Revelations 22:12-21

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Read Revelations 22:12-21 Verses for meditation: Revelations 22:12-13, 16, 20-21 ESV: 12 "Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” 16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.” 20 He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. Reflect How does it feel to be reading the very last few verses of the bible? What do the proclamations, the last few of them, say about Christ? Come, Lord Jesus! Does this really express our desire? How does the greatest book end, and on what note? But is this really the end? Relate With mixed feelings, I'm writing this last devotion based on the final ten verses of the greatest book, the bible. What a journe...
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Nahum

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Read 


Nahum


Verses chosen for devotion:

”The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. His way is in whirlwind and storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.“

‭‭Nahum‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬


Reflection


The book of Nahum is about the prophecy on the fall of Niniveh and Assyria. The chosen passage says that God is merciful but He is also just. If we remember what we have read in the book of Jonah God actually relented from the disaster and spared Niniveh.  This was because the people of Niniveh repented and God had compassion on them. But more than a century later the people of Niniveh committed grave sins again and this time God lashed out his anger and sent out the message of judgement and the irreversible downfall of the nation. This prophesy was fulfilled in the 7th century BC when Niniveh was sieged by Medes and Babylonians. God is merciful to forgive (Jonah 3:10) but He is also just and will not let the wicked go unpunished (Nahum vs 1:3).


Why did God spare Niniveh only to destroy it a century later? And if I sin again after knowing that I have been forgiven would my fate be the same as Niniveh?


Relate 


The people of Niniveh in the time of Jonah repented and this caused God to have compassion to forgive them and spare them of the impending destruction. Nonetheless this was not the case with Niniveh in the time of Nahum. There were no repentance and their evil deeds were numerous and persistent - Nahum 1:9 plotting against God, idolatry 1:14, lies, plundering, preying, slavery 3:1,2, cruelty 3:19, so on and so forth. It seemed like it had become part of their DNA to commit evil.


We witnessed many incidences of cruelty in today’s wars, killings of the civilians and disruption of humanitarian aids. The wicked acts are only getting worse and there is no clear sign of remorse or repentance. Humans are adamant to continue doing what they think is right to feed their ambitions and pride. Are such wickedness comparable to the days of Niniveh as described in the book of Nahum? What do we think God will do?


How about our own conditions of sin at personal level? Do we have the conviction in our hearts on the recurring sins that we commit each time after asking God for forgiveness?  Each time after we sin we feel remorseful and loathe ourselves for being so weak in our flesh, only to end up repeating it again. Are we then subject to the same fate as Niniveh? In Matthew 18:21,22 Jesus asked Peter to forgive his brothers who sin against him 77 times. That is the standard of our God when it comes to forgiving us, endless mercy (Lamentations 3:22-23). That doesn’t mean that we should continue to sin without limitation as Proverbs 26:11 put it - “As a dog returns to his own vomit, So a fool repeats his folly”. Proverbs 28:13 also says “whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy”. Therefore I know that  that if I confess my sins, he is faithful and just to forgive me my sins and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.


I am grateful that my sinful nature does not subject me to destruction (as in the case of Niniveh). For who can withstand the wrath of God? All this is possible through the grace of God and the redeeming blood of our Lord Jesus. All this is possible because Jesus loves me.


Rest


Yes, Jesus loves me! Yes, Jesus loves me! 

Yes, Jesus loves me! The Bible tells me so.


Amen


Alan Wong





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