Thursday Devotional – Jesus is Worthy to Open the 2nd-4th Seals (2/20/25)

Last week we saw Jesus open the 1^st seal that ushered in the first of four horses, the white horse. This week, the next 3 seals are opened, revealing the next 3 horses and judgments.

Revelation 6:3-8      ³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” ⁴ Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make people kill each other. To him was given a large sword.

⁵ When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. ⁶ Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” ⁸ I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.

These three horsemen are given power to take peace, provision and population from the earth. These events could happen concurrently or in succession, one after the other. As horrible as these judgments sound, it isn’t the final judgment. God is still giving time for people to repent. Not all resources are damaged or scarce. Not all people are killed. I see His patience, amid His judgments. Each seal or event could be seen as warning signs of worse judgment to come. God holds back the full force of His wrath and continues to give people additional opportunities to recognize God, repent of their sins, and turn to Him.

We’re all to acknowledge and submit to the fact that only Jesus is worthy before God. Have you and I taken the opportunities God has given to us to rightly respond to that fact and to heed His warnings? If so, we will be blessed!!! As the beginning of Revelation said (1:3) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

One blessing is certainty knowing Jesus is worthy to open the 2^nd-4^th seals and He is in control of what comes from them!

Thursday Devotional - Delight in the Deliverer

Before becoming a parent, I didn’t think of myself as impatient, but I do now! I thought being married to Joe for almost a decade beforehand had helped me let go of some of my perfectionist traits, but apparently not all of them. I’ve prayed a lot this year for God’s help to be more patient.

It’s hard to imagine Paul also struggling with sin, but he did:
Romans 7:19-25a  For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Paul delights in God’s law but can’t carry it out in his sinful nature apart from God’s deliverance. Delighting in and obeying God’s law is only possibly by His  help. He wants to deliver us! We must be willing to be delivered.

What sin are you and I trying to overcome in our own strength? How can you and I let God deliver and rescue us?

We may not overcome it overnight, but the more we give it to God, the more He will help us. Delight in the Deliverer!

Alice

Open Space

Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.  But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”).  Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”).  Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”  Genesis 26:19-22

How many times in your life have you dealt with a seemingly ‘no win’ situation only to find out there was an option not previously considered?  Not too long ago, I had a conflict where a colleague and I seemingly could not see eye to eye on a situation.  We both had the right objective but differing motives.  We were so caught up in our own views that neither of us could see past it.  After taking a step back and getting some good guidance, we sat down again, and still seemed to be at warring sides of the equation.  Then, an open space for compromise occurred to me.  I asked what is it that they needed, which was the right to manage the situation within their team.  My goal was to ensure the situation fit within the framework of the bigger group’s standards.  Once I was able to get assurances their management of the goal fit within those parameters, we were able to agree.  Without patience and persistence to meet the objectives of both sides, we never would have been able to achieve success.

Sometimes, God wants to test your patience and persistence to help you realize there is something better.  In this story of Isaac, he can never seem to find a place for his group to settle.  One place created an argument, and in another, hostility was found.  How often do we face situations where we encounter arguments and hostility?  Perhaps Esek and Sitnah could be names of a conference room at your location in the near future  J  Back to the point.  Isaac could have very well fought for the land, and in fact because the land was promised to his father Abraham, he was entitled to it.  Yet, Isaac showed restraint and patience having faith God would deliver as He had numerous times before.  Of course, Isaac persistence was rewarded as they not only found space to prosper but later another space where God would appear and bless him to build a great nation.  In reading these verses, you do not hear God promising anything to Isaac that would have guided him to move as many times as they did.  But what we can pull from this is through patience and persistence, God will show up and provide as He did for Isaac.

God always delivers without fail.  It may not be at a time we either expect or want, but we should have faith it will always be on time and usually better than what we can see.  So if you are dealing with a situation where things are not quite working out or there is outright hostility, step back, and look for the open space where God lies.  Then, watch as He allows for you and those connected to you to prosper.   What conflict is troubling you that may require more patience and persistence from you?  How can you trust God to be your provider at all times?  My prayer is that we apply a practice of patience and persistence knowing that God will always find us ‘open space.’  Amen.

Planting A Seed

Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds: The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy.  But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word.  The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.  The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!  Matthew 13:18-23 

 Am I reading the word or living the word?  I ask myself this question because at times it is a struggle.  In a discussion I had over the weekend with a friend of mine, things began to be a bit heated.  I could tell she was getting frustrated.  As such, I proposed that maybe we should step back, and come back to the topic tomorrow.  However, nothing changed because she would not see eye to eye with me.  I think the reason for their frustration was that although I understood where she was coming from, she took my understanding as ‘agreement.’  Then as I explained my opposition, she grew frustrated and attacked me.  Although I appreciated learning their side of the story, I felt nothing had been gained.  Then, I thought of what God taught me about planting seeds.  It helped me to understand that we may not see the fruits of our labor right away.  We must wait for Him to make the seed grow. 

As a Christian, our goal at times may not be to literally change a life but to instead plant seeds so others can see God at work to recognize it later.  In reading the parable of the farmer planting seeds, I recognized different points of my life where I fit each seed.  In my early years, I did not understand God’s word.  At some point, I became filled with joy when reading His word.  But I was not sufficiently grounded, and thus fell off the path.  Then once I became born again, I would become worried about troubles in the world where I felt lost from God.  However, I somehow made it back to where I felt grounded in God’s word sharing it with others and living it out to those who come in contact with me.  I have watched the harvest not only in friends but also children and grandchildren.  None of this happened without trusting in God.  My wife has been a great inspiration to me reminding me to stay grounded and trust in Him.  I share this hoping that it helps some of you.  You could be at any of these stages, but if you are not producing a harvest, note that it may not be time for your harvest.  However if you trust in God, know that it will come. 

God’s time is always accurate and correct.  We may struggle believing a time for something to occur is now.  The key is to trust God regardless of what the outcome may be.  It may be something small and you won’t see the end result.  However by trusting in God, remember that “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field.” (Matthew 13:31b)  Our goal is to be an instrument of God letting Him use us, and then watch as He (not us) makes the harvest.  Let us rejoice in the omnipotent power of God to turn even the smallest things into a big part of His Kingdom!  Where are your seeds planted?  How will you trust in God to let the harvest grow?  My prayer is that when things don’t seem to work out with someone, we don’t focus on the now and just remember to plant the seed.  Amen. 

God's Control And His Plan

The discussion of the environment has become a hot topic of late (no pun intended).  I would not want to discuss what many would consider a political discussion for a devotion, but something I heard pulled me and my beliefs right in.  A congressman put God in the middle of the discussion.  He said, “As a Christian, I believe that there is a creator in God who is much bigger than us. And I’m confident that, if there’s a real problem, he can take care of it.”  That makes sense for we know we serve an almighty God who can do anything.  We could very well take the approach of Jesus speaking of worries saying, “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’  These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.  Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:31-33) 

However, there is another side of the argument that says we are not to absolve ourselves from just standing around and doing nothing.  When we see something is wrong, Jesus tells us to act.  The parable of the Good Samaritan is one of many examples (see below):

“Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. ³⁴ Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him.  The next day he handed the innkeeper two silver coins, telling him, ‘Take care of this man. If his bill runs higher than this, I’ll pay you the next time I’m here.’

“Now which of these three would you say was a neighbor to the man who was attacked by bandits?” Jesus asked.

The man replied, “The one who showed him mercy.”

Then Jesus said, “Yes, now go and do the same.”  Luke 10:33-37

We are to remember that our faith calls us to act when God calls upon us.  There are those who may take the approach of not worrying about things for there are other things that God has called on them to do.  That is not an issue.  We must be careful to not to just simply believe that God will take care of all things for there will be times God calls on us to be His advocate.  Whether it is feeding the needy, caring for the homeless, teaching bible study, or (yes) protecting the environment, all are worthy callings of God.  To say ‘God will take care of a problem’  is irresponsible.  That does not mean there will be times we need to leave things in God’s hands.  It means we are to prayerfully go to Him and ask what His will would be for us, and then respond.   Furthermore, the scriptures about worrying mean to worry about what God calls you to do.  Not ignore what is right in front of you.

We cannot turn a blind eye to those things God would call on us to do.  There are many things beyond our control, and God can indeed handle anything.  One of my favorite pastors once said that we are called to go out and do what God calls us to do.  Let us make sure we follow what God instills in our heart and be encouragers of those who God has called to serve in ways that may not be as we are called to do.  What calling has God placed on you to act upon?  What prayer must you have to meet God calls upon you.  My prayer is that we can discern between God’s control from God’s plan for our lives.  Amen.

Our Journey to Adoption, Part X - Opportunities while Waiting

After keeping James and Sarah over spring break last year, we were even more eager to expedite the process of having them placed in our home. After our additional rounds of background checks and interviews cleared, the adoption agency worked with us to get our adoption application filed with the State. We were told that could take some time for the State to approve us as the adoptive family, but once they did approve, the kids would need to transfer homes immediately and then there would still be a 6 month trial period. 

Not knowing when we would be approved, the adoption agency asked the current foster family if they would agree to transfer the foster placement ahead of time so that we could all plan for a set day. Surprisingly they agreed, and June 18^th was set as the official transfer day (the day before Father’s Day). To help with the transition, we gradually increased our length of respite care for the 6 weeks leading up to June 18^th.  After each extra-long weekend with the kids, it got harder and harder to say goodbye and return them to their current foster family.

As we tried to patiently wait for June 18^th, God gave us opportunities to use our last few weeks without permanent children to spend time with extended family out of state. We visited my 92 year old grandfather in Texas, Joe’s family in Ohio, and I visited my sister and her husband and new baby in Virginia. (It ended up being my last visit with my grandfather, as he passed in July.)  

Similarly, as we wait for our day of transfer to Heaven, God has things for us to do. We aren’t to get impatient or frustrated or give up and sit around doing nothing while we wait.

John 14:1-4, 12, 15 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.” …  ¹² Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father…¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands. 

Are you anxiously anticipating Heaven? Joining Jesus in Heaven will be the most exciting day ever! As we wait, how are you and I wisely using our time here on earth in preparation for that day? 

Alice

Thurs Devo: Great and Marvelous!

Last week we saw how God called His people in the last days to endure patiently, even to the point of death. He promised blessings for it. This week, we see God follow through on His promise!

Revelation 15:1-4     I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues—last, because with them God’s wrath is completed. ² And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God ³ and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb:

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
    Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    King of the nations.
⁴ Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
    and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”

Those who endure patiently will be victorious and live a great and marvelous life with God in heaven. They will understand, experience, and worship God for all that He is!

I haven’t patiently endured the last days, but Joe and I have endured (sometimes patiently and sometimes not) infertility for over 8 years (as many of you already know). However, come June 18^th, the 2 foster kids we’ve gotten to know this past year will be placed with us for adoption! They are a sibling pair – 3 ½ year old boy and a 2 year old girl.

We are praising God for His help to endure as we awaited His timing, His plan and His children!!! Victory (both great and small) belongs to the Lord God Almighty! He is Great and Marvelous! 

Alice

Thurs Devo: How's Your Endurance?

How well do you and I wait? What about for something simple like our next meal? If I’m hungry, but busy, I might not think about it too much. If I’m hungry and standing in the kitchen waiting for my food to finish cooking, sometimes I’m not so patient and can get cranky. The same goes for the foster kids we’ve been keeping some weekends. If they are busy playing, they’re fine, but if they are standing in the kitchen or sitting in their chairs waiting for the meal to be fixed, they keep telling me how hungry they are. We endure until our next meal, but sometimes we don’t patiently endure. J  

There’s a difference between enduring something and patiently enduring! God calls us to patiently endure, especially those who will be here in the last days.

Revelation 14:9-13    ⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. They will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever. There will be no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.” ¹² This calls for patient endurance on the part of the people of God who keep his commands and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

What will patient endurance look like in the last days? I think it will include staying busy doing God’s work, obeying Him without compromise, not giving in to the pressures of the world to worship the beast or take his mark, trusting God’s plan and His timing, not having a complaining or grumbling attitude, not having a pity party, and persevering in faith (even to the point of death).

James 1:12    Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

What difficulty, hardship, or trial (whether big or small) are you and I going through right now? How will you and I seek God’s help to not just endure it, but patiently endure for His glory?


As a child of God, I know that no matter what happens, I’m guaranteed eternal love from the Creator of the universe and eternal life with Him! 

Alice

Thurs Devo: Call for Wisdom

Last week’s passage ended with a call for patient endurance and faithfulness. This week’s passage ends with a call for wisdom.

Revelation 13:11-18  ¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon. ¹² It exercised all the authority of the first beast on its behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed. ¹³ And it performed great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to the earth in full view of the people.¹⁴ Because of the signs it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. ¹⁵ The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. ¹⁶ It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, ¹⁷ so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

Where do we get this wisdom? Perfect wisdom comes straight from God Himself! Reading His Word, talking with Him in prayer, and listening for His answers will help us gain wisdom.


Knowing God’s prophecy, like this passage in Revelation, will help us be prepared when these events happen. We will then be able to discern the deception of Satan and remain faithful to God.

Alice 

All About Timing

One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)

“All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”

“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”

But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.  Genesis 25:29-34

There are so many things that we will have the urge to want the moment we see it.  This weekend, I found myself looking at the newest iPad where my immediate impulse was to buy it even though I had another one at home.  “It’s the newest version,” I told myself.  Having realized that it is not within my budget to do so, I resisted, and turned away.  That being said, I looked back to find the genesis of my anxiety; Facebook.  One of my favorite past times found a way to identify my purchasing habits, and through it, inundated me with advertisements and suggestions that often times seem subtle and other times more direct.  Either way, it builds a desire that without its prompting may not have even existed.  Working for a technology company, you realize the benefits of technology.  For a day this past weekend, I also have found that it is not always a good thing.  Much like money is written about in 1 Timothy 6:10 (For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows), use of technology can either be good or bad.

We must be vigilant seeking God’s counsel in all things so that we properly guided spiritually.  Last week’s verses talked about the life of Jacob.  We go a little further back in his life not speaking of him but instead his brother Esau.  Esau’s birthright as the firstborn was to inherit his father’s responsibilities and authority.  However as we see in today’s verses, Esau was consumed with hunger and it is safe to say impatient.  As such, he sells his rights to his younger brother.  We often find ourselves doing similar things trading in future blessings for what we want now.  Speaking from experience, it is not easy to get out from under that habit, but if we learn to seek God’s counsel not only with obvious things like finances but with relationships with family members and friends and situations at work and home, we gain wisdom from the experience.  Furthermore, we keep ourselves available for much greater blessings from God down the road!

God’s time is very different from ours.  We often will want things our way right now.  While sometimes we are given such provisions, we must always ask ourselves if it is truly God’s provision or are we putting our timing ahead of His.  The answer lies in the relationship between God and you, but if we do not pray and seek His counsel, we risk like Esau the possibility of missing something far greater in the future.  What decision is God asking you to exercise more patience?  Do you seek God’s counsel on important decisions?  My prayer is that we exercise wisdom to understand that sometimes God’s blessings are all about timing.  Amen. 

Thurs Devo: The Dragon's War, Part II

Last week we talked about how we are to expect war from Satan (the dragon), but use the full armor God has provided to fight against him! From studying the book of Revelation this year, God seems to warn us that these difficulties and battles will intensify as the end of this world nears. The dragon, Satan, will have the power to wage war against God’s people, but he won’t deceive them. He will deceive the whole rest of the world, though.

Revelation 13:1-10    The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. ² The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. ³ One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise its authority for forty-two months. ⁶ It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. ⁷ It was given power to wage war against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.⁸ All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.

¹⁰ “If anyone is to go into captivity,
    into captivity they will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
    with the sword they will be killed.”

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

What’s the difference between Satan, through the beast, conquering and waging war against God’ people versus deceiving them? I think it has to do with physical versus spiritual life and death. Satan is allowed to physically harm and even kill God’s people, but he can’t deceive them into worshiping him over worshiping God. If we truly belong to God, then we won’t be deceived by Satan and won’t give in to his deception. We will patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even to the point of death. We can do that through the strength of the Holy Spirit living in us, knowing we will gain eternal life!

How will you and I prepare now to patiently endure and remain faithful to God, even through the dragon’s war against us?

Alice