Category: Thoughts and Meditations

“They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” – Revelation 17:14

Take heart! Don’t let the world’s sin and hostility toward Jesus get you down. Don’t let those who oppose you for following Jesus discourage you. Jesus our Savior is indeed the precious Lamb we love. He is the innocent and pure Lamb Who was sacrificed to atone for our sins. He is gentle and lowly just as He said. But don’t let that fill you with fear or doubt in difficult times! His enemies will make war on Him but they will all fail. Jesus is the Lamb Who will conquer every evil. Jesus will easily wipe away everyone who opposes Him.

Jesus isn’t only the sweet and gentle Lamb Who shed His blood for you. Jesus is also the Lord of all lords. He is the King of all kings. Death couldn’t defeat Him. Satan couldn’t beat Him. Sin had no power over Him. There is no one higher or more powerful than our Risen Savior! He will be victorious and all who follow Him will share in that victory. We who believe in Him are called, chosen, and faithful. One day, we will rejoice in His presence forever and serve in His Kingdom that will never end.

So don’t let bad news get you down. Don’t let opposition or persecution discourage you. Don’t let anything shake your faith. Trust in Jesus, the Lamb Who will conquer. #FollowJesus

“My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray, turning them away on the mountains. From mountain to hill they have gone. They have forgotten their fold.” – Jeremiah 50:6

This has been a common lament and warning from God for over 3000 years! God’s people have often been led astray by corrupt and false shepherds. Religious and political leaders have too often led God’s people away from genuine faith and into idolatry, confusion, and sin. That remains true today.

Shepherds are important. That’s biblical. In fact, they’re a gift from God. However, one reason God has poured out His Holy Spirit on all followers of Jesus is so we can discern when a shepherd is leading us astray. One reason that every believer has the ability to understand the Bible with the help of the Holy Spirit is to protect God’s people from false and corrupt shepherds.

So, where is your shepherd pointing and leading you? Our sheepfold, home, refuge, and center is, and must be, Jesus. Are your leaders pointing you toward Jesus? Are they helping you become more like Him while walking more closely with Him? That’s their fundamental task. Are they helping you act, think, and feel the way Jesus does? The Bible says that Jesus is the Great Shepherd under Whom all other shepherds work. So is Jesus the central message and teaching coming from those you follow here on earth? Or is it more about them and their influence? Or more about earthly politics and power?

If Jesus isn’t the laser-like focus of your shepherd, you’re being led astray. Compare their teaching to the Bible’s teaching, then talk to that shepherd and point out the gap between their teaching and their actual responsibility to King Jesus. Ultimately, reject shepherds who aren’t guiding you closer to Jesus. #FollowJesus

“And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
‘Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations!’”
– Revelation 15:3

Can you even begin to imagine how amazing it will be to worship God when what you’ve believed on Earth is now visible in front of you? When you literally see God??? Worship will become so easy and so natural! Over and over in Revelation, we see the joy that we’ll experience in being able to praise and worship God in His visible presence. In that time, our knowledge of God and His activities will be far more complete than the fragmentary, distorted, and distracted awareness we currently have.

Once we see more clearly and know more fully, we will be so overwhelmed by the goodness and majesty of God the Father and Jesus the Lamb that our hearts will overflow with praise and worship. It will be so marvelous! Nothing will be a force of habit, a work of discipline, or chore. Our worship will be so honest and rich when we praise God for the majesty and greatness of His works in creating and sustaining the universe and in sustaining His people in a brutal fallen world. Our worship will be so complete as we praise God for His perfect justice and the truth of His ways that we can more fully and easily see with our eyes than we can right now!

What a glorious time that will be! We will no longer be hindered in our fellowship and worship of God by distractions, busyness, and our own sense of pride, self, and sin. However, that doesn’t mean we have to wait to worship God well. Work to clear your mind and focus your soul on God and His greatness. Though you can’t see Him, He really is present with you wherever you are. Though you can’t see everything He does, He is working and you can see enough to give Him praise and thanks. Worship God for what the Bible reveals about Him. Praise God for what He did in Bible times and for what He’s doing right now. Devote yourself to worship and praise for the Father and the Son. No, it won’t be as easy or as rich as it will be in eternity but it can still be a powerful experience day in and day out. #FollowJesus

“Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand.” – Jeremiah 42:11

There may come a time in your life when every instinct, every experience, and every person around you is screaming for you to take a particular course of action. You’re agitated, afraid, and every fiber of your being wants to completely surrender to that fear. Then you discover that God’s Word, will, or Spirit is telling you to take the opposite course of action. What will you do then? What will you do when every part of you wants to do one thing but God says to do the opposite?

That’s the situation described here in Jeremiah. A small group of violent assassins had done a great evil that seemed likely to have terrible consequences. In murdering the governor, they’d earned the wrath of Babylon. Another group dealt with those rebels, rescuing their hostages. Yet they were terrified to go home and face the looming vengeance of the Babylonians. They desperately wanted to flee to nearby Egypt for safety. Nonetheless they asked Jeremiah for God’s opinion and God told them to do the opposite of their instincts. Rather than flee in fear, they were commanded to go home in integrity, trusting God’s sovereign presence and protection.

What would you do? Think carefully, because there will be plenty times in life, with small matters and large ones, when our fear and dread will be pitted against God’s invitation to trust Him and walk with integrity. Sadly, this group, who heard the direct word of God from the prophet Jeremiah still gave in to their fear, fleeing to Egypt. Jeremiah detailed exactly what was going to happen to them, yet fear still won in their hearts.

Don’t just assume you’d be different. Fear is so powerful. Handling things our way is such a strong instinct. Trusting God is so un-natural. Nonetheless, that’s always the best way! God really is with His people when we master our fears and control our instincts enough to simply obey Him. Commit to trust God. No matter how difficult things may get. Trust God, no matter the consequences. Trust God, no matter how impossible it seems. If God says to do something, do it! #FollowJesus

“Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.’” – Revelation 11:15

Amen! Jesus is already ruling and reigning over the universe. However, look eagerly toward that glorious day when His rule will be visible to the whole world. On that day, the flawed and fallen political entities of the world will be replaced by the direct, personal reign of Jesus Christ. There will be no more injustice. There will be no more abuse of power. There will be no more greed, selfishness, or cruelty in authority.

King Jesus will be the perfect fulfillment of everything that leaders should be, if only sin weren’t a part of human nature. Let the knowledge that Jesus will one day rule in perfect peace, justice, and mercy be an encouragement when things are dark politically. Rather than becoming discouraged by the collective failings of those in power around the world, know that Jesus is coming! Rather than fall into despair that things often seem to just be getting worse and worse, know that one day everything will become infinitely better.

In the meantime, followers of Jesus are commanded and encouraged to be steadfast in their faith and obedience to the commands of Christ. Read the Bible. Pray. Worship. Draw nearer to God. Become more like Jesus. Hold firmly to your faith. Love God and love every neighbor. Make disciples. #FollowJesus