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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1 Thess. 1

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READ: 1 Thess. 1 focussing on vv.4-8 

REFLECT:

This is how people are changed: idols are cast aside, and a new life begins! It begins with God's love. The world at large conceives of God as perpetually angry with them. But God does not look at our lost race that way. God sees us as victims, deluded and deceived. Alluring philosophies have throttled our love and captivated and gripped our minds. Almost in total ignorance, we pursue things that destroy us. Although we never intended to do so, most of us have already seriously messed up our lives. But then we learn the incredible truth that God loves us, that he gave his only Son for us. It is in the cross that we see the love of God displayed. Paul so states in Romans: But God commended his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).

It is also in the Scripture that we learn that he has chosen us. How do you know that God chose you? The answer is, you begin to be drawn toward God, to sense a desire for him. The calling of God by means of the Spirit awakens a hunger within. If you are longing to be different, if you want to be more than you are now, if you have tried to change and you cannot, if you find the words of the gospel attractive, you are being drawn by the Spirit! Jesus said, No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him (John 6:44). When the good news came to Thessalonica, people began to feel a desire to have this Jesus who would make such a tremendous change in their lives. They responded to love and thus revealed they were chosen of God.

RELATE: 

Paul goes on to detail the steps necessary to God's call. First, our gospel came to you not simply with words. The Scriptures were preached and the truth was declared. It is through the Word of God that men and women are awakened and moved toward God. The second factor in God's call is the power of God; the gospel came in power. It is real, compelling, gripping. The gospel has the ability to compel because it is not mere legend or myth. Jesus did live. He did move among men. He died a felon's death upon a cross. He was raised from the dead. All of this marks the power of the gospel. When the Thessalonians believed, they sensed the power of it in their hearts. They were actually changed. They were different. Also, the gospel came by the Holy Spirit. Behind the power was the reality of God himself. His Spirit could touch the human spirit. He could minister to the deepest needs in human lives. The Spirit of God fills the human spirit. He begins to minister to our minds and our hearts from within, opening them up to understand these events. Finally, the gospel came with full conviction. It moved the wills of the Thessalonians. They acted, they did something about it: They yielded their lives to God.

Reflect on that time when you were mysteriously drawn to God, sensing a desire to know Him more, and experiencing his love. Share that love with someone today.

REST:

Father, thank you for drawing me to yourself, making me weary of what this world has to offer, and giving me a taste for that which truly satisfies.

TAN TEE KHOON

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