Revelation 16 - 6.24.26

Scripture

“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Rev 16:15)

Observation

Jesus is going to come again. This time, He will be coming as the King of Kings and will gather all of his servants who are faithfully waiting for Him. 

The Bible uses the imagery of a thief several times referring to the second coming of Christ. In this verse (Rev 16:15), Jesus reminds us once again that he is going to come like a thief when nobody expects Him to come. We need to be alert and live our lives carefully expecting Him to return any moment. We need to remain “clothed”. Our clothing is Jesus Christ. The Bible exhorts us to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:14). Those who are not ready for Him will be shamefully exposed. 

Paul writes that when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire, He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord. (2 Thess 1:7-9)

Jesus reminded us to be on our guard always, as we don't know when the Lord will come. If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. We need to be ready allways as we don’t know when Jesus is going to come (Matt 24:42-44). It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing His will when he returns (Luke 12:43).

Application

It is easy to set our eyes onto the busyness of everyday life, and lose sight of what is most important. Let us be eternity-minded. He has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). 

Let us be intentional about obeying God and living a life that pleases Him. Let us offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God which is our true and proper worship (Rom 12:1). Let us not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2).  Let us set our minds on things above, not on earthly things (Col 3:2).

Let us live our lives everyday and every moment, intentionally fixing our eyes on the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2). 

We don’t know when Jesus will come. But He will surely come. Since we do not know when He will come, let us be ready all the time.

Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for sending Jesus to us. Help me to be ready for you Jesus, when you return. Teach me what it means to be clothed by you all the time. Help me to be living my life faithfully, in obedience while I wait for your return. If you would return during my lifetime, let me be prepared to join you. Make my life a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to you. (Rom 12:1). In Jesus’s name. Amen

Asha Chacko George

Psalm 119 - 6.23.26

SCRIPTURE:  PSALMS 119:33-40

“Teach , me, Lord, the way of Your decrees, that I may follow it to the end.  Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart.  Direct me in the path of Your commands, for there I find delight.  Turn my heart toward Your statutes and not towards selfish gain.  Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to Your Word.  Fulfill Your promise to Your servant, so that You may be feared.  Take away the disgrace I dread, for Your laws are good.  How I long for Your precepts!  In Your righteousness preserve my life.”

OBSERVATION:  This psalm was written by David.  These psalms are anthems of praise and thanksgiving for God and His Word.  David acknowledges that God is his Teacher, Director, the One Who is able to change his heart, the Preserver of life, the Fulfiller, the Promise Keeper, the Forgiver, the good God, the righteous God, and the Preserver of life. 

APPLICATION:  David’s prayer is the perfect prayer for us to pray over our lives. 

PRAYER:  Thank You Holy Spirit for teaching me the Word, and how to obey it.  Thank You for giving me understanding so that I may keep it to the end.  Thank You Jesus for directing my path, and for giving me such delight in finding it. Thank You for changing my heart to want to follow after Your way instead of my selfish gain. Thank You for opening my eyes to the worthless things of this world.  Thank You for preserving my life according to Your Word. Thank You for Your faithfulness to fulfill Your promises to me.  Thank You for forgiving me, and taking away my disgrace. Thank You for being the Preserver of my life.  Thank You Lord that I am able to run to You for comfort and security, and that You are always there to meet me personally, to provide and guide in order to help me walk right before You.

- Robin Orefice

Exodus 9 - 6.22.26

Scripture

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭9‬:‭34‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts.”

Observation

In this passage, the back and forth between Pharaoh, and Moses and Aaron continues. Moses and Aaron are relaying God’s Word to Pharaoh. They are instructing Pharaoh to let all the people of Israel-(men, women, children, and animals) go into the wilderness so they can worship the Lord. If Pharaoh refuses God’s request, there will be consequences on Pharaoh and his people. Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn and refused to let the people of Israel go. So, God inflicted plagues upon Egypt’s livestock. He inflicted a plague of festering boils upon Pharaoh’s people and even their animals. God even called down a mighty hailstorm to destroy their crops. You would think Pharaoh would get the message by now. But instead, he would continue to lie to Moses and Aaron’s faces, promising them that he would let their people go if God would bring relief from these plagues.

Application

You can’t fool God.

How many of us have ever done or may know someone who has ever done what Pharaoh did here? Picture it. You have an uncomfortable circumstance in your life. It’s only then that You decide to turn to God. You then try to bargain with Him. You ask God to remove that difficult circumstance from your life, telling God if He does, then you will do what He asks of you. Then, when relief comes your way, you’re back doing the same old dumb things that got you in that predicament in the first place. 🤦🏽‍♂️

Let me ask you something. Do you really think we’re fooling God?! God is all knowing. He knows how it is all going to play out. The learning lesson here is that we can’t keep hardening our hearts towards God. Sooner or later, it will catch up to us. It did with Pharaoh as we will read in the upcoming chapters. Every time we ignore God’s direction and His ways, our conscience grows less sensitive to Him. When we continue to reject God’s calling and decide to harden our hearts towards Him, God eventually gives us what we ask for. God will then harden our hearts like He did with Pharaoh. This time it reaps eternal consequences.

“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those whom God says in the end, “Thy will be done.””-C.S. Lewis

“That is why the Holy Spirit says, “Today when you hear his voice, don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.” -Hebrews‬ ‭3‬:‭7‬-‭8‬

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your patience with me, for putting up with my foolishness. Forgive me for ever thinking that I can ever fool You. May I never harden my heart towards You and lose the sensitivity of hearing the voice of Your Holy Spirit. Please give me the strength and courage to abide in Your calling for my life. In Jesus name I pray, Amen. 🙏🏽

-Moses Gaddi