Revelation 22
November Memory Verse: "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with them, and they with me." Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Revelation 22
Well we have reached the end of Revelation and the end of reading the New Testament on Jumpstart. Thank you for being so faithful in reading and growing in God’s word this past year. Life on Earth is temporary. All of our lives will one day come to an end. While we don’t like to think of life ending, Revelation 22 teaches us to constantly be ready. The Lord says in Revelation 22:7, and again in Revelation 22:12, “Look, I am coming!” Since we don’t know when our earthly life might end, Jesus tells us to be ready now and to stay ready at all times. Are you ready to go meet Jesus today? How does your heart feel when you hear that question?
Instead of reading the last chapter of the Bible as a distant prediction of a vague future, we should read it as a specific description of a personal appointment we each have with the Lord. Revelation 22:1-5 gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like. While this is encouraging for the future, it should also be motivating us to act now.
Revelation 22:12-15 tells us the choices we make will determine what happens after this present life ends. Revelation 22:14 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life ...” Those who have committed to following Jesus on Earth will live on eternally in heaven with Him. Do you long for that day? I really feel as Christians we don’t think about heaven and eternity enough. We don’t consistently look at things with an eternal perspective. When we look at each moment with an eternal perspective the things that consume our minds and give us so much anxiety start to dissipate because we know it is only temporary. I really want you to think about that last statement. What consumes your mind daily? Is it worrying about a job or a career path you might take, your family, who you might marry, we could go on and on and on. But now take a second and put those things on an eternal perspective, that your worries are only temporary, that God has a place that we will dwell with him for all eternity. When you look at it like that, all of those things that give us so much anxiety start to not mean so much.
The decision is ours. Will you be consumed with things that will fade away? Or will you look at things with an eternal perspective and be ready for the Lord coming at any moment?
By: Tyson Steelman
Revelation 22
Well we have reached the end of Revelation and the end of reading the New Testament on Jumpstart. Thank you for being so faithful in reading and growing in God’s word this past year. Life on Earth is temporary. All of our lives will one day come to an end. While we don’t like to think of life ending, Revelation 22 teaches us to constantly be ready. The Lord says in Revelation 22:7, and again in Revelation 22:12, “Look, I am coming!” Since we don’t know when our earthly life might end, Jesus tells us to be ready now and to stay ready at all times. Are you ready to go meet Jesus today? How does your heart feel when you hear that question?
Instead of reading the last chapter of the Bible as a distant prediction of a vague future, we should read it as a specific description of a personal appointment we each have with the Lord. Revelation 22:1-5 gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like. While this is encouraging for the future, it should also be motivating us to act now.
Revelation 22:12-15 tells us the choices we make will determine what happens after this present life ends. Revelation 22:14 says, “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life ...” Those who have committed to following Jesus on Earth will live on eternally in heaven with Him. Do you long for that day? I really feel as Christians we don’t think about heaven and eternity enough. We don’t consistently look at things with an eternal perspective. When we look at each moment with an eternal perspective the things that consume our minds and give us so much anxiety start to dissipate because we know it is only temporary. I really want you to think about that last statement. What consumes your mind daily? Is it worrying about a job or a career path you might take, your family, who you might marry, we could go on and on and on. But now take a second and put those things on an eternal perspective, that your worries are only temporary, that God has a place that we will dwell with him for all eternity. When you look at it like that, all of those things that give us so much anxiety start to not mean so much.
The decision is ours. Will you be consumed with things that will fade away? Or will you look at things with an eternal perspective and be ready for the Lord coming at any moment?
By: Tyson Steelman
3 Comments
Wow, that is a great thought to end on, Tyson! Thanks so much for that, and thanks to all of the staff and elders for this year; it’s been a great ride.
If anyone reading along ever stumbled following the Bible story as a whole along the way at this pace, let me highly recommend a 180-day chronological read-through of the whole Bible. Reading faster seems counter-intuitive, but it will transform how you look at the Word and understand it, and make it pulse with life for you. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, here’s looking to Advent!
Here’s a link to a customizable plan:
https://biblereadingplangenerator.com/?start=2021-01-01&total=180&format=list&order=chronological&daysofweek=2,3,4,5,6,7&books=OT,NT〈=en&logic=pericopes&checkbox=1&colors=0&dailypsalm=0&dailyproverb=0&otntoverlap=0&reverse=0&stats=0
Looks like that link didn’t post well. Try this one instead:
https://tinyurl.com/486aads2
Wow-this made me think of what truly consumes my mind! Thank you so much Tyson for your words…I will be referring back to them when I see my thoughts going off the track and not focusing on heaven, and being with my Father forever!!!!!