I don’t love…

If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a Christian brother or sister, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves another brother or sister is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates another brother or sister is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. – 1 John 2:9-11

Then why do we hear so often of quarrels and arguments in the church or within Christian families? Why do we hear that someone isn’t talking with someone else or that two people do not get along so they avoid each other? Why do we ignore scriptures such as John’s letter or the words of Jesus that say, “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” – Matthew 5:23-24

Now, it is okay for us to hate sin but we must do so in a way that we do not hate the sinner. We can and should be appalled by the things that happen in the world around us, but hating the person involved does nothing to change the situation or bring that person to an understanding of God’s love for them. We may really hate the way someone has treated us or words they have used to wound us, but God’s commandment does not change – we must LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever. – 1 John 2:15-17

Here’s the great part: God has equipped us for this commandment. He has given us a way to love people while hating sin, to love the world while hating the things of this world.

1. He has given us the Holy Spirit.

But you have received the Holy Spirit and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true – it is not a lie. So, just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ. – 1 John 2:26-27

2. He has given us the opportunity to remain in fellowship with Christ.

And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame. Since we know that Christ is righteous, we also know that all who do what is right are God’s children. – 1 John 2:28-29

In fellowship with Christ, sitting at His feet and listening to Him as I share my morning coffee time with Him☺ What a great way to start my day. What a great way to survive my week! Lord, fill me with your Spirit and with your love! Reveal in me any hard feelings or hate I may have in my heart towards someone else. Show me any areas in which I need to make things right. Thank you for your fellowship and for the gift of your Spirit this Christmas Season. Amen.

Today’s Reading: 1 John 1:1 – 2:6

We are down to our last few NT letters, all written by the apostle John, who often described himself as the disciple Jesus loved. He felt so strongly the love of Jesus and it comes out in his writings. John is believed to have been the only one of Jesus’ disciples still alive at this point and the only one to die of old age or natural causes.

The Bible does not tell us how each disciple died but information has been pieced together from other historical documents and legends. Like Paul, Peter was martyred in Rome during the reign of Nero – Paul was beheaded and Peter was crucified (upside down by his request). Andrew took the gospel to what is now the Soviet Union, Turkey, Asia Minor and Greece, where he was crucified. Thomas took the gospel to Syria and India, where the spears of four soldiers took his life. Philip took the gospel to North Africa and Asia Minor, where he was cruelly put to death by a Roman proconsul who was angry that Philip had converted his wife to Christianity.

Some say Matthew was not martyred while others say he was stabbed in Ethiopia. There are varying accounts of how Bartholomew died, all stories of his martyrdom for the gospel. James is believed to have been stoned and clubbed to death, while Simon the Zealot was killed when he refused to worship the sun god. Matthias, the disciple who replaced Judas, was burned to death. [http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1-300/whatever-happened-to-the-twelve-apostles-11629558.html]

All of these men gave their lives for the sake of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. They were just common men who knew what it was to be loved by Jesus and were passionate about spreading Jesus’ message of salvation…no matter what.

John’s message, like the messages of Paul and Peter, speaks strongly of salvation and holiness.

This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts. – 1 John 1:5-10

John is saying that God is holy – He is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. God does not sin and cannot sin because He is the definition of holy. So, we cannot say that we have fellowship with God if we willfully keep sinning because sin separates us from God. Sin in our lives is spiritual darkness and God is light.

We are all sinners. But, here’s the good news – the message the disciples were willing to die in order to spread: We do not have to continue living in sin. We have a choice. God not only forgives us of our sins, He also cleanses us from all wickedness. He does a work in our lives and in our hearts, making us into a new creation. We are no longer slaves to sin but have been given the Spirit. Instead of giving into our sinful urgings, we can give into the urgings of the Spirit. It is then that we are able to experience fellowship with God – living in the light, as God is in the light.

We have all sinned and, because we are human, we are imperfect. But, when we live by the Spirit, the Spirit speaks to us when attitudes are creeping in or when our words are not pleasing to God. We have a choice in that moment to listen to the Spirit and yield to the urgings not to continue with that attitude, or to stop speaking or apologize for what has already been said. Or we can ignore the Spirit and give into our sinful urgings. That is when we sin and that is when we choose spiritual darkness that separates us from God. God is holy and He is calling us to be holy, just as He is equipping us with His Spirit in order to live a holy life.

My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. – 1 John 2:1-6

To live as Jesus did – that’s a tall order. That is what the disciples did. They lived as Jesus lived and they died as Jesus died, willingly giving their lives for the sake of the advancement of God’s Kingdom. And we are all called to live for God in obedience – whatever He asks us to do. I’m so thankful that I am not given this assignment to complete on my own.

Thank you, Jesus, for being my advocate – my truly righteous sacrifice. I love you, Jesus. My desire today is that my love for You will show in my obedience to the Spirit. My desire is to live IN You instead of living FOR me. Amen.

Today’s Reading: Jude

We started in Genesis in January and we have almost made our way all the way through the Bible. We only have 4 letters and the book of Revelation left. Thank you for joining me on this chronological journey. Let’s finish strong, even in the midst of our crazy busy schedules.

Our next New Testament letter to look at is Jude’s letter to the Church. In this letter we hear from another sibling of Jesus who struggled to believe in who Jesus was until after Jesus resurrected from the dead. Jude humbly introduces himself as a slave of Jesus Christ and a brother of James. He is now a devoted brother and follower of Jesus, and he is concerned about the direction the Church is headed.

False teaching was making its way into the Church and Jude writes a short letter to point them back to the basics of their faith and back to holy living. He reminds them in his introduction that they have been called by God, who loves them and keeps them safe in the care of Jesus Christ. He encourages them to be there for each other during this difficult time, to be concerned about their brother in Christ and encourage them to stay true to their faith.

But you, dear friends, must build each other up in your most holy faith, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit, and await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love. – Jude v.20-21

This was Jude’s advice for the church in the midst of false teachers and those who were trying to destroy those who have faith. The followers of Christ had been warned that there would be scoffers whose purpose in life was to satisfy their own ungodly desires, creating divisions among those in the Church (v.18). In the midst of those who were trying to make their life difficult, the believers were encouraged to build each other up, pray in the power of the Spirit and wait for the mercy of Jesus to bring them to their eternal home.

Jude also urged them to defend the faith God had entrusted to his holy people. There were people in the Church saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives (v.4), but Jude was warning them not to believe this false teaching. He used several examples of how God’s people were punished for their sins:

1. After rescuing the nation of Israel from Egypt, Jesus later destroyed those who did not remain faithful (v.5).

2. The angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God had given them are being kept securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment (v.6).

3. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire for their immorality and sexual perversion (v.7).

Jude describes these people as following their own natural instincts instead of following God’s Spirit within them (v.10,19). He warns us that those among us who are remaining in sin are like “dangerous reefs” that can shipwreck us or like “shameless shepherds” who care only for themselves. They are like “clouds blowing…trees in autumn…wild waves of the sea…wandering stars.”

John had a similar warning for the Church in his third letter:
Dear friend, don’t let this bad example influence you. Follow only what is good. Remember that those who do good prove that they are God’s children, and those who do evil prove that they do not know God. – 3 John 11

But do not just write off nominal Christians and those who have completely turned away from the faith. Let your heart respond to their weakness and reach out to rescue them from the path they are headed down. In other words, love the sinner even while hating the sin they are living in. And care enough about the believer who is settling for less than all God has for them to invite them to truly encounter God.

And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives. – Jude 22-23

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me and keeping me safe in your care. You have called me, you love me and you have given me your Spirit to keep me from falling away. Today I will follow Jude’s words of encouragement and build others up, pray in the power of the Holy Spirit and await your mercy.

All glory to him who alone is God, our Savior through Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory, majesty, power and authority are his before all time, and in the present, and beyond all time! Amen. – Jude 25

Today’s Reading: Hebrews 13

And let us run with ENDURANCE the race God has set before us. – Hebrews 12:1b

ENDURE God’s discipline and don’t give up when He corrects you because he loves you as a Father loves His child.

For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening – it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.

So take a new grip with your tired hands and strengthen your weak knees. Mark out a straight path for your feet so that those who are weak and lame will not fall but become strong. – Hebrews 12:10-13

ENDURE the discipline so that we might share in His holiness, which looks like this:

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. – Hebrews 12:14-15

Be careful that you do not refuse to listen to the One who is speaking…Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is UNSHAKABLE, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire. – Hebrews 12:25a, 28-29

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison…also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.

Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. – Hebrews 13:1-8

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a CONTINUAL sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God. – Hebrews 13:14-16

How do we do this?
How do we live this kind of holy life?
It seems impossible to endure and meet this high mark.
Well, it is impossible…without God’s help.
God, who is unshakable.
Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever.
HE will equip you.
HE will produce in you every good thing that is pleasing to him.

Now may the God of peace –
Who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
The great Shepherd of the sheep,
And ratified an eternal covenant with his blood –
May he equip you with all you need for doing his will.
May he produce in you,
Through the power of Jesus Christ,
Every good thing that is pleasing to him.
All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. – Hebrews 13:20-21

Today’s Reading: Hebrews 12:14-29

It was by faith that even Sarah was able to have a child, though she was barren and was too old. She believed that God would keep his promise. AND SO a whole nation came from this one man who was as good as dead – a nation with so many people that, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore, there is no way to count them. – Hebrews 11:11-12

Oh, I’m so glad Sarah is in my cloud of witnesses! I relate to Sarah. I relate to God’s gift of faith helping me through a time when my body would not cooperate with the desires of my heart. A fertility specialist said there was nothing he could do to keep me from miscarrying every pregnancy. Today my heart overflows with thankfulness for the three beautiful girls God has given us. Sarah had faith AND SO… Sarah believed God keeps his promises AND SO…

By faith, Isaac blessed the future of his sons, Jacob and Esau. By faith, Jacob blessed the future of his grandsons (Joseph’s sons). By faith Joseph spoke confidently that the people of Israel would leave Egypt one day. Each of these men could not see into the future of their descendants but they knew the God who keeps His promises would be there watching over them.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race marked out for us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. – Hebrews 12:1-2a

When Pharoah was killing all the Hebrew baby boys, Moses’ parents did not cower in fear. No, they ran with endurance, hiding their son for three months. They saw that God had given them an unusual child, and they were not afraid to disobey the king’s commands (Hebrews 11:23b).

When he grew up, Moses stripped off every weight that would slow him down and the sin that would so easily trip him up:

It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharoah’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. – Hebrews 11:24-27

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. – Hebrews 12:2a

By faith, the people of Israel ran with endurance the race marked out for them – first when they crossed the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground and then when they marched around Jericho for seven days causing the walls to fall down. The race marked out for them resulted in victory and triumph over their enemies.

By faith, Rahab walked away from her people, who refused to obey God, because she had a champion who had initiated and perfected her faith in Him. This same faith can be found in the lives of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. God did great things through them and they received what God had promised. Consider this huge crowd of witnesses to our life of faith.

They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.

All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us. – Hebrews 11:33b-40

Okay, no more feeling sorry for ourselves. I don’t think any of us have a testimony quite as harsh as this crowd of witnesses. Yet, they ran the race with endurance. We also have something they did not have, the new covenant relationship with God made possible through the cross.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not given your lives in your struggle against sin. – Hebrews 12:2-4

THEREFORE, since we have this incredible crowd of witnesses surrounding us as we live this life of faith, let’s strip off every weight that slows us down (whether it can be called sin or not) and let’s get rid of the sin that so easily causes us to trip. Let’s run this race with passion, with endurance, with faith – knowing that God keeps His promises and keeping our eyes fixed on our Champion who is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne! He has initiated our faith (we did not come up with it on our own – it is a gift) and He daily perfects our faith. Thank you, God, for these examples. Thank you, Jesus, for enduring the cross for me. And thank you for this growing GIFT OF FAITH. Amen!

Today’s Reading: Hebrews 12:12-13

Enoch was known as a person who pleased God. Wow, that is a powerful statement! A person can be known for so many different things, good and bad, but Enoch was known as a person who pleased God and that came from his faith in God.

And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Genesis describes Enoch as living in close fellowship with God for more than 300 years. “Then one day he disappeared, because God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Something incredible…something extraordinary happened in Enoch’s life, simply because God chose to do it. That’s the kind of God we serve – the kind of God that just does because He can.

Enoch remained in close fellowship with God and God spared him death. I could just be done for today because that alone is more powerful than any of the caffeine in my morning coffee! But Enoch is not the only person in the crowd of witnesses we are surrounded by as we live this life of faith. There are more. Right by Enoch stands Noah, a man whose faith in God produced righteousness.

It was by faith that Noah built a large boat to save his family from the flood. He obeyed God, who warned him about things that had never happened before. By his faith Noah condemned the rest of the world, and he received the righteousness that comes from faith. – Hebrews 11:7

There had never been a flood; there had never been a boat so big. Yet Noah obeyed God, which required a great deal of faith. But Noah’s faith had grown over the years because he had remained in close fellowship with God, just like Enoch. He lived a life that was pleasing to God and so God considered Noah a righteous man – more righteous than anyone else.

Noah had the faith he needed when the moment of decision came. When faced with the choice to obey God and do something never done before, Noah had a faith strong enough to say “yes”. He did not have to produce this strong faith immediately because his faith had been growing over time as he walked with God. I’m so glad Noah is in my crowd of witnesses as I run the race set before me. His example encourages me.

Also standing out in this crowd of witnesses is Abraham:

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance. He went without knowing where he was going. And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith – for he was like a foreigner, living in tents. And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise. Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God. – Hebrews 11:8-10

Abraham was looking forward, eyes fixed on God. Where do you want me to go? Okay, I’m on it. Leave home, leave everything I know? Yes, I’ll obey you, God. What do you want me to do? Okay, I’ll do it. Sacrifice my son through whom I expect your promises to be fulfilled? Yes Lord, I’ll do it if that’s what you ask.

Abraham could have looked back from where he came but he continued to look forward to the promise. When looking for a wife for Isaac, he insisted that his servant NOT go back to the land from which they had come to find her. When walking up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham did not continually look back and remind God that He had promised Abraham would be the father of many nations. No, he pressed forward, eyes fixed on God, believing that God could do anything – including raising Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).

This is why the writer of Hebrews pointed out the crowd of witnesses. He knew we would need the reminder of Abraham’s faith when we heard these words:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by…

Enoch, Noah and Abraham,

…let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith… – Hebrews 12:1-2a

Oh, how I needed this today. When I look ahead, I sometimes get overwhelmed. I remind myself of God’s promises and I remind myself of Hebrews 10:23 – “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.”

Daily I have to lay all God’s promises on the altar and trust Him to provide. Daily I have to remain in close fellowship with my God, from my morning coffee to my bedtime prayers – pressing forward, eyes fixed on God, believing that God can do anything; having the faith I need when a moment of decision comes, a faith strong enough to say “yes”. That’s what we can give God this Christmas – the gift of our “yes”.