Come, Lord Jesus!
BRD REFLECTIONS
Revelation 22 and Psalm 150 (NIV)
( Alvin Tay, Chairperson, Local Church Executive Committee)
READ:
Revelation 22 and Psalm 150 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
We have come to the final chapter of Revelation and the final Psalm on this final day of 2022.
In Revelation 21, we read that God will be “making everything new”, where He will “wipe every tear from their eyes” and where there “will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.”
With so much news of pain, disasters and deaths reported in the papers as I reflect on this passage, I certainly look forward to the day where there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.
Then in Revelation 22, I rejoiced at Jesus’ assurance: “Look, I am coming soon”, which appears twice in verses 7 and 12. That assurance was even more emphatic in verse 20: “Yes, I am coming soon”.
During Holy Communion, which we partake in on the first Sunday of every month, we declare the following:
Christ has died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again.
APPLY:
Yes, our Lord Jesus is coming back again. This we know for sure. What we don’t know is when the Lord will return.
Instead of trying to speculate or discern when he will return, I will use whatever time I have remaining to prepare for his return. As Matthew 24:44 puts it: “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
Yes, I must be ready for his return. In the New Year, I will seek to:
1. Reconcile with those I have hurt as well as those who have hurt me. I will also be more obedient to God’s Word, including the two Great Commandments: Love God and love neighbour as well as the Great Commission: To go and make disciples.
2. Reach out to the Last, the Least and the Lost: Salvation is for everyone. All people everywhere may come and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour and be assured of eternal life. I will share the gospel with my loved ones and people whom God has placed in my path. And as I have been blessed by God, I will also try to bless others.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)
3. Rely on God’s grace: The final word in the New Testament is God’s grace. John ended the Book of Revelation with this verse: “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” Yes, I can’t do all the above by my own strength. I will need the grace and empowerment of God. And if I am still found wanting in any area, I can only rely on God’s grace and mercy.
DO:
As I await the second coming of Christ, I will not wait around idly. Instead, I will commit to let God use me for His purposes and be a witness to the Good News of Jesus Christ, both in my family and in church. This evening, I will join my brothers and sisters in Christ for the Wesleyan Covenant Renewal Watchnight Service. I will seek God’s purposes for me in the New Year – as a husband, father, brother, uncle, and a companion in Christ.
And as the church theme for 2023 is “Discipleship in the Family’, I will commit to share the Gospel with six of my siblings as well as family members in the Next Generation who have yet to know Jesus personally.
PRAY:
Heavenly Father, we want to praise you for the blessings you have given us this year. And for what you will be doing in and through us in this coming New Year. Help us to be ready when Christ returns.
Lord, as in Psalm 150, we want to praise you for your acts of power, and for your surpassing greatness. Yes, let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord! And may the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
