Revelation 22 - 7.23.24

SCRIPTURE:  Revelation 22:6, 16-17, 20-21

“Then He said to me, “These words are faithful and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His slaves what must quickly take place.”

“I Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.  Both the Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!”  Anyone who hears should say, “Come!”  Whoever desires should take the living water as a gift.

He who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming quickly.” Amen!  Come Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.  Amen.

OBSERVATION:  The time is near!  The book of Revelation ends where it began: with Jesus speaking through an angel to John, who, in turn relayed the message to the seven churches of Asia.  The principles to live by are for believers of all time.  The main principle that stands out from the beginning is that Jesus could return at any minute, and we are always to be ready!

APPLICATION:  For those who haven’t received the gift of eternal life, Jesus is telling all lost humanity there is still time to repent.  As Christ-followers, we must be diligent to share the Good News of Jesus Christ before He returns!

PRAYER:  Lord Jesus, You are the source of life, and we have been given a beautiful glimpse of what it will be like when we see You face to face!  The New Jerusalem will be a magnificent place to spend eternity, and the inhabitants will live forever in Your awesome presence! “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent - Jesus Christ.

“ Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what will be has not been revealed.  We know that when He appears, we will be like Him because we will see Him as He is.  And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself just as He is pure.” ( 1 John 3:2,3).

Thank You Lord that we have Your promise that one day You will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain won’t exist either, because You, the One seated on the throne, are making all things new!
I pray we will depend on You to help us prepare to live in our eternal home, and that we will be diligent to share the Good News so that many others will join us! 

- Robin Orefice

Psalm 8 - 7.22.24

Scripture

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭8‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT

“When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you set in place— what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?”

Observation

In this psalm, David writes about all the glorious things God has created and put in place on this earth. David is in awe of the splendor of God. David can’t even fathom how a God so BIG and AWESOME in nature, can care so much for something as insignificant as we mere mortals. God cares and loves us so much, that He is willing to partner with us and give us authority to help Him accomplish His mission. How blessed are we? How majestic is He? 🤔

Application

As small as we are in scale to this universe, God still keeps us in mind and loves and cares for us so deeply.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.”-Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭5‬a

“Yes, God even knows how many hairs you have on your head.”-Luke‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬a

“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” -Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭

God knows us intimately. His desire is for us to know Him in that same way. But how do you get to know someone intimately? 🤔

By spending time, (uninterrupted time) with them. By knowing their likes, their dislikes, and the desires of their heart. By knowing their character. By communicating with them, and letting them communicate with you. By truly taking the time to listen to one another. You see where I’m getting at here right? 😉

It is an honor and privilege that the God of the universe, this super intelligent, eternal being, desires to spend time with a mere mortal, and sinner like me. It’s still hard for me to fathom! He loves me so much that He even came out of the comforts of His home in Heaven, to live a lowly life and die a sinner’s death. All this so I can have the opportunity to have a relationship with Him and spend eternity with Him. Now who wouldn’t want to know and serve a God like that?!

So I do my best to get to know Him more each day by spending time in His Word, spending time in prayer, and also taking the time to listen to what He has to say (PB&J: Prayer, Bible Reading, & Journaling). I’ll do my best to tell others about Him because when you’re in a great relationship, you can’t help but tell others about it. And I’ll do my best to make Him proud and do things that won’t upset and disappoint Him. Because at the end of the day, this is a relationship I must cherish.

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, I am truly humbled by how much You love and care for me. With all the extravagant and beautiful things that You created in this world, You consider me Your masterpiece. You choose to partner with me, an imperfect being to accomplish Your mission on this earth. I am in awe of You. I choose to honor You. I choose to worship You. May the life I live be pleasing to You. May the relationship we have together arouse others to desire that same type of relationship with You. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

‬‬

-Moses Gaddi

Numbers 9 - 7.19.2024

Scripture - Pick one verse that stood out to you.

Numbers 9: 15-18

On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped. At the Lord’s command the Israelites set out, and at his command they encamped. As long as the cloud stayed over the tabernacle, they remained in camp. 

Observation - What about this verse stands out to you?

Numbers chapter 9 verses 15 through 18 records the nature defying cloud-by-day fire-by-night system used by the Lord to communicate with the Israelites. When the cloud lifted, the nation moved out. When the cloud settled, the nation encamped. When evening came the cloud looked like fire.

Application - How will you apply this to your life?

What exactly is God’s will in my life?

I have been pondering this question for so long now that it is part of a subconscious daily routine. It is amazing however how God’s word draws me into His revelation when I least expect it. In a season where the nation of Israel was preparing to enter the promised land, God provided clear and concise directions.

And in a world where the power of algorithms is the latest hot topic, I believe that the word of God has been there and done that. While the cloud-fire lasted for but a season in the life of Israel, I yearn for it in my life today.  

Prayer - Write out a prayer.

Lord, God please order my steps today. Tell me when to move. Tell me when to stay. May you be the fire inside me when night falls. May you be the guide of my path, my way. I thank you for the opportunity to draw closer to You. I treasure the moments I have here on earth to ponder what it is like to be close to You. I pray that these thoughts that I have about You are not simply thoughts but that I would live a life where the Holy Spirit would guide my own spirit to be closer with You. I am in awe of your cloud by day and fire by night, and I would truly be humbled by such guidance. Where the world has given over to worship of AI, I choose to remain true to you. I worship You, the one and only God, the creator of the Universe, the living Savior, and my Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

-kenneth lee