Every preacher has favorite subjects and scriptures on which he likes to preach. One of my favorite portions of God’s Word is found in Revelation 5, where the attention of heaven and earth is finally, fully, and forever focused on Christ. That being the case, I was easily drawn to the following article from the daily devotional “A Good Thing”. I pray that you too will be blessed by it:

Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever– Revelation 5:13b

Listen to yourself. This is you, being quoted by the apostle John, as he views the final judgment of the world and the triumphant return of Jesus Christ.

At that time, every part of His creation will bow their knees (some voluntarily  and joyfully, some involuntarily and reluctantly) and be made—by the irrepressible, undeniable glory of Jesus Christ—to declare His worthiness for all worship. No one will be able to deny His sovereign majesty in that day.

When Christ returns, you will ascribe to Him honor and glory. You will publicly recognize that all power comes from Him and so all power should be spent for Him. You will proclaim His eternal merit.

Are you living that way now? Are you honoring Him in your relationships, at your workplace, and in your private thoughts and plans? Do you see that all the strength you have—financially, emotionally, physically—comes from Christ and so it is only right that you should use it all to His glory?

If you will one day be singing the praises of Jesus Christ and heralding His infinite worthiness, why not begin doing it now? Listen to yourself!

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.–Hebrews 13:2-3

We can live in constant joy when we daily renew our life in Christ.

As we go about our lives, we are easily worn down. Day after day can become monotonous, and our lives can soon become dull. As Christians, we are to have vibrant, joyful lives, but it can be hard to maintain joy in the world in which we live! How can you come into each day with peace and joy? By daily renewing your life in Christ.

There are certain areas of our lives that we should renew every day. The first one is our focus. We can soon become distracted by all that this world offers. Whether it’s the media, sports, or even just work, our focus sometimes shifts. While none of these are necessarily bad, if we focus on these things more than we focus on Christ, they become a distraction in our lives. We must reset our focus on Christ each day.

We also need to renew our faith. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” We need to make sure that we trust God to get us through each day. The missionary Hudson Taylor once said, “It doesn’t matter how great the pressure is. What really matters is where the pressure lies, whether it comes between me and God or whether it presses me nearer His heart.” The devil will try to pull you away from God by testing your faith in Him daily. We must not let our faith get weary, but we must renew it through God’s Word.

We must also renew our fervency. Webster defines fervency as “very hot, glowing” or “marked by great intensity or feeling.” Having fervency in the Christian life means having a great intensity in telling others of Christ. Do you see each person you meet as someone needing the Gospel, or do you hurry away from them? Do you take time to let others know what Christ has done for you, or would you rather not bother? Fervency entails your being so in love with God that you want everyone around you to meet Him and to experience the same kind of relationship with Him.

How are you doing today? Has your focus shifted to something other than God? Has your faith been tested recently? Is your fervency what it ought to be? It is so easy for us to lack in these areas! We must come to Christ each day with a prayer for renewal. What do you need to renew today? (Dr. Paul Chappell)

A book could be written about the danger of anger. There are not enough words to describe all the horrible harmful things that have happened as a result of anger. It is an issue we all must deal with, even preachers–maybe I should say, “especially preachers”. Just about every preacher at some point has used the pulpit as a whipping post to vent his anger on the people. But preachers aren’t the ones guilty of unjustified anger. It affects everyone.

Even a great man like Moses had a problem with anger. Numbers 20:1-13 describes an event that Moses deeply regretted for the rest of his life. Without the approval of God he delivered a scathing message of rebuke to the people and disobeyed God, by striking the rock twice. Charles Swindoll gives this excellent account of what happened:

I think there’s even a hint of blasphemy here. “Shall we bring water out of the rock?” he asks. But Moses, when did you ever bring water out of a rock? Isn’t God the one who summons water? True enough. But when you give in to rage, you sort of black out; you set aside your right mind and are driven by the unchecked emotions of anger. So the text states, Moses “lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice” (20:11, italics mine).

God had told him to speak to the rock; Moses struck it, not just once, but twice. And I frankly doubt whether he even cared if water came. He probably hoped it wouldn’t. He was so angry, he wanted their throats to stay dry. He wanted them to choke and writhe in their thirst. “Do you think we’ll give you water, you low-life scumbags? Hah!” So he belts the rock—Wham! Wham!—and much to his surprise, out flows fresh water. Scripture tells us that “water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also” (v. 11). Absolutely amazing! Amazing grace!
But that’s the way God’s grace works, isn’t it? Have you ever acted in rash unbelief, and yet God went ahead and opened up the door in spite of you? Talk about ultra humiliation. It happens when you’re out to lunch spiritually, when you’re walking in the flesh and you know it. You know when it began, and you know the depth and intensity of your carnality, but God graciously gives you what is best anyway. It’s remarkable, isn’t it, this thing called grace? It was grace that brought forth that clear stream of fresh water for the rebellious Israelites, as well as for ill-tempered Moses. (References to scriptures changed to KJV)

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. –Proverbs 3:17

Satan “is a liar, and the father of it.”(John 8:44). He has been deceiving man ever since he deceived the woman in the Garden of Eden. The Bible warns us about this repeatedly and tells us to “Prove all things” and “hold fast that which is good”(1 Thess. 5:21).

One of the areas in which we are most often deceived is that of holiness. The very mention of the word is unpleasant to most people. Hearing it causes them to think of a sad lonely monk isolated in a monastery in some remote location. They certainly don’t equate it with “joy unspeakable and full of glory”(1 Peter 1:8). They cannot imagine that one can be both holy and happy. But they are wrong!

Listen to these wise words written by Arthur Pink in 1949:
The Satan-deceived world imagines that godliness is a thing of gloom–rather than of gladness; that it is something which the saints endure–rather than enjoy. On the contrary, holiness is happiness!

It is neither the mirth of the fool, nor the giddy gaiety of the thoughtless–but a “peace which passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7), and a heart-satisfaction not to be found elsewhere! So far from piety robbing us of freedom, it conducts into true liberty–delivering from the bondage of sin. Christ’s yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matthew 11:30).

God has established an inseparable connection between holiness–and happiness; between our pleasing Him–and our enjoyment of His providential smile.

Worldly mirth is at best evanescent–but the delights of holiness are eternal.

Only the One Who made us–can truly content us!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy….”  Galatians 5:22

Joyfulness is everywhere commanded as a Christian
duty. Discontent is a most detestable fault. Morbidness
is a sin. Fretfulness grieves God. It tells of unbelief
within the heart. It destroys the soul’s peace. It
disfigures the beauty of Christian character. It not
only makes us soured and unhappy in our own hearts
—but its influence on others is harmful. We have no
right to project the gloom of our discontent over any
other life. Our ministry is to be ever toward joy. There
is nothing so depressing in its effect upon others, as
morbidness. Hence, for the sake of those among whom
we live, and upon whose lives we are forever unconsciously
either casting shadows or pouring sunshine, we should
seek to learn this Christian art of contentment.

Joy brightens a life. It shines in the face like sunlight.
It makes the eyes sparkle.

But what is this joy—which is a fruit of the Spirit?
Anybody can be joyous when all things go well,
when health is good, and business is prosperous,
and the cup of love runs over, and the circle of
friends is unbroken. The joy which the Holy
Spirit gives, lives on in the heart when all earthly
sources of gladness have failed. It hides like a
rainbow in the midst of the darkest cloud.
–By J. R. Miller