Tag Archive for letters to the seven churches

Church, Follow Me

2018-04-05 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn One comment

A reflection on Revelation 3:7-13,
Christ’s letter to the church in Philadelphia

My Church,
I do not call you
to human success,
to fulfill grand ambitions, or
to make a great name for yourself.

I call you to a real, living relationship with Me.
Trust Me and
follow Me,
not just with your words,
but with your daily lives, with
every word you speak and
every decision you make.

During my earthly life, I focused on
saying what my Father told me to say and
doing what my Father showed me to do.
Keep your focus the same, and
you will be like Me.
People will see Me in you, and
they will know that you are mine.

As you follow Me,
my Father and I will claim you as Our very own.
We will write Our names on you for everyone to see.
You will belong to Us, and
you will be with Us
completely,
beautifully,
now and forever.

Church,
just follow Me.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: We Fix Our Eyes on Jesus Christ
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The One Thing

2018-03-29 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 3:1-6,
Christ’s letter to the church in Sardis.

As you respond to the various pressures around you
in all their variety,
as you decide how to spend
your time,
your energy,
your words,
your money,
your passion, and
your trust,
as your daily actions establish
what is truly important to you,
not what you claim to be important,
realize that in the end,
only one thing will matter.
Only one thing will decide
Your character,
Your identity,
Your influence,
Your peace,
Your eternity.
Only one thing will decide
who you have been here and
who you will be forever.

In the end, all that will matter is
Your relationship with me,
Your Creator,
Your Designer,
Your Father,
Your Savior,
Your only Source of life, love, rightness, and joy.

Consider what you want from this life.
Consider who you want to be, and
choose wisely.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: God Alone
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A People of Truth

2018-03-15 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 2:12-17,
Christ’s letter to the church in Pergamum.

As human creatures, our ignorance runs deep.
There is so much we cannot know on our own.
Powerful spiritual beings can easily deceive us.
But we can know the truth,
absolute and unchanging,
through the Spirit of Jesus Christ living within us.

We spend so many of our words spouting what is
trivial or
self-serving.
Our speech can be so meaningless.
But we can speak the truth
clearly and boldly
as the Spirit of Truth speaks through us.

We are weak,
and evil presses in from all around.
But we can live the truth
consistently and
courageously
as we simply trust the
almighty,
all-wise,
all-loving Spirit of God.

Father, keep us true,
each of us and all of us,
individually and together.
Make us Your
holy,
faithful,
loving people
through the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: We Will Be Your People
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Centered on Jesus

2018-02-15 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A prayer response to Revelation 2 & 3,
the letters to the seven churches.

Father, examine my desires.
Examine my hopes.
Examine my thoughts.
Examine my words.
Examine my habits and
all my actions.
Examine each of my relationships.

Father, I long for You to find
Your holy Son Jesus
at the center of all these.

Examine our family.
Examine our Sunday School class.
Examine our local church.
Examine our association of churches.
Examine Your universal Church,
for we are to be
His Body and
His Bride.

Merciful Father, may Jesus Christ be at the heart of
all we are and
all we do.
When the world listens to us,
may they hear Jesus.
When they look at us,
may they see Your holy, loving, energetic, self-sacrificing Son,
Jesus Christ.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: One in Purpose, One in Passion
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Christ Walks among Us

2018-02-08 Devotional Companion to Revelation, Devotional with Hymn No comments

A reflection on Revelation 1:9-20,
John’s vision of the glorified Christ, walking among the churches.

Jesus Christ is no longer the Galilean peasant,
the homeless teacher
wandering a small corner of the Roman empire.
He is the risen, ascended, glorified Christ
in all His natural splendor,
with all the radiance of the only-begotten Son of God.

He is robed as our Great High Priest.
His hair is gleaming white.
His eyes are like a blazing fire.
He sees everything as it truly is:
this world,
the Church,
our lives,
our desires.
He stands with feet like glowing bronze,
unshakable,
unstoppable.
His voice is like the thunder of a mighty waterfall.
He speaks with absolute, unquestionable authority.
His entire being radiates the splendor and power of heaven.

Right now this Christ is walking among us,
His Church.
He is seeing.
He is judging.
He is encouraging.
He is warning.
As He speaks,
I am comforted.
I am challenged.
I am humbled.
I am called.

I begin to see the Church…His Church…in a whole new light.
What is critical for us is not
our size,
our finances, or
our techniques for growth.
What is critical is our living relationship with Him:
our love for Him,
our obedience to Him,
our faithfulness to Him,
our living, holy sacrifice to Him,
our incarnation of Him.

Speak, Lord Jesus.
We are listening.

Listen and sing:
Hymn: The Glorified Christ
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