Thought for December 7, 2023

  • 1787: Delaware is first State to ratify the Constitution
  • 1934: Wiley Post discovers the jet stream
  •  1941: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor
  • 1963: First use of the instant replay machine--Army Navy football game
  • 1967: Otis Redding records "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay"
  • 1985: Bo Jackson wins Heisman
  • Born: Madame Tussaud, Eli Wallach, Ted Knight, Ellen Burstyn, Harry Chapin, Johnny Bench, Larry Bird, Terrell Owens, Luke Donald
  • Died: Cicero, William Bligh, Thornton Wilder, Beatrix Loughran [3 Olympic Gold Medals in Figurte Skating], Leroy Yarbrough, Harry Morgan [Dragnet and MASH], Four Medal of Honor recipients at Pearl Harbor [Mervyn Bennion, Herbert Jones, Thomas Reeves, Franklin Valkenburgh]
Thought:
Reading Revelation11:15-19 today. I have to turn on the "Hallelujah Chorus" as I read, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." What a day that will be! King Jesus reigns in heaven and on earth. All the times we have prayed the Model Prayer come to reality--Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.

The first thing I notice is that there is no doubt about who is king. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords. And there is no doubt about where Jesus is King--He is King of heaven and King of earth--King over all that He created. And there is no doubt about the term of His kingship---He doesn't run for re-election every few years. He serves as King for His lifetime--and He lives forever!

Then I notice that there are two very different responses to Jesus' reign.
  • The twenty four elders break into a song of praise and thanksgiving. Previously in Revelation, Jesus has been called the One who was, and is, and is to come. Now He is announced as the One who was and is--the Lord has come to claim His kingdom. And the elders are thankful that Jesus has begun to reign on earth. All of us have probably had this experience. We are on a team--there is a team member who should clearly be the leader---but the coach doesn't seem to see it, some of the players don't seem to understand. Finally, that person steps into leadership and we are so thankful that finally, the real leader is in charge. Same in business, church, government. When the real leader takes over, we are thankful.
  • The nations are enraged. Why? They still think they are king. They still refuse to recognize that Jesus is King. They reject His authority. Go back this morning and read Psalm 2--"Why are the nations in an uproar, and the people devising a vain thing?" Notice the Lord's response--He scoffs at them. 
The verses in Revelation speak of an event we have not yet seen, but we see the same thing every day. Jesus is King and He will reign. We are invited to come into His kingdom now--accept Jesus as your king because He is the King. People respond in different ways to His invitation--some are thankful and yield to King Jesus. Some refuse to give up the throne of their lives. they live lives in an uproar. And you know, I find myself needing to make this decision every day---who is King? Larry or Jesus? The world or th One who created it? 

Today, may His kingdom come in my life as it is in heaven. 

Blessings
Larry

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought for July 19

History: 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta 2007: Madmen debuts 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17 Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch,  Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall
Read more

Thought for November 23, 2023

Happy Thanksgiving!  1664: Blaise Pascal is converted following a vision. He wrote the date and time of his conversion and said, "Fire. The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. Not of philosophers and intellectuals. Certitude, certitude, joy, peace. The God of Jesus Christ." Laid the foundation for the law of probabilities; genius in hydrodynamics and hydrostatics developing Pascal's principle of pressure; taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason; mathematician and philosopher. 1783: Annapolis Maryland becomes U.S. Capitol until June 1784 1863: Patent for making color photographs granted 1889: First jukebox debuts in Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco 1897: Pencil sharpener patented 1904: Summer Olympics in St. Louis close [1st Olymics in U.S.] 1921: President Harding signs an Act prohibiting doctors from prescribing beer or liquor for medicinal purposes 1923: Cecil B. DeMille's first "The Ten Commandments" premiers
Read more

Thought for April 5, 2024

1722: Easter Island discovered 1792: First Presidential veto 1815: Mt. Tambora erupts. Largest eruption ever witnessed. Created year without summer in 1816--frost and snow in North America in June and July. Largest part of eruption on April 10th. Killed 10,000 in initial blast.  1906: Mt. Vesuvius erupts killing 100 1923: Firestone begins producing inflatable tires 1936: Tupelo almost completely destroyed by a tornado--216 die 1972: Baseball strike costs 86 games 2063: On "Star Trek", earth has its first contact with the Vulcan species Born: Thomas Hobbes, Joseph Lister, Booker T Washington, Spencer Tracy, Bette Davis, Gregory Peck, Arthur Hailey. Gale Storm, Frank Gorshin, Colin Powell, Pharrell Williams Died: Robert Raikes [Sunday School], Douglas MacArthur, Howard Hughes, Abe Fortas, Sam Walton, Allen Ginsberg, Saul Bellow, Charlton Heston, Honor Blackman Thought: Reading Daniel 1:5-7 this morning. Continuing with the thoughts about Nebuchadnezzar's plan. Having brough
Read more