Revelation 17:15
Behold, I am going to come like a thief! Blessed (happy, to be envied) is he who stays awake (alert) and who guards his clothes, so that he may not be naked and [have the shame of being] seen exposed! 
 
 
First a bit of history; In the days of the Levites it would not be totally uncommon to find a priest walking naked in the streets, beaten, and full of shame. For us, in this day and time, this would seem wrong, and we would think, what an outrage, this man deserves justice. For those who look on in that culture they would shake their heads in disgrace, and continue on what they were doing. You see in the temple mount there were manyLevites who would have specific duties even through the night. In the night watch they were to keep watch, staying alert to make sure the enemy or intruders wouldn't breach the Holy temple. It was forbidden to fall asleep, because there was too much at stake, peoples lives, the Holy presence of God, and the call of and commitment of keeping watch. Now the overseer of the temple mount who they would call the perfect one or great overseer would walk around at the night watch and check on the Levites to make sure every one was ok. Now if he ever were to find one of the Levites sleeping he had the authority to beat him with a stick, and take his vestments or priestly clothing and burn them, making him unworthy to minister as a priest. 

I have to admit that at first glance I too thought it was a bit harsh, to beat the priests and burn their clothes leaving them naked to walk the streets, back home. However then I was reminded of the spiritual battle that we are in. A battle that would leave many wounded or even dead, if and when we as Gods priests ever allow the enemy to slip into the church, to divide, kill, and steal. In the Old Testament if a watch man didn't warn the people in the town that the enemy was attacking they would, kill the watchmen. If the watchmen warned the people and the people ignored the warning then their blood was not on his hands but was on their own hands.
 
We need to understand that as a follower of Jesus Christ we are also ministers of His gospel. As a minister of the gospel I have been given a privilege to care for some of Gods people the best I know how according to His word. There will be times I will need to give warning, because there is an enemy that wants to tear our family or extended family or friends family apart. After reading these passages this morning I am bolstered to be more alert, to keep my eyes sharp, that I may be able to administer the word of God better.

Revelation 9:20 
And the rest of humanity (mankind) who were not killed by these plagues even then did not repent of [the worship of] the works of their [own] hands, so as to cease paying homage (worshiping) to the demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor move (walk).
 
 
I read this passage and I am thinking how is it that people can be so hard headed, hard hearted, rebellious and unrepentant towards God - even after tragedy, persecutions, involvement in all sorts of evil. Have I ever been there?

I realize this vision John had involves the end times and tribulation period, but it's evident that our current culture and society deals with demonic, idolatrous and other evil deeds, as well. The hearts of mankind is no different now than it was in the evil days of Noah and appears to be getting worse in the "last days."
 
Oh boy do I want to live differently! I don't ever want to be unrepentant and deceived to the point of living an adulterous, idolatrous lifestyle. It seems that I'm pretty far from this kind of lifestyle - but one little decision to compromise in thought, the lust of my flesh or eyes ... will lead down a road of disaster.

I must live a repentant life:

1. When any thoughts that aren't pleasing to God enter my mind - especially when I give place to meditating on some evil things.
2. when I treat my family and friends harshly, being rude and unkind in word or "stares." (Help Lord!)
3. when I feel an empty sense of not trusting the Lord or people.

O believe that this is a lifestyle worth living!

Psalm 119:157
Many are my persecutors and my adversaries (foes), yet I do not swerve from Your testimonies (statutes).
 
What happens to precious metal when it is refined by fire? It is purified and made even more beautiful. Throughout the Bible we see many images where God's people are being refined. In the New Testament, Peter encourages us, "[You should] be exceedingly glad on this account, though now for a little while you may be distressed by trials and suffer temptations, So that [the genuineness] of your faith may be tested, [your faith] which is infinitely more precious than the perishable gold which is tested and purified by fire. [This proving of your faith is intended] to redound to [your] praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) is revealed."(1 Peter 1:6, 7).
 
The believers in Smyrna faced intense persecution, but it served as a refinery for their faith. The church in Smyrna not only followed the Truth, but they loved Jesus wholeheartedly. They were a people known for their devotion to the Lord. The pagan society hated these Christians because of this faithfulness. These believers suffered persecution, intimidation, and hatred by the culture around them. Yet instead of losing hope, the Smyrna church grew in its love and dedication to Christ.
 
As today's church or any Christian based ministry faces increased persecution, we can all gain comfort and assurance from Jesus' words in His letter to Smyrna: "I know your affliction and distress and pressing trouble and your poverty -- but you are rich! and how you are abused and reviled and slandered by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. [Dismiss your dread and your fears!] Behold, the devil is indeed about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested and proved and critically appraised, and for ten days you will have affliction. Be loyally faithful unto death [even if you must die for it], and I will give you the crown of life. He who is able to hear (He who has an ear), let him listen to (let him hear)  and heed what the Spirit says to the assemblies (churches). He who overcomes (is victorious) shall in no way be injured by the second death."  (Revelation 2:9-11).
 
Like the church in Smyrna, we re living in a culture that worships almost anything and anyone except the one true God. While the world preaches tolerance, it is intolerant of one thing: the Truth of the Gospel of Christ. Satan is using the same tactics today that he did two thousand years ago. He tries to intimidate and frighten us. He knows we do not want to be rejected. He knows we do not want to be hated. His goal is to silence us about speaking about Jesus Christ.
 
But no matter what opposition we face, Jesus will remain with us. He knows the false accusations against us. He knows the price we pay for integrity and faithfulness. He knows that the world hates us because of our love for Him. He knows that Satan will try to intimidate us into silence and compromise.
 
This is why Jesus encourages His church, "Fear nothing that you are about to suffer"(Revelation 2:10). Nothing can banish our fears like the power of the resurrected Jesus Christ! Jesus can give us confidence and strength in the midst of trouble, hatred, and persecution. He gives us comfort and understanding in our afflictions, because He has experienced far worse than we can imagine. He holds us in the very palms of His hands during our darkest hours. He can turn around the evil working against us in order to work for good. As Paul explained his own suffering for Christ,"Now I want you to know and continue to rest assured, brethren (brothers), that what [has happened] to me [this imprisonment] has actually only served to advance and give a renewed impetus to the [spreading of the] good news (the Gospel)."(Philippians 1:12).
 
Persecution and suffering are never easy, but they will eventually come to each of us in some form. Are you allowing God to use your persecutions for the advancement of the Gospel? Or are the devil's schemes winning by keeping you silent? When confronted with taunts and sneers, do you distance yourself from Jesus or does your love for Him grow?

2 Peter 1:5-8 
5  (Now) For this very reason, adding (applying) your (all) diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
6  And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
7  And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.
8  For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
 
 
After reading these passages I am reminded that my mom always encouraged me to choose my friends well. And here Peter seems to say that if we really want to knowChrist, to develop a close relationship with the Lord, to become best friends with Him, we need to become best friends with these qualities of faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. The closer we grow, and increase in our relationship with each of these qualities, the closer we will grow from glory to glory into His image.

But, why did Peter have to remind us? Could it be because we all have a natural tendency to shy away from such friends and are attracted to those who live on the opposite side of the tracks? Like Adam and Eve in the Garden who had the perfect friendship with God, yet because of their human desire for immediate gratification chose to be persuaded by the wrong friend. Who really wasn't a friend at all.
 
So, Peter provides us with a litmus test to apply to our circle of friends. And it's a test that I must apply to myself daily: Am I diligently growing and increasing in the areas of

• Faith - how trusting am I of the Lord and His plans for me and my future; is there still a need for me to be in control, or do I truly trust Him with the plans and promises He has for me;
• Moral excellence - if I allowed the Lord entrance into the inner chambers of my heart and mind, would I be able to stand before Him without hesitation each day; am I exposing the negatives in my mind to the ways of God, or to the ways of the world; "If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. (1 John.1:15);
• Knowledge - am I relentlessly pursuing a deeper knowledge of my Lord, to get to know Him and His heart, in order that my life would truly reflect His image;
• Self-control - here's a tough one for me and I presume for others as well; it's a test not just on the external, but internally how well do I control my thoughts, feelings, hidden emotions; is there more of Him and less of "ME" from the inside out;
• Perseverance - what are my quitting points; the enemy probably knows them more than I do and will press these buttons to persuade me away from the future and hope the Lord has reserved for me; but, just as Christ pressed through, even at the risk of death, so must I press forward to the goal set before me;
• Godliness - am I "godly" true to the core, that it's not just an outer costume that I wear, does my walk consistently match my talk, whether it be in relationships that I develop, words that I say, grace that I give, forgiveness and patience;
• Brotherly kindness - am I kind to my brothers, not just portraying a level of tolerance or condoning actions, but do I extend kindness, understanding, patience, a deep, abiding, agape love to my brothers; am I loving them, just as Christ loved, forgave, extended His grace and mercy towards me;
• Love - how deep is my love for others, and is it ever growing and increasing; it's easier to say "I love you" than to continually grow in depth of love with another; it's looking for the good in others, seeing the potential and the promises of God lived out in their lives; it's serving them and their needs as a priority over my own; it' desiring God's very best for them.

The question each of us must ask ourselves is: So, how well am I testing out in each of these areas? Am I diligently developing a closer relationship with each quality so they become my best friends? If our truest desire is to become best friends with our Lord and Savior, then we must become best friends with each of these.

Hebrews 11:14
Now those people who talk as they did show plainly that they are in search of a fatherland (their own country).  
 
 
If you take the time to read the scripture around this verse you will see that the children of Israel had been imprisoned for so long in Egypt, they no longer knew how to live freely. The prison that held them had extended beyond their Egyptian taskmasters. It had found its way into their minds, and now they carried the chains with them as they traveled toward the Promised Land. They had learned how to follow the rules for so long that now, they had no idea how to live free from them. In other words they were very content to live in the past. They had forgot what it was to dream.
 
I sometimes shudder to speak for all who read but I am pretty sure that we all can have the same problem. For example, the greatest obstacle to gratefulness is that we are so sure we are losing something, we become unaware of all we are gaining.

In other words we too can think too much about Egypt.

The older I get, the more I am realizing that there is a gift of years, a season of life where mystery and adventure returns. For example, we have been tethered to the clock for so long that we realize now that we have lost the freedom to dream. 

In years past, the sunrise and sunset were what framed my activities, then because of this everything became predictable and stolid. The clock commandeered it. It used to be, when we said, "We'll come back tomorrow," it meant that sometime between tomorrow's dawn and the evening twilight, we'd be there. But I fear that the world we live in today, it must be relegated to a specific time, leaving no room for mystery. Only expectations. 

One or the greatest blockages the Children of Israel had was not the Sinai nor the desert sands. It was that they could not get Egypt out of their hearts. They didn't know how to transition from slave to son. Their minds could not exchange fear for faith, the whip for freedom.

In my younger years, I was run by insecurity, expectations, and timetables. The Scripture reminds us that if we do not become as a child, we will not enter the Kingdom. I remember the mystery of my younger days, how each morning held surprises of its own and there was a fresh expectation. 

If I am to enjoy my walk with Christ, I must allow each morning to hold the potential of wonderful expectancies, unprecedented surprises. I cannot fear that. I have been taught to distrust a blank calendar. It had to be filled in order for me to feel valuable. Of course, I will not be slothful, but that is not my main problem. It is overfilling my day with so many scheduled tasks that I am robbed of any mystery, any adventure, any risk.
 
We have a brand new year to look forward to. Rather than looking back we need to learn from the past and move forward.