Revelation 22:17

And the Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

Encouraging Words

Another promise of the future that awaits us. A future where we will never thirst, not just for water, but for anything. We are not just told of this promised world but told to come and partake of it. Glory be to God!

Revelation 21:3-4

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Encouraging Words

God, our creator and sustainer, promises to dwell with us. That promise includes creating for us a place in eternity where there will be no more tears, no more death, no more sorrow, no more crying, and no more pain. What a glorious and precious promise. Glory be to God!

Revelation 3:20

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Encouraging Words

Jesus never gives up on us. He is always at the door of our hearts and lives knocking, waiting for us to let Him in. Even if we have chosen to give our lives to Him, we still shut Him out some times. He remains faithful even if we don’t. He remains persistent, even after we have given up. He desires to sit at the feast table with us. The question is whether or not we are willing to open the door and let Him in to stay. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

2 John 1:6

This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

Personal Challenge

“Ignorance of the law is no excuse!” I remember hearing that statement often while I was growing up. We have all been given common sense. We have all had planted within us God’s foundational truths because we were created in His image. This is why we know that God’s basic commandment to us is to love one another. As we do this in our journey through life we will get to know God more intimately and be able to see and practice more of the things, the commandments, that He wants us to do. The closer we draw to God the further we become removed from ourselves. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

1 John 5:10-12

He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

Personal Challenge

John makes an interesting point here. God has revealed Himself to us through His son, Jesus Christ. He has also revealed Himself through nature and all of creation. Since we have had Him revealed to us, we have no excuse for not believing in Him. John even goes so far as to accuse us of making God out to be a liar if we choose not to believe in Him. This can be hard to hear. The wonderful thing about God revealing Himself to us is that through this we know His Son and through Him, we have eternal life. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 4:20

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

Personal Challenge

Once again we are presented with a vivid reminder that our commitment to Christ is an active commitment. We are not saved by Christ to be couch potatoes in our Christian walk. If we are not actively loving our fellow human being, whether we like them or not, whether they are rich or poor, whether their color or political affiliation or gender or any aspect of their being, matches ours or not, then how can we love our God whom we have not seen? The proof of our love for our God is shown in our love for those around us. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

1 John 4:15-16

Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Personal challenge

Another problem that can be found in our modern-day Christianity is that Jesus Christ is often relegated to just a symbol in the worship and practices of many churches. We have simplified the Christian life to the point that if I say this special player once in my life, then I am a Christian and receive all the benefits and blessings that go with that. But John reminds us that to be a true follower of Christ, we will be confessing or professing Him constantly, in everything that we say, every action that we take, and every thought that goes through our heads. We will abide in God 24/7, which means we will no longer abide in the world or pursue the things of the world. If I am truly professing Jesus in everything that I do then I will be set apart from this world and will most likely be despised by this world. To abide in God we must abide in love for those around us. Glory be to God!