Month: December 2019

Bible Reading Revelation 22

7 Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

As we conclude our devotions for 2019 I want to point out a common theme in Revelation 22. Three times Jesus says, “I come quickly.” If he only said it one time it would be important. But He adds emphasis by saying it three times. Remember, He told the disciples before He died that He would be crucified by the hands of sinners. None of the them seemed to believe it even though they probably heard it over and over. Do we get this way? Do we stop to expect His return because we’ve heard it over and over and it hasn’t happened yet?
This phrase says “I come quickly.” Quickly means- shorlty, without delay, soon, by surprise, suddenly. This could be our last day on earth. We could hear the trumpet sound and quickly be in glory. With this real possibility, I have a few thoughts to leave you with today?
Are you ready to meet Jesus?
Are there some things you need to make right before you meet Him face to face?
Is there someone you’ve meant to tell about Jesus but have been waiting to?
Let’s finish 2019 being ready to meet our Savior, and doing everything we can to help others get ready.
Jacob Jarriel

BIBLE READING: Revelation 21

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.

6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

The last judgments are over, Satan is defeated, and God has won! Chapter 21, reveals a new heaven and a new earth with God bringing peace and comforting His people. It almost seems like a fairytale, but the reality is this will happen. He wipes all tears and brings ultimate peace. While there is so much going on in Revelation, it can be very hard to decipher or understand. The clear part is God has the victory!There are two reassuring facts that are helpful in this chapter.

First, God is always in control. Being the most powerful being, God has all the power over both physical and spiritual realms. He, also, created and controls time. According to verse 6, He is all powerful over everything from beginning to end. As Pastor preached about yesterday from 2 Corinthians 4, God’s glory is so great and cannot be compared.

Second, God cares deeply for you. Verse 4 shows the sweet compassion of God. The fact that He personally wipes the tears away, shows His care for the individual. If He does all this, we can trust in Him now. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

Hebrews 13:8 It is so comforting to know the God of the universe loves and cares for me. I can trust and rely on Him at any time. What can you entrust to Him?

David Fulp

Luke 2:7 KJV
[7] And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

Your reading in Revelation if you’re keeping up with that is Revelation 20.

As Christmas week draws to a close we trust, and pray that you have had a wonderful holiday season. I want to one last time this year focus on the nativity scene. We get a warm picture often portrayed to us with the nativity scene with the Christmas cards, and the decorations set up in front of churches, they’re sweet, warm, and nostalgic. The birth of Jesus was far from a pleasant experience I’m sure. The journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem was about 90 miles, and our best guess would be it probably took 3-5 days to complete (at least), there was no room once they got there, there was no hospital, no epidural shots, no pain killers. Just a cave or stable with a manger.
I want to focus on the manger today. The manger is simply defined as a feed trough, it was where animals would get their food, and nourishment to survive. Do you see where this is headed? Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. What a beautiful, albeit humble picture of our Savior. Everywhere Jesus went in His ministry He represented life, fulfillment, nourishment, and service. Just as Jesus being placed in a trough that was used to feed and nourish symbolized what He was all about, so should our lives reflect that same service, and humility to others. May our life be a feeding trough where people can receive the spiritual nourishment they need to keep going.

Frank Newsome

Bible Reading: Revelation 19

With this being the week of Christmas, I am going to continue to look at individuals from the Christmas Story.
Matthew 2:1-11 (KJV)
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
The star is a fascinating part of the Christmas story. I have some questions about it. When did it appear? Did it move when Jesus moved? What was so unique that made it stand apart? I’m not sure we can know some answers this side of Heaven, but it’s interesting to dig in.
Some say the star appeared two years before His birth, while others say it appeared when He was born. It appears the star was over the home of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. It may have been over their home the entire time through the nativity until they arrived. Its amazing how God puts things in our life that we are unaware of.
Mary and Joseph had no idea they were about to leave to go to Egypt. God knew they would need money for the journey. He provided exactly what they needed by bringing the wise men when He did. God does same for us.
We don’t know what God has planned for our lives. Yet God knows exactly what we need going forward. You have no idea what God has already put in motion in your life to supply your needs. He is just an awesome God.
Jacob Jarriel

Bible reading: Revelation 18

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.”

Luke 2:14-18

Merry Christmas! Hope everyone is having a fantastic day. Just a reminder today’s Bible reading is Revelation 18. This week, we are focusing devotions on Christmas.

Many people would agree that Christmas is probably their favorite holiday of the year. Yes preparation can be a lot, and schedules become extremely crazy. The most wonderful part is to focus on what it’s all about. Our Savior!

It was exciting to hear in Kidville JR Church on Sunday, all the children talk about what they were getting for Christmas. It was even sweeter to hear as they described what they were getting and making for their friends and family. I love Christmas, because we’re reminded of the precious gift given to man. The Christmas story will never get old. We are reminded of several truths.

God deserves all praise (vs 14)
He loved us enough to send most precious one, His Son (vv 14-15)
Jesus was born in humility (vs 16)
Later He loved in Grace
His message was shared with great excitement (vv 17-18)
It amazing to see how this event impacted the shepherds. Starting with a normal evening on the job in the field and ending with experiencing one of the most important events in history. They went around telling others about Him. Today we can be reminded of how good God’s been and how we can tell others about it.

David Fulp

2 Corinthians 9:15 KJVS
[15] Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

As has already been stated yesterday we wanted to take a break from the devotions regarding vials, wrath, and judgment (you’ll probably get enough of that from family gatherings over the next couple of days) in the book of Revelation, and focus our devotions around Christmas. Your Revelation reading if you’d like to keep up with that is Revelation 17.

Now that I’m a parent Christmas has taken on a whole new meaning. I love watching my kids get excited about the decorations, the tree, and yes the presents. It’s so exciting and fun as a parent to watch your children tear into gifts, and their eyes light up with that new toy they’ve been asking endlessly for. All of us will no doubt be giving and getting gifts over the next few days, but none of those gifts that we’ll receive comes close to the gift God gave us on that first Christmas Day 2000 years ago. It’s a gift that is as our verse describes too wonderful for words. It’s the greatest gift ever given, most costly gift. It may not have been the gift we even realized we wanted, but it is the gift we all needed, and still continue to need. Maybe today among the half million things we still need to do before Christmas tomorrow let’s take a moment and as the wise men did (Matthew 1:2) worship Him. Let our prayer be as our verse said “Thank you God for your gift too wonderful for our vocabulary even to describe.”

Frank Newsome