Clearer Vision

"Then I saw..." Revelation 21:1

Just as John shared his visions of "a new heaven and a new earth", I have been reflecting over all the Lord has shown us this past year as we have walked daily through His Word. We too have seen the Lord in the pages of Genesis to Revelation.

I believe Aaron Jeoffrey says it well in the lyrics of his song, "He Is". As we read the following, let's stop and pause. Have we met Him on each line and in each phrase as we have travelled a sacred journey this year?

He Is

In Genesis, He's the breath of life

In Leviticus, He's our High Priest

Numbers, The fire by night

Deuteronomy, He's Moses' voice

In Joshua, He is salvation's choice

Judges, law giver

In Ruth, the kinsmen-redeemer

First and Second Samuel, our trusted prophet

In Kings and Chronicles, He's sovereign

Ezra, the true and faithful scribe

Nehemiah, He's the rebuilder of broken walls and lives

In Esther, He's Mordecai's courage

In Job, the timeless redeemer

In Psalms, He is our morning song

In Proverbs, wisdom's cry

Ecclesiastes, the time and season

In the Song of Solomon, He is the lover's dream

He is, He is, HE IS!

In Isaiah, He's Prince of Peace

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet

In Lamentations, the cry for Israel

Ezekiel, He's the call from sin

In Daniel, the stranger in the fire

In Hosea, He is forever faithful

In Joel, He's the Spirit's power

In Amos, the arms that carry us

In Obadiah, He's the Lord our Saviour

In Jonah, He's the great missionary

In Micah, the promise of peace

In Nahum, He is our strength and our shield

In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He's pleading for revival

In Haggai, He restores a lost heritage

In Zechariah, our fountain

In Malachi, He is the son of righteousness rising with healing in His wings

He is He is, HE IS!

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God-Man, Messiah

In the book of Acts, He is fire from heaven

In Romans, He's the grace of God

In Corinthians, the power of love

In Galatians, He is freedom from the curse of sin

Ephesians, our glorious treasure

Philippians, the servants heart

In Colossians, He's the Godhead Trinity

Thessalonians, our coming King

In Timothy, Titus, Philemon, He's our mediator and our faithful Pastor

In Hebrews, the everlasting covenant

In James, the one who heals the sick.

In First and Second Peter, He is our Shepherd

In John and in Jude, He is the lover coming for His bride

In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords

He is, He is, HE IS!

The Prince of Peace

The Son of Man

The Lamb of God

The great I AM

He's the Alpha and Omega

Our God and our Saviour

He is Jesus Christ the Lord and when time is no more

He is, He IS! *

As I have pondered all the ways that we have seen the Lord this year, another truth has been unveiled. We saw the Lord, but He also saw each one of us. He saw the days we awoke extra early, anticipating His Word with excitement. He saw the days when sun had almost set before we made time for Him, but we made time for Him. He saw each joy and sorrow. He heard each laugh and held each tear. He captured each thought and knew each word. He never took His eyes off of us for one second. He was our Beginning and End. Our January 1st to December 31st.

"As surely as the ones which passed - we've miles left to go

Despite your inconsistencies, Oh, child, I'll love you so

You'll one day hold this journal too, and think of where you've been

Ink-filled pages tying those beginnings to their ends

You'll find those same old words - they'll puzzle you again

Lined face will sigh and wonder,

'And I thought I loved You then.'" **

With this "goodbye" for now, embrace the foreign amazing of the New Year! "May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace." (Numbers 6:24-26)

Amen. So be it. Amen.

*"He Is" - sung by Aaron Jeoffrey; composed by Jeoffrey Benward & Jeff Silvey; produced by Jeff Silvey & Billy Simon; copyright 1994

** Final stanza, "The Journal" - Beth Moore; from "Things Pondered"; Broadman and Holman Publishers; copyright 2004

Momentary Rapture

"Come with Me..." Revelation 17:1

"From every stormy wind that blows

From every swelling tide of woes,

There is a clam, a sure retreat:

'Tis found beneath the mercy seat.

There is a place where Jesus sheds

The oil of gladness on our heads;

A place than all besides more sweet,

It is the blood-bought mercy seat."

The beautiful verses above are from the hymn, "From Every Stormy Wind That Blows" by Hugh Stowell. Written close to two centuries ago, these lyrics provide both an invitation and consolation. It has been recorded that when the First Baptist Church was engulfed in flames during the great Chicago fire, those exiting the building sang this song as a final benediction within its walls. They knew to whom to go and who called them to come with Me.

It was a year ago I heard God's call to "come with Me."

Come with Me, through the pages of My Word. Take a journey from Paradise Lost to Paradise Found. Beyond the people, events and history, meet Me afresh. Go deeper into My heart. Discover Me anew.

As the year draws to a close, the Lord is repeating His call. A call to come deeper still. Another invitation is being extended. His desire that He might refill me with His Spirit, renew me with His love, refresh me with His presence, refocus my priorities, revive my heart, restore my vision, and remove sinful thoughts and ways. He is calling me to walk closer, dig deeper, pause longer and with an unhurried heart, pray more.

We all need regular, repeated times of rest, refreshment and renewal. Life can rob us of life and we need to retreat into Christ. To the extent that we live in His presence, we are filled with His joy.

Just as God told Noah to build, Daniel to pray, Jonah to go, Joshua to march, Rahab to hide, Moses to leave, His call to us is come.

We first come to Him through our response to His invitation of salvation, but then we keep coming. As God continues to extend a welcome, we come to the manger, come to a further place of surrender, come in repentance and confession of daily sins, come to confidence in His promises, come to listening to His heartbeat, come to a deeper obedience, come to trust His plans, come kneeling before the King of Kings and LORD of Lords, come to a life of praise, come to being held in His embrace. After the initial "come to Me", there are continual "come with Me" requests as God leads us into all He has designed for us before the world was made. Coming with Him we encounter His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy, His love, His sovereignty, His sufficiency and we look with awe as we walk with the Creator of our hearts.

I encourage us all to keep answering the call to a daily, momentary rapture through intentional time with the Lord as He beckons, "come with Me".

*Hymn: "From Every Stormy Wind That Blows"; written by Hugh Stowell; composer Thomas Hastings; copyright 1828, from "The Winter's Wreath".

Bookends of Praise

"Praise the LORD!...Praise the LORD!" Psalm 148:1a, 14b

How did the recent gift opening go at your home? Is it a mad dash to just keep opening until the mystery of all the presents are revealed, or do you take time to consider each item received and enjoy the thoughtfulness of those who chose to remember you? Sometimes, out of necessity, in order to make certain time deadlines, we have to hurry this process along quicker than we desire, but that is when I like to return later, after the fun, noise and chaos has quieted, and sit with time to ponder the kindness of friends and the beautiful blessings they tangibly bestowed on me.

I sense that the Psalmist was acting similarly in Psalm 148. This beautiful worship song has bookends of praise. Beginning and ending with expressions of gratitude, the entire Psalm is one of thankfulness to the Lord. General declarations begin and end the writing, while the in-between specifically voices some of the reasons that the author's heart is rejoicing. He pauses to look again at the gifts received, acknowledging the blessings and applauding God for all He has done.

For the past six years now, I have daily written in a gratitude journal. Before going to bed every night, regardless of what has transpired in my day, I take time to record at least three things for which I will praise the Lord that day. Sometimes I write small, trying to squeeze in many more praises, while other days I have to pause a little longer and hunt a little harder to fill those blank lines that taunt me nothing worthy of thanks happened in the last twenty-four hours. Sometimes on the surface, they are right, but then my heart begins to dig deep and recall how the Lord has provided through some of the toughest times and my soul begins to lift sacrificial offerings, knowing I have been held and kept by the merciful, faithful hand of God.

From the first to final breath, just like this Psalm, our lives need to be filled with praise. Paul writes in Romans 14:8, "If we live, it's to honour the Lord. And if we die, it's to honour the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord."

I have a young friend who used to sing with her mom and siblings. This family has incredible musical ability and their harmonies are absolutely gorgeous. The title track of one of their CD's was written by their Grandpa, Ross Seabrook, and was entitled, "simplesong". Based on the verse from Romans, the lyrics say:

"Come and sing a simple song of Jesus. Sing it like you never sang before.

Tell it everywhere; He is alive and cares. Give no place to doubting anymore.

If I live, praise the Lord. If I die, praise the Lord.

If I live or die, my only cry, Will be Jesus in me, praise the Lord."

I cannot tell you the number of times I have pulled that CD out and listened to this song when life was going well. It requires little effort to sing this truth loudly when the living is easy, but what about when uncertainties are scattered on the path? Can my voice find volume? Is this still a "simple song"?

At times along our journey, we come face to face with this reality, and at the crossroad of decision, a resolution needs to be made. It may not always be a "simple song", but God desires, and is worthy, of our ongoing praise. May we always bookend our day, our lives, in praise!

Removing Doubt from the Big Debate

"And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur... The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night..." Revelation 14:10-11

No one ever wants to talk about Hell, but its existence is very real. It is interesting to me that most Christians have no problem accepting that God has prepared a very beautiful home in Heaven, but when it comes to Hell being an actual place, opinions differ. Although people debate, the Bible however gives no doubt. Hell is very real. It is an actual place where the unbelieving, wicked and unrepentant will go if they have not turned to the Lord.

Alistair Begg expressed, "If Jesus Christ is Lord, then I have to believe exactly what He taught. If we start from that premise, then we can't simply excise the hard parts out of it. We've got to take Him at His word. The most loving person who has ever lived spoke so straightforwardly about the awfulness of Hell." *

The website Got Questions shared the following references: "The punishment of the wicked dead in Hell is described in Scripture as 'eternal fire' (Matthew 25:41), 'unquenchable fire' (Matthew 3:12), 'shame and everlasting contempt' (Daniel 12:2), a place where 'the fire is not quenched' (Mark 9:48), a place of 'torment' and 'fire' (Luke 16:23-24), 'everlasting destruction' (2 Thessalonians 1:9), a place of 'burning sulfur' where 'the smoke of...torment rises forever and ever' (Revelation 14:10-11), and a 'lake of burning sulfur' where the wicked are 'tormented day and night forever and ever' (Revelation 20:10)." God's message is clear.

The writers continues: "The punishment of the wicked in Hell is as never-ending as the bliss of the righteous in Heaven. Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in Hell is just as everlasting as life in Heaven (Matthew 25:46). The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. Those in Hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ, the Saviour they rejected (Psalm 76:10; Philippians 2:10-11)." **

I have often heard the argument that a loving God could ever make a place as horrific as Hell. Loving is not tolerance. Loving is not closing eyes to evil. Loving is just. God's very nature is love. Those who question God's love in sending people to Hell, assume that action is unloving on God's part. What about the one who has chosen all their life to live apart from God? If we say we would lovingly excuse their wickedness, we are in essence saying that we are more loving than God. Let me ask you: Have you sacrificed your life to the point of death for anyone recently?

The one "being sent" to Hell is not an innocent bystander. They are not a "passive victim of circumstance". God has given us all free will, and anyone who chooses not to respond to the gift of salvation is choosing their own eternal destination.

Hell is the response of God's wrath to the wickedness in the world. In Romans 1, Paul writes very clearly that no one has any excuse, because God has made the truth very plain. Those who continue to intentionally reject the truth, by their own choice, would rather turn away from God and go to Hell, than turn to Him.

Yes, Hell is real. It is a place of torment and punishment that lasts forever and ever, with no end. Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16, 18, 36).

*Alistair Begg quote: https://youtu.be/ycrg9Q8x8dc, accessed 11/7/24.

** Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/hell-real-eternal.html; https://www.gotquestions.org/loving-God-send-someone-hell.html

Glimpses of God

"Then in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of His covenant could be seen inside the Temple." Revelation 11:19a

If I am being totally honest, the book of Revelation can intimidate me. Although I have read it multiple times and sat under some tremendous teaching as Pastors have used exegesis to explain passages, there is still much that I do not fully comprehend or understand. There are verses that excite me. some descriptions frighten me. Others confuse me. But today I was drawn to a sentence that has given me so much peace.

"Then in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of His covenant could be seen inside the Temple." Amidst all the dramatic scenes and the variety of characters that appear in this final book of the New Testament, a very key fact is shared before any more of the events unfold. John tells us that he sees the Ark of God's covenant. Why is this so important for us to stop and consider? Do you recall what the Ark of God's covenant symbolized? John in essence saw what our hearts need to hold on to more than anything else to carry us through these unexplainable happenings. He is reminding us of the presence and power of God.

Friends, I do not know what the year has held or is holding for you at this moment, but whatever we are facing God desires us to know that His presence and power are with us. Victory is promised. Maybe not the victory for which we have been praying, but triumph nonetheless. When we are walking through dark and difficult days, we desperately need to know that we are not alone. God graciously gives us glimpses of Himself that enable us to keep going.

The Ark of the covenant also contained grace markers, visual reminders of God's provision. These items were the tablets of testimony, a jar of manna, and Aaron's staff that budded. Each item gave witness of God's faithfulness, care and protection. Like the Israelites, we are a forgetful people, and even with these evidences in the Ark of the ways God cares for us, over time, what was precious once, can lose its true significance.

When we face exceptionally troublesome times, trusting God through each trial is not easy, but it is the only way. You see, the Christian life is not about us trying to control and cope on our own. Even more than living for God, He desires to be living through us. At the point of salvation God's presence and power become available to us.

Whatever we are currently navigating, we can rest in God's presence filling us and His power strengthening us. You see, God promises that He will never leave us, and Psalm 146:6 tells us that "He keeps every promise forever." We can believe and trust in His every word.

Today I am praying for those who are weary. I am lifting up those who need to see, as John saw, a vision of hope through the cracks of light in your dark. I am asking God to somehow show you that you are not alone, even in the moments and on the days that it really feels like you have been abandoned. I am thinking of those who are physically, emotionally or spiritually depleted. You feel drained of every ounce of energy. I am praying that you know God sees you. run to Him. He wants to uphold you with His power. Following Jesus is not a journey for the faint of heart, but the Lord longs to carry you and provide for your every need. Through the heartache, chaos and confusion may He personally give you the needed visual reminder of who He is so that your trust remains.

Will You Be There?

"After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, 'Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!'" Revelation 7:9-10

Do you ever wonder what Heaven will be like? Do you sometimes imagine the incredible awe of being in God's presence with all of His family? Recently while enjoying dinner with my son, his wife and their children, our little three-year-old grandson Matthew suddenly said, "Uncle Larry is with God." Uncle Larry went home to be with Jesus almost a year ago, but Matthew often asks after him and misses our times together. He then began to further elaborate, telling us how God is preparing a big house for him. He started to ask everyone around our table if we were each going to be at the house in Heaven with God. Thankfully everyone around our table that day could respond affirmatively. Matthew became very excited about everyone living together as a big, happy family!

In John's vision of Heaven, he writes about the diversity that will fill our eternal home as believers. The fulfillment of the Great Commission will be evidenced when every nation, tribe, people and language surround the throne in Heaven, worshipping and praising God. I think the closest we ever come to experiencing this on earth is at some of the larger evangelical rallies. The crowds that fill the stadiums are from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and countries. Thousands of people from all walks of life come together for a common purpose. With the different expressions of worship, we enjoy the privilege of seeing the indescribable beauty of how other cultures convey their enjoyment in the Lord.

I am so very thankful that the local church of which I am a member is a multiethnic congregation. This really excites and prepares my heart for gathering at God's throne one day. Multitudes that no one can number will stand together praising the Lord from every country around the globe. There will be an uncommon unity, never experienced before, in its most perfect form. Our one goal will be to worship and proclaim, "Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!"

With a shared passion, those who have responded to Christ's invitation of salvation will all stand side by side, along with the angels, in the very presence of God to glorify Him. There is no other way to be part of this joyous time of celebration. Salvation comes from God alone through Christ alone. Acts 4:12 presents this message so clearly, "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Heaven is the future home for those who have personally acknowledged their sins, sought forgiveness from the Lord, received Christ, and declared their decision to walk with God all the days of their life. There are only five more days in this calendar year, and you may have read the previous 360 writings as just pieces of literature, written by a friend, family member, acquaintance or stranger, remaining unmoved by the only message that will promise you everlasting life. You may have heard the gospel explained countless times and still resist or sit unchanged and unrepentant. Friend, today is the day. Do not delay this decision another moment. No one, except God, knows when our lives will come to an end. Just two days ago, a dear friend experienced an unexpected loss. Don't wait. Will you be part of the vast crowd, too great to count, dressed in white, waving palm branches in joyful recognition of our Saviour? I can not express it enough. There is no other way to Heaven. My longing is to see each one reading this in Heaven one day for all eternity. Please do not miss this opportunity to respond.

*For further conversation please email: joybells.brown@yahoo.com

Down From His Glory!

"Open the heavens, LORD, and come down." Psalm 144:5a

When my twin sister and I were younger, one of the piano duets we played the most frequently was the old gospel song, "Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul". Heaven coming down to earth in the form of a baby. Today we celebrate our Saviour's birth. He left the glory of Heaven so that we could experience His glory in our hearts.

The lyrics of other songs come to mind. "King of Heaven come down, King of Heaven come now, Let Your glory reign shining like the day, King of Heaven come." But maybe the one that brings the clearest message is "Down From His Glory". If you are not familiar with this beautiful song written by William E. Booth-Clibborn in 1921, may these precious words be the prayer we lift with thankful hearts for God's most precious gift to us. Merry Christmas!

Down from His glory

Every-living story

My God and Savior came

And Jesus was His name

Born in a manger

To His own a stranger

A man of sorrows, tears 

And agony

What condescension

Bringing us redemption

That in the dead of night

Not one faint hope in sight

God gracious, tender

Laid aside His splendor

Stooping to woo, to win

To save my soul

Without reluctance

Flesh and blood His substance

He took the form of man

Revealed the hidden plan

Oh, glorious mystery

Sacrifice of Calvary

And now I know Thou art

The Great I AM

Oh, how I love Him!

How I adore Him!

My breath, my sunshine

My all in all

The great Creator

Became my Savior

And all God's fullness

Dwelleth in Him.