September 10: Lamentations 3-5; Revelation 15

Scripture: Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints.
4 Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.

Observation: The song mentioned in the previous chapter is a new song; in this chapter the singers sing an old song, all the way back to Moses.

Each generation has its own songs, its own style of music, and its own instruments.

Various styles of music are somewhat like the various languages. People may be saying the same thing I am saying, but if I do not understand their language I am left out of the conversation.

Application: It is my opinion that all the styles of music will be present in heaven. When I am in a worship service where I cannot understand the melody, or rhythm, I focus on the words and join the worship with my heart. If I cannot understand the words, I observe the other worshippers and am thankful that God receiving glory from their lives.

Prayer: Lord, You are worthy of the worship of every generation! Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

September 9: Lamentations 1-2; Obadiah; Revelation 14

Scripture: Revelation 14:2 And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.
3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No-one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.

Observation: I remember when one of my high school teachers took a few of us to Lindsborg, Kansas where Bethany College, with people from the community, performed Handle’s Messiah. I had never heard such a large choir, with a full orchestra, and special soloists. It was awe inspiring! But what will it be to hear a choir of 144,000 voices, singing their new song before the throne.

Application: I believe the Lord wants a new song from me—a song that only I can sing because I am the only one who has experienced it. It doesn’t have to rhyme; it doesn’t have to have a beautiful melody. It only has to come from my heart. Every day provides something for which to praise Him in a different form.

Prayer: Lord, May my heart be full of fresh praise. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 26: Jeremiah 50-51; 3John

Scripture: 3John 11 Dear friends, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.

Observation: Faith and love have this in common: both are inner qualities that are proved by outward action. Actions are the “vital signs” of both. Heartbeat, respirations and brain waves are not life, but are considered vital signs that life is present. Without those vital signs a person is declared dead. James 2:17 tells us that faith without works is dead. And the same is true of love. As I remember from a High School poetry assignment:
A bell is not a bell till you ring it;
A song is not a song till you sing it;
And the love in your heart was not put there to stay;
Love is not love till you give it away! Oscar Hammerstein II

Application: I have seen trucks on the road with a sign on their rear bumpers: “How’s my driving? Call: _____“ Maybe I should have a sign: “How’s my living?”

Prayer: Lord, I want you to be easily seen in and through me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 25: Jeremiah 37-39; Psalm 79; 2John

Scripture: 2John 5 And now, dear lady, I am not writing you a new command but one we have had from the beginning. I ask that we love one another.
6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Observation: John is referred to as “John the Beloved” because he was so close to Jesus and in the Gospel which bears his name, he refers to himself, not by name, but as the one “whom Jesus loved.”

Jesus had expressed the ten commandments by summarizing them into two: the first about loving God and the second about loving people. Jesus had even given them His own commandment that they were to love each other as He had loved them.

Now, as he is writing a short letter to the church, we can see that John got the message: Love is the reason Jesus came and love is to be the trademark of His people.

Application: Love must be my priority. My love for God becomes visible as I obey His commands. My love for others becomes visible in my words and actions. Unlike the wife in the waiting room last week whose words to her elderly husband were full of exasperation and impatience, may my words be full of God’s love.

Prayer: Lord, you have shined your love into my heart; now help me to shine it out to others. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!

August 23: Jeremiah 31-32; 1John 4

Scripture: 1John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

Observation: God’s love is demonstrated in that He sent His Son, Jesus into the world. Our love is to be expressed, not just in returning it to God, but in loving those around us.

God’s love for us was proved before we were ever able to return it. His love for us took the risk of not being returned. Our love for Him can never reach that level because we are certain of his love before we ever reach out in love to Him.

The God kind of love causes us to reach out to others before we know how they will respond. We love them without any guarantee they will return our love.

Application: The proof of God’s love for me is that He sent His Son. The proof of my love for God is that I love the people around me. My love for the people I can see is proof of my love for the God I cannot see.

Prayer: Lord, I want my love for you to be visible. May it be seen in my love for those around me. Amen.

Pastor Leon
Making friends for time and eternity!