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! ( From “A Good Thing”)

“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20

There’s something wonderful about the unity we experience when we are together. I heard about a fellow who courted a girl by writing her a beautiful love letter every day for two years. He thought that would be a wonderful way to court her.

Do you know what happened? She married the mail carrier! There’s nothing like being there.

There is nothing like personal contact. There is a sense in which Jesus Christ is present when His people gather that cannot be experienced any other way. You cannot get it the same way at home.

Do you have a church home? If not, I encourage you to find one today.

If church attendance isn’t that important, then I wonder: why does Satan work so hard to keep folks away? If you do have a church home, make a special effort this week to meet a new friend and find a need they have which you can meet.(Adrian Rogers)

“A Soviet cosmonaut returned to Earth from outer space on December 29, 1987 after 326 days in orbit. He was surprisingly in good health which isn’t always the case in these types of record-breaking expeditions.

Just five years earlier, two cosmonauts touched down after 211 days in space. Thereafter, they suffered from dizziness, high pulse rates, and heart palpitations. For over a week, they couldn’t walk. And after 30 days, they will still undergoing physical therapy for atrophied muscles and weakened hearts.

At zero gravity in space, the body’s muscles begin to deteriorate because there is no resistance as there is when gravity is present on Earth. To counteract this problem, the Soviets developed and prescribed a rigorous exercise program for the cosmonauts.

They invented “penguin suits”—running suits laced with elastic bands—that resist every move the cosmonauts make so that they have to exert more strength when exercising. This regimen, used today, helps those traveling in space to avoid the difficulties earlier cosmonauts faced.

As believers, we so often long for days without difficulty and hardships. But God knows better. The easier our life is, the weaker our spiritual fiber becomes. It is by exerting our strength through difficult times that we can grow and withstand whatever life throws our way.”

Don’t curse your trials or resent the hardships that come your way. Your Father in heaven knows exactly what you need and, if you trust Him, He will never put more on you than you are able to bear.

You may know beyond all doubting, In this trial you’re passing through; That a loving God sustains you, And some good He’s planned for you.

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:11)

God has demonstrated His love for us; therefore, you and I ought to love on that plane. John says, “Beloved, if God so loved us …” This carries our minds back to verse 10: “Herein is love … that he loved us, and sent his Son.” He loved us enough to give His Son as a propitiation for our sins.

If we love those who love us, or if there is a selfish motive in our loving them, there is no value in that. The Lord Jesus said, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46).

“We ought also to love one another.” I like that – when John says ought, he means it. He is not talking about the cheap sentiment which a great many people entertain today. Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). If you really love Him, keep His commandments. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12).

How about it, my friend? Do you mean to tell me that you can hate Christians down here and still love God? I want to say to you very frankly that if you cannot demonstrate in your life that you have love for other believers, there is a serious question whether you are a child of God or not. There is a lot of nonsense going on today. We are not talking about backslapping, calling somebody “brother,” or behaving so nicely in the church. But do you have a concern for believers? Do you have a concern to get out His Word? Do you have a concern to serve Him?

The Lord Jesus could say even on the Cross, “… Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do …” (Luke 23:34). The first martyr of the church, Stephen, said the same thing. Can you forgive like that today? Are you able to forgive those who have hurt you and harmed you and yet profess to be children of God? And if they cannot return your love, there is some question whether they are children of God or not. This is the real test, the acid test, and it hurts – does it not? We do not hear this type of teaching in these little seminars which talk about how to live the Christian life and how to get along with your spouse. John gives us the bedrock of it all: Do you love God? And do you love other believers?–From Edited Messages on 1 John by J. Vernon McGee