Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Sunday, August 6, 2017
Listen to “Thoughts in Worship 08.06.2017” on Spreaker.
This is devotional thought number 44 in our devotional series, “Essentials of Faith.” Our subject is: Growth in Him
Here’s the question for consideration: How did Isaiah and John describe Jesus?
“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, And my right hand hath spanned the heavens: When I call unto them, they stand up together” (Isaiah 48:12–13).
“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:12–13).
God created all of your ancestors. Believe me; there’s a lot of truth in that statement, but I will not stop there. This means He knows all there is to know about their origin, health, thought processes, what made them tick, their emotional wellbeing, genetic propensities, and Satanic attacks on their family lines. This also means He knows all of this about you.
I am encouraged by the two prophets’ account of God’s eternal nature. Before the devil could ever devise a plan to destroy us, God enacted a plan to save us. While the devil is planning to disrupt our lives, God is preserving our lives. Before the devil comes up with another diabolical plan against us, God gives His angels charge over us, to keep us in all our ways, to protect us from stumbling to our eternal ruin.
Long after the devil, his angels, and his followers are destroyed, God will continue forever and ever. Again, in this I take courage. It lets me know that God has all areas and time zones of my life covered. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He’s never caught sleeping on the job. He’s well able to help me through my inherited and cultivated tendencies to do evil.
As we who have chosen to surrender our lives to God, continually grow in Him through repentance, prayer, Bible study, worship, and genuine service to others, He arranges various difficulties, circumstances, and triumphs to fortify our relationship with Him.
One day soon, those who don’t give up will see Jesus coming in the clouds and experience inexplicable joy. They will finally enter the long anticipated rest with God and His people. They will finally share in the eternal reward of eternal God, where there will be no more sin, death, crying, decay, or pain. The One who laid the foundation of the world will have completed the plan of redemption and peace and harmony will fill the entire universe at last.
