Revelation 21:5

BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END

(September 12, 2023) Dr Jim McClure shares an encouraging truth… 

While the Bible is a library of 66 books of a variety of styles –  stories, history poetry, songs and letters – they all unite to form one ‘big picture’ that has a beginning, a middle and an end. 

Paul made a reference to this big picture when he wrote, ‘He (God) made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment  to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ’ (Ephesians 1:9-10).

The Bible reveals that God has a plan to bring all things to a conclusion according to His will. Nothing happens in the world that takes Him by surprise even when it may appear that everything is spinning out of control.  Before He created the universe, God knew exactly what was going to happen on earth and He knows precisely how everything is going to end.  

He has never abandoned the world and always get involved at exactly the right time! Paul again mentioned one of those ‘right time intervention’ in when he wrote,  ‘When the time had fully come, God sent His Son’ (Galatians 4:4).  While it may appear to us that our world is stumbling towards irrecoverable disaster, the biblical account, from Genesis to Revelation, reveals that things have not spun out of God’s control and that God has not, and never will, abandon us.

(more…)

JESUS CAN MAKE ALL THINGS NEW… EACH NEW DAY

(January 11, 2021) Carol Round encourages us to reflect on a major choice for 2021…

Revelation 21:5 declares: ‘He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true”.’

The New Year is here! After the stresses of 2020, I doubt anyone wants to cling to the past. With the turning of the calendar to January 2021, sighs of relief were probably expressed by many.

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions?

While I used to, I don’t anymore. My list used to look something like this: lose weight, eat healthier, save more money, and so on. Those are also some of the more common resolutions made each January 1. (By the way, most people fail at keeping their New Year’s resolutions).

I quit making resolutions as I grew in my relationship with Jesus. Looking back, I cannot recall the last time I made a list of things to change in my life. However, I began to choose a focus word for the year. In the past, I’ve prayed and chosen words like trust, focus, and hope. My 2020 word was embrace – embrace more of God in my life. I would write the word at the top of each page in my daily prayer journal. Each time I do, I was reminded of my spiritual growth word for that year. (more…)