Revelation 14:12 -13 - Let this
encourage God’s people to endure patiently every trial and persecution, for
they are his saints who remain firm to the end in obedience to his commands and
trust in Jesus.” And I heard a voice in the
heavens above me saying, “Write this down: At last the time has come for his
martyrs to enter into their full reward. Yes, says the Spirit, they are
blessed indeed, for now they shall rest from all their toils and trials; for
their good deeds follow them to heaven!”
John’s vision continued with a glimpse of the glory of
heaven and the reward awaiting those that endure to the end. He heard an
encouraging voice from heaven give two of the keys to standing strong to the
end….obedience and trust.
It is a reminder to me that as bad as it will get… we need
to concentrate on the positives of our relationship with God to withstand
anything else that might ty to harm our physical body. As the psalmist wrote
long before John’s vision in Psalms 30:5… “For his anger lasts only a
moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but
rejoicing comes in the morning.
Two ways to stay strong are to obey God and to trust his
decisions for our future. We may not
agree with everything he asks us to do…or feel good about everything that
happens in our life….but we can cling to the promises of Jeremiah 29:11. God’s plans are to prosper us…not to harm us
in the future. He alone can give us hope.
Father…thank you for the reminder to cling to the positives
of your promise to protect our spirits until it is our time to join you in
heaven. Forgive me for the times that I forget your power to lift me up and
sustain me and dwell more on the negatives around me. Help me to think more on the prosperous plans
you have for my future…so I can continue in obedience and trust you completely
with my life. Amen.
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