Focus
Are you tired? Take this time to rest. Relax every part of yourself. Breathe slower. Be ready for what God has before you today.
Read
9 I, John, your brother who share with you in Jesus the persecution and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea.”
12 Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. 14 His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.
17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he placed his right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.
Reflect
One of the many reasons the book of Revelation is so fascinating is its use of vivid language. It feels different than anything we read today, and it is even different from the rest of the biblical writing.
John begins by noting his sharing in the persecution that is happening to Christians and his exile to the island called Patmos. Yet, he did not seem to be in fear. Instead, he was “in the spirit on the Lord’s day.” Persecution did not frighten him or give him anxiety. It was a vision of Jesus Christ that shook him to his core. He wrote, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”
This helps me to think about my spiritual life. I can get unsettled in my spirit because of all the negativity in the world. I worry about my family, budget, the news, my friends, and so on. I give these things my utmost attention and it turns into anxiety. In fact, I worry about those things so much it takes away from my time to see and respond to God.
Every once in a while it may help us to know that the things we spend the most time worrying about are secondary things. We should give our greatest attention to Jesus Christ. He is the one who commands us “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last,18 and the living one. I was dead, and see, I am alive forever and ever; and I have the keys of Death and of Hades.”
Let us live boldly, knowing Christ is King!
Pray
King Jesus, give us a vision of your majesty and grace. Let the vision shock us from the ordinary to seeing the extraordinary all around us today. Amen.
Go with God!
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