Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:4b-8) New Revised Standard Version
Our firstborn was raised on Disney stories and videos. A common theme ran through them, obviously, as we sat with her during a worship service of our annual conference in Perkins Chapel of Southwestern University. The choir was magnificent, from La Trinidad UMC of San Antonio, and they were singing "The King Is Coming." Our baby, who was not yet two, heard the words and sat up, looked behind her and loudly said, "Oh my God, get me out of here! The king is coming!" Disney's kings and queens were not to her liking, at least from the stories she had been exposed to.
Jesus, as the writer above says is "the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth." And He's coming back! To those who do not know Him when he returns, their reaction may very well be like our daughter's, one of unexpected fear - they are not ready and they fear what may be their fate. But this fate has been their own choosing, not God's. God desires a relationship with everyone of us; some say yes, others say no. It is our job to make sure others come to know Jesus as the King of Kings, and especially, as our king. Jesus also declares as His witness that He is the first and the last, the one present at creation, and the one who will be present at the end of time; the Alpha and the Omega. His desire is to take all of us with Him to the land of no time, where eternity will reign under God's control. Are you ready? Do you know God's love through Jesus?
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, I do desire a relationship with You. I want to be called yours now, and for all time. Help me life be in order; help my life to be a blessing to others. This i pray in the Name of He Who is my King, Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
