Revelation 1-7 Day 38

Worship, judgment, wrath, hope, warning, tenderness, encouragement, destruction-all of this and more is included in today’s Scripture! Revelation is fascinating but unsettling; the beautiful, holy, loving One reveals that He is capable of violence that we cannot fathom. This was not pleasant listening nor is it easy to comment on today’s chapters. My tendency is to avoid Scripture like this but God has given it to us and so He means for us to read and hear it. Today’s section ends on a tender note and that is comforting. What I take away from this is another reminder that God is good, loving, tender and everything else that draws us to Him, and at the same time intensely serious about humans listening to Him, trusting Him and obeying Him. The flood shows that, the cross shows that and the judgment in Revelation shows that as well. Am I serious about sin? Am I, one who claims Christ, resolved to pursue holiness? Time and again in this section we heard “to the one who conquers” or as other versions render it “to the one who overcomes”. That’s a bothersome phrase to me, but rather than let it discourage me, may it drive me closer to the One who has overcome. Help us, Holy Spirit, to keep our eyes and hearts focused on Jesus, and to be His agents of love, and warning, to those around us.

Scott Paulette