I found chapter 10 a welcome relief from the previous chapters that were heavy in challenging imagery and foreboding signs of the last days. But all that was setting us up for the words we need from Jesus in these verses. As we contemplate the words we just read, we're asking ourselves, "what now?". Time is fleeting and the end is coming quickly - how best to use this time?
The message is clear - the scroll of the gospel is what we are to take and eat - "inwardly digest". And he goes on to describe to us that despite the initial "sweetness" we will experience, it will turn to "bitterness" as we suffer for it. This is not to keep us from sharing it. Quite the opposite! We must see to sharing it with all the world! What a blessing it is to be a part of this!
In this season of gift-giving, think about ways you might give of yourself in the sharing of the good news of the gospel with the lost. Maybe you have ideas that you've done in the past i.e.. special offerings, volunteering, LWMS participation?
*some afterthoughts from the original posting - I really appreciate how God relates the scroll (God's Word) to eating, chewing and digesting. As humans, we can relate to food and the act of eating it, tasting it, taking it in. We know the difference between "good food" and "bad food" and what it does to our overall health. We know we need to eat in order to stay alive. The concepts we can physically relate to can help us understand it in a spiritual sense!
5 comments:
I really needed your reminder, Rachel, to Just. Keep. Going.
Honestly, I was getting bogged down in the details. What a blessing the authors (and countless saints of old) know the feeling and can encourage us today to continue to push on, despite all!
If reading the previous chapter left me saying "Whoa," then my reaction to this chapter is...
Wow.
...in a good way!
I found comfort, particularly when enlightened to the fact that the angel is Jesus. The angels with the trumpets in the last chapter were unfamiliar and terrifying. Jesus, on the other hand is familiar and comforting. In his presence I feel safe and loved.
In fact, perhaps comfort is the reason for this chapter. Maybe that's why John was told not to write down anything about what "the seven thunders" said. Maybe, as the People's Bible suggested, the words of the seven thunders described "how God would carry out his judgment against the unrepentant." Instead of getting bogged down in the details of God's judgment against the unrepentant, we take the scroll, ingest God's sweet word, deal with the discomfort it may cause in this sinful world, and be sure to tell everyone we can about the mystery of the gospel.
Ultimately as we long for our Lord's second coming, we know that "there will be no delay." When the time God has set for "the mystery of God to be accomplished," it will happen! So hard to wait! (Kind of like a kid waiting to open gifts under the tree!)
As for things to consider at Christmas time to help the spread of the gospel, I understand some of our missionaries in Africa are in need of iPhones. This would be a great fit for this topic of gift-giving for gospel expansion. Now if my hubby and I could just figure out how to make that happen...
Sweet - oh how sweet the Word of God. don't we just yearn for all to taste it. When the Lord first brings us to himself we have much to learn, grow, understand. How important it is to stay in the Word.
In the beginning of our walk with Jesus (the Lord brought me back to himself after my leaving him for 10 years so that is what I can relate to)we are so anxious to spread God's Word, there we taste the sour rejection of it. I have been through many learning experiences, from being dragged out of a house, to being ostracized by a group of women in college, to losing a best friend, to be called a fanatic(now I say wow thanks for the compliment).
The Lord has taught me through these and other situations. Just as He teaches all of us in his own way.
And until we really understand, we take it personally (and in a sense it is personal, we love the Lord)But I have found that as we grow, the bitterness is a part of life in a sinful world.
Persecution in one form or another has to happen, it is part of our walk. Let us expect it.
It now becomes a sadness for those who reject the Lord. Still bitter but in understanding not surprising, easier in a way to go through. And I'm talking Canada, I cannot speak of the persecution of Christians in other countries. (Let us not forget to pray for them)
My prayer is:
Dear Lord may I act in every opportunity you put in front of me to spread your life saving message to all people. I hear you, time is running out. Help me Lord.
It does take spiritual growth and understanding to realize the rejection isn't so much about rejecting us, but rejecting Jesus. But like you said, it's always personal because the message is personal and Jesus is personal!
And yes, there is sadness when we witness others reject him. I feel ya! But there's always hope as long as they're alive!
Praying with you ...
Thank you, Anonymous, for your perspective. Having been a Christian since my baptism as an infant, I do not have the experience of being without the Lord. With the tendency to take him for granted, I do not have the great sense of urgency to spread God's word that you describe. Therefore, I have not often experienced the sour stomach from eating the scroll.
I do need those reminders from God's word - and fellow Christians - that time is running out and that there are still many who need me to share the mystery of the gospel with them!
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