Psalm 93 "The Lord reigns, He is clothed with majesty."  Psalm 145:5 reminds us to meditate on the "glorious splendor" of His majesty and on His wonderful works. To meditate, to think about and contemplate and dwell in the truth of God's majesty.  This clothing of majesty, of magnificence , what does that mean?
Psalm 93:1 tells us that the Lord clothed Himself "with strength".  He established the world, firmly, unmovable. He established His throne, eternally.  He is mighty! And He is holy! The psalmist stands on the shoreline and listens to the breaking waves.  They are pounding and roaring and mighty, but they are nothing compared with the mighty God Who made them.
Psalm 104:2 tells us that the Lord is also clothed with light. "Thou are clothed with spendor and majesty, covering thyself with light as with a cloak,"

Father, I want to dwell on this today. To think of Your majesty. At least these two characteristics of Your majesty, for I know that You are infinitely more than these, but for now You have revealed these truths - You are clothed with strength and with light.   There is nothing that is impossible for You to do. And there is no darkness that You cannot overcome.  Shine Your light into our hearts today and remove all darkness, every shadow of doubt and fear, every evil thought and lie planted by our enemy. Move with might and strength to establish us in Your salvation, in Your Kingdom. Move the mountains and part the seas, that others may come to worship You and praise Your Name. That they will also meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty.
Amen.

Revelation 21-22   John has seen and written of all that will happen at the end of this age.  After the final judgement the Lord reveals a new heaven and new earth.  "Behold I am making all things new!"
On this new earth there will no longer be an ocean.  And there will no longer be a sun.
There will be a beautiful city where God will dwell. Where tears are wiped away.  Where there will be no pain, no death, no mourning.  There also will be no wicked people. No immorality, no murder, no idolatry, no liars.   This city is described very specifically, its walls and gates, its foundation and its measurements. It is not like anything that we can imagine.  But the most important aspect is the presence of the "Lord God, the Almighty and the Lamb".  His glory illumines this city!  There is no need for the sun or the moon. There is no night! It is a place where the nations will bring glory and honor. ( What nations? I don't know)
There is a river of the water of life.  There are trees of life.  Light and life permeate this city. For God is worshiped there.
John closes this book with a final message, "the time is near".  Be ready! Only those whose names are written in His book, who have washed their robes, who are righteous and practicing righteousness, who are holy and keeping themselves holy, will enter into this wonderful eternal city.  We can come to Him freely, without cost, and take this "water of life".  He calls us to do this.  But if we refuse, or if we take away from this Book anything that God has revealed as True, He will take away any part that we may have in His City.
John ends with a blessing, which seems quite appropriate here, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen". For all we have and all we hope for come by His grace to us.  How we need You!
Come, Lord Jesus!
For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever! Amen.

Psalm 94  "O Lord, God of vengeance....."  Our God recompenses the proud. He judges the wicked.
"He who planted the ear, does He not hear?  He who formed the eye, does He not see?"   Yes, He does!  He sees those who crush others.  He sees those who kill widows and strangers, who murder orphans.  He sees the abusers, the haters, the bullies, the immoral.  They may not think that God sees them, but He does.  They may not believe that He cares, but He does.  The psalmist calls these people senseless and stupid! For God will repay wickedness back to them.  He will destroy them in the evil that they do.  We see this every day.  The murdering gang member shot down by a rival.  An abuser who is wretched and angry and dies by their own hand or by the drug of choice.  We may not see the Hand of God reach down and wipe them off the face of the earth in an instant, but we know that what one sows, he does reap.  Vengeance is in His Hands.  Not ours.  He knows the tare from the wheat.  He knows who will repent and find salvation in Jesus.  He knows the heart and thoughts of every man. His judgements are always right.
O Almighty God, thank You for Your grace. Thank You that You never abandon Your own.  Thank You for being righteous in Your judgements. Thank You for being our help. For holding us up by Your loving kindness. For being our stronghold and our rock of refuge.  You are Holy and Sovereign and we praise You.  Let Your will be done, perfectly on earth as it is in heaven. Keep us in Your Presence and Love today. Keep our feet from slipping. Forgive us our sins that cause us to slip. Deliver us from the evil one. We ask this in Your Name , Jesus, to the glory of the Father's Holy Name. Amen.

Revelation 19-20  Today's theme is judgement it seems, for here in these chapters John records the final judgements.  The multitudes in Heaven sing Hallelujah!   This is what we wait for!  This is the final victory!  Jesus comes to reign and vengeance is poured out upon the evil one.
The beast and the false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire.
The dragon, Satan is bound for 1000 years.
The dead believers who resisted the beast's mark are raised and reign with Christ for those 1000 years.
After Satan is let out of the abyss he wars against the saints once more but then is removed forever.
Then, all the dead, including those in Hades, are raised and judged according to their deeds.
"And if anyones name was not found written in the book of life he was thrown into the lake of fire."
Bottom line - where do we stand?  "Is my name written there? On the page white and fair? In the book of Thy kingdom, is my name written there?" Oh Yes!  Thank You Jesus, my name is written there because You have saved me, You covered my sins by Your blood. "But Thy blood, O my Savior is sufficient for me. For thy promise is written in bright letters that glow, Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them like snow."  Thank You!

Psalm 95 Sing for joy!  Shout with joy! God is the Rock of our Salvation! "For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods!"  It is with joy that we come to worship, to thank, to bow down, and to kneel before our Maker.  Joy!  For our God formed the valleys, the mountains, the sea, and the land. He is OUR God! We are His people.  He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep.  Hear Him call today. Refuse to have a hard heart. Refuse to "err" in your heart, as Israel did in the wilderness. The word used for err is in Hebrew taah - meaning to vacillate, to reel or stray,  to go astray, deceive, dissemble, stagger, be out of the way.  They had seen all that God had done. Yet they refused to believe that He would provide water for them. And they did not know His ways.  
Father, I come before You with joy!  You are my salvation.  You are my God and I worship You alone.  Keep me for erring in my heart.  Keep me from unbelief.  Keep me from the evil one.  Let my heart and mind and soul be fully devoted to You! Every day and in every way.   Fill me with the Word of Truth and lead me Holy Spirit to listen and obey.  May Your will be done. Amen.

Revelation 18 Lord, help me to understand this.....
Babylon the great.  A dwelling place of demons.
A prison of every unclean spirit.
A prison of unclean and hateful birds.
An immoral woman.
A source of drunkenness and immorality for the nations.
A source of wealth for the merchants.
A sinful place, person, thing.
She glorified herself, she is arrogant, she is sensuous, she is rich, she is full of  sorcery.
But the time of judgement comes. One hour.  She is burned up and gone.
No gold, no silver, no fine clothing, no costly wood or bronze, no spices, no perfumes, none of her riches remain.  All is gone.

And we are told to rejoice! "Because God has pronounced judgement for you against her." v20
When she is thrown down, when there is no more music, no more commerce, no more light, no more happiness. What is left?  Evidence.  The blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain.
Seems like this could be talking about the whole world. Maybe it is.  But thankfully, God is strong!
His judgements are True and Righteous.  Salvation and glory and power belong to Him!
Hallelujah!  The Lord our God, the Almighty reigns!
Amen.  Once again we are reminded of why we can shout and sing to our God with joy!

Psalm 96  "Sing to the Lord a new song; Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day."  v. 1-2
I heard an interesting program on the radio ( Moody) yesterday.  It was an interview with a woman who started a ministry for families with hidden disabilities. ( Like mental illnesses, autism, etc).  Some one called in and shared how he found that his depression seemed to lift after he cut out tv, music, etc. He felt that demonic activity is involved in a lot of the "darkness" that is so popular in our culture. ( I think that is true!)  The woman, (sorry, I don't recall her name) made a statement that I can't stop thinking about and must share.  When we sing praises to God, when we play praise music in our homes, we are inviting God's Presence into our lives and homes.  Scripture tells us that "Thou who art enthroned upon the praises of Israel". (Psalm 22:3) Another version reads that as God inhabits the praise of His people. The speaker suggests that praise music, singing praises to the Lord, as part of our daily lives, in our homes, with our children.... brings God's presence and glory.. His Light into our world.  Where Light and Life dwell, darkness is expelled!  Darkness that brings depression and confusion and hurt and evil.  Oh how much we need to do this! EVERY DAY!!!!

Father, You are Worthy of ALL of our praise, every day! We do want You to be honored and Your Name to be praised!  We do want Your Kingdom to come into our homes, every single day! May it be so here in my home and in the homes of my children and grandchildren!  You are great Lord! You are greatly to be praised! Your deeds are wonderful.  Your salvation is good!  I will tell of Your wonderful deeds, of Your glory and splendor, of Your Majesty.  You established the world.  You judge all men with righteousness. And You are coming! Father, will You lead us in paths of righteousness, lead us away from the temptations that come our way, deliver us from the evil one and his darkness.  You are the One Who transfers us from the domain of darkness into the Kingdom of Your Beloved Son. Thank You! Amen!!

Revelation 16-17  More destruction and judgements are explained in these chapters.  It hardly seems that there can be anything left to destroy, but there is more.  7 plagues. Malignant sores. Seas of blood. Rivers and streams of blood. Fire. Darkness. Euphrates river completely dried up. An earthquake so severe that it levels the mountains and destroys the islands.  Hailstones that weigh 100 pounds each.
A great war is coming.  On one side is the beast.   On the other is Babylon. And there is a 3rd - the Lamb who will overcome.
This is what awaits those who refuse to repent.  Who refuse to give glory to God.
God desires us to know His salvation!  He has given us fair warning that judgement will come to those who refuse His provision through Jesus Christ.  It is amazing how stubborn our hearts can be.  How deceived we are, thinking life is about money or jobs or even having fun.  Not that we don't need those things, but God is the provider of all we need. God wants our lives to be about Him!
Father, Help us to know You. To know Your Word and Your will.  To keep our eyes on You and to focus on You. To obey You.  To praise You every day.  To be thankful. Help us to take seriously Your Words that tell us that You are coming and that You will judge righteously.  Holy Spirit, once again I ask that You convince those unsaved family members of their sin, Your righteousness, and the judgement to come. So that they will repent and turn to You and follow Jesus all the days of their lives.
I ask this in the Name of Jesus, the Lamb who is Lord of lords and King of kings. Amen

Revelation 13-15  Two sides, 2 destinies.  On one side is the dragon.  He has 2 beasts, the first full of evil, with blasphemous names written on its heads.  It is given authority over all who do not belong to the other side. The second beast will do signs and wonders.  There will be much deception. There will be judgement.
Then there is the Lamb! He is accompanied by 144,000 blameless ones.  They sing a new song.  They have His Name and the Name of the Father written on their foreheads.
Then the harvest is reaped.  Those who have followed the dragon and the beasts are cut away and thrown into God's wine press.  We are told there is "no rest" there. Only torment with fire and brimstone.
But to those who die in the Lord, there is rest from all their labors. There is eternal salvation.
But this is not over yet.  For now 7 plagues are about to be poured out.  This is said to finish the wrath of God. But before that happens there is more worship and singing before God by those standing on the sea of glass.
It is overwhelming. It is too much! Over and over again the sides are drawn. Over and over we are given the warning... CHOOSE before it is too late.  Choose to listen.  Choose to follow the Lamb.  Choose right and don't be enticed or deceived into choosing the one who leads to death and destruction and wrath.
But, some still hesitate. Some still deny Him.  Some still refuse to believe. Oh , Holy Spirit, You are the One Who came to convince mankind of sin, righteousness, and judgement.  Speak to our hearts!  Convince us of Your Truth.  Light our way to Jesus. Fill us with the knowledge of His Love for us.
May we honor and worship and bring glory to Your Name, Father! May we always choose You Jesus!
Above anyone or anything. Every day. By Your Grace, draw us nearer. Amen.

Psalm 97  Where the Lord reigns there is rejoicing.  There is gladness!  For where He reigns there is righteousness and justice.  Evil is burned up in His fiery glory. His lightning exposes the world's darkness. The earth trembles at His power.  Mountains melt in His presence.  The skies shout out His glory.  Don't miss it!  Don't miss Him! He is Lord Most High!  He is over all the earth! He is the Light giver.  He is the Deliverer. He is Savior.  Give thanks to Him!  Exalt Him! Be glad in the Lord!

Father, let Your Name be honored and exalted, on earth as it is in Heaven.  Reign here, on earth, as You do in Heaven. Let Your will be done here, in me, as it is in Heaven!  Thank You! Thank You for light, for righteousness, for justice, for mercy, for peace, for all that is good.  Bless Your Holy Name.

Amen. 

Revelation 12  I do not know all that this book speaks about.  It is beyond even the greatest of scholars, so I cannot begin to uncover its deeper meanings.  But this I know,  God reigns!

The woman has a male child.  The dragon wants to kill him and the woman.  The angels war and Satan is thrown down to earth, out of heaven.  He is enraged, his time is short.  He continues to persecute and try to destroy the woman.  It seems that the woman represents Israel.  This makes sense, for evil nations have always and still do desire Israel's demise.  But God will protect her.  In the midst of this battle between good and evil, we are given a word of hope!  "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night."    Victory has come!  Satan is vanquished from before the throne.  He has been overcome.  "because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony."  Praise the Lord!

Father, when the wars and rumors of war run rampant through our earth, we look to You. You have promised to protect Your people and we pray for the peace of Jerusalem.  You have promised salvation to all who call upon the Name of Jesus and we pray that many more will come to faith in Him. 

So thankful that You have won the victory.  Glory and honor and blessing to Your holy Name!

I love You Lord!  Keep me near.  Be with my family.  Those who love You, may they grow in their love and faith and knowledge of You.  Those who do not know You, may they come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all.  And for those going through suffering, will You be their healer, their peace, and their everything right now?  Thank You. 

Amen

Revelation 11 John is told what will happen next in those final days of this world.  Two "witnesses" will come and propesy for 1260 days. They have authority from God to kill any that try to harm them, to stop any rain from falling, to turn water into blood, and to inflict plagues.  They will be killed by the beast, lay dead and unburied for 3 and 1/2 days and then God will breath life into them once more before they are beckoned up into heaven.  That will be followed by an earthquake that will shake Jerusalem and kill 7000 people.  But those left will give "glory to the God of heaven".  Finally.
Then the final trumpet sounds and "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."  With that, John sees the 24 elders falling before the throne of God in worship and thanksgiving once again.  He has "begun to reign".   We long for that day!  When the Righteous King reigns, when the nations give up their wrath against Him. When the heavens open and we see God our King!
This will also usher in the time for judgement, to "destroy those who destroy the earth"  and thankfully the time for reward to those who "fear Thy Name, the small and the great,"

Father, You are the King of Glory.  You have prepared us for this future reality by revealing it in Your Word.  You have preserved these ancient words so that we can know the Truth.  Evil is not everlasting.  It has been defeated and will one day be destroyed according to Your will and purposes.
Your Kingdom is everlasting. Your dominion endures forever.  Even today, when we see the mess our nation is in, when we see the wicked prospering, we can KNOW that You reign and that You will destroy the wicked. That You will bring us to be with You and reward all who fear Your Name!
We need not be anxious for nothing! But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we can let our requests be made known to You! ( Phil 4:7)   Thank YOU!

Note:  Be anxious ( full of care) for nothing ( Greek word -medeis - means not even one (man, woman, thing) none, not at all, nothing. Without delay).  But in everything ( the whole, all manner of, all means, always, any (one), daily, everyone, thoroughly, whatsoever, whosoever)  by prayer  (Greek word is proseuche - pro means to move towards, draw near to, ascend towards -God, to worship, to earnestly make prayer.) And  Supplication - petition, request, but with an aspect of binding oneself, knit, tie, be in bonds.  [I picture a poor beggar child who clings to the leg of someone begging for help in desperation, not letting go until he gives something.] With thanksgiving -( eucharistia - gratitude, grateful words)  let your requests be made known to God.