

I use to listen to the New Testament on cassette tape when I had a 45 minute commute to work. It took about 15 hours to listen to the 15 tapes ... so it probably takes about 15 hours to read the New Testament too. Just think ... if I read 2.5 hours per day, I could read the New Testament every 6 days. Imagine reading it 52 times per year!! Well I won't set my sights that high ... but since I do plan to cancel my TV subscription ... I almost wrote "prescription" ... which maybe more accurate, because it can become like a drug or addiction!, ... I think I will try to devote much more of my time each day to reading and studying and thinking about the Word and learning how to apply it - i.e. obey and actually "do it" and hopefully become more like Jesus in the process and learn how to LOVE like He and the first Century believers did.
That's seems to be what the Holy Spirit wants to teach me right now ... What does it really mean to love my brothers and sisters in the Lord? What does it really mean to love my neighbour as myself. What does it really mean to love my enemies. What does it really mean to love God with all my heart, soul, strength, and mind. I know that God is love, that Jesus loved us so much that he died for my sins and paid my debt, and that others will know that I am one of his disciples if I obey his command to "Love one another". But, how do I really put into practice loving others His way? So LOVE will be my subject and emphasis over the next few months. I'll let you know if I learn anything!
Back to Revelation ... here are some things that popped out while I was reading it this morning. As part of the church and as individuals, we need to examine ourselves and if we have "spiritual" ears to hear, "listen to the Spirit" and what he is saying to us.
- We may not be loving Jesus and others like we did when we first came to him.
- When persecuted and suffering we may want to throw in the towel and say its not worth it to follow Jesus anymore.
- We may be mixing the worlds ways and teachings with God's ways and His Word.
- We may appear to be "good" Christians outwardly but involved in secret sexual sin and idolatry of things of this world.
- We may be now asleep or dead spiritually speaking.
- We may be actually doing pretty good and deserve our "well done" when Jesus returns.
- However, we may be just getting by and becoming "luke warm", straddling the fence with one foot in the world and the other foot wanting to pursue His kingdom but no longer 100% committed to doing His will. We have perhaps become ashamed of the gospel as Paul puts it.
If we ask the Holy Spirit to examine our hearts we will know whether we are one who needs to repent and turn back to God and our first love or whether we are indeed on the path to receiving a "well done". When we turn every area of our lives over ... all our dreams, pursuits and ambitions over and reckon ourselves dead and desire Jesus to live his life in you, we won't have to worry about not receiving our "well done" because we will be doing what He wants - His will in His way in Him.


Jesus, King of kings and Lord of lords, ends his revelation to us with the words, "Yes, I am coming soon!"
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