Thank you for joining us as we have worked our way through the book of Revelation. As Pastor David continues to help us unpack the rest of the book, we are going to turn our attention in our daily devotions to the different themes found in John’s writing. For the next four weeks, we’ll dive into themes in the book of Revelation and explore how they align with the rest of Scripture.
This week we will explore the ideas of perseverance and being a faithful witness. What does it look like to stand firm in what we believe, resisting corruption and remaining loyal to God in the midst of difficult things?
Day 1
Read Revelation 1:3
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
Read Joshua 1:7-9
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
A Bible study I was recently a part of reminded me that my faith is meant to be a verb. It is not so much about learning as much as I can about God, but to continue learning and then putting what I do know about Him into action. Hearing and doing is what it is all about. But putting faith into practice isn’t always easy. Scripture has a way of flipping what our culture subscribes to on its head, so standing in faith often looks very different from what the rest of the world is saying and doing. That can make truly living out our faith something that requires us to stand in opposition, to speak truth when it is unpopular, to love radically…to be different. It requires courage to act on what Scripture teaches us.
Some people are naturally courageous…. I am not one of those people. My children would be willing to tell you that “Mom is afraid of everything.” While not entirely true, it is true that I am afraid of a good many things. I am often hesitant and cautious about things that others wouldn’t even think twice about, and some things – well, I hold myself back from completely. Sometimes I let fear impact the way I choose to live out my faith. Fear is a head problem that my heart needs to constantly work on. I know that sounds strange – but for me it is about reminding my head of the truth I find in God’s Word (that I have hidden in my heart; Psalm 119:11) so that I can be courageous in my faith.
That’s why it is so important for me to remember verses like the ones we read today. They remind me how important it is to take in God’s Word AND to live it out, but they also remind me of the blessing and the promise attached to making faith a verb in my life. The promise is that I am not alone. God is with me wherever I go – so I don’t need to fear anything. And the blessing is that as I trust God to help me live in faith boldly, He blesses me with His favor and His presence.
So maybe today we could all use a reset. A reset to refocus ourselves on the One who gives us courage to live in real faith… verb-type faith! Where is God calling you to have courage and follow His Word right now?
