Just a quick thought for Monday

On this lovely Monday morning, I have one quick thought to share with you.

My annual read through of the Bible has gone better than most years and I am way ahead of schedule. In fact, I should be finished in the next few days. Which, of course, means I am in the book of Revelation. Halfway through, to be precise.

This morning my passages covered chapters 6 through 13. And as always, the whole thing is just one horrible event after another. And not even things I can wrap my mind around beyond thinking that it is getting easier to picture what this all will look like as I assess the things happening in escalation around this country, continent and the globe than I was a decade ago.

On top of the feeling that you are reading a description of the script from some terribly frightening movie that I would definitely say I don’t need to see, there is the imagery of dragons and beasts and the culmination near the end of chapter 13 where God allows war to be waged on the saints. Not only that, they are allowed to lose and be slaughtered and it gets the heart racing.

But just as panic sets in, because basically he says capture and death are not negotiable when the final battle comes, John adds this line.

This calls for endurance and faithfulness from the saints.
Revelation 13:10

Simple as that. In the face of all the chaos He knows we will need endurance and faithfulness. There is hope there. Because we can know that we can maintain both of these if we are being called to them.

Here are all the horrendous events that will bring the end of this time on planet earth and usher in the new heavens and new earth. And your instructions are…endure and be faithful.

A calling given to us.

I must remember that this earth here is not the end of the story. And the battle is already won, even if there is one yet to be played out here. That death is not the end for us who believe.

And so in place of panic, we are called to endure and remain faithful.

He wins.

We know the outcome.

Whatever the in between looks like, endure…remain…be found faithful.

As simple as the instruction is, the living it out is not so easy. And I do believe that every day we are given opportunities to stretch the spiritual, mental, emotional and yes, physical muscles we will need to do what we are called to do.

Every day is another lesson in endurance and faithfulness.

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