A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. Some of the ideas in the devotion were inspired by a commentary by David J. Lose.
Revelation 7:9-12 (English Standard Version)
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”
Devotion: “Joining the Saints”
The rich imagery of John gives us a vision of the angels and saints worshipping the Lord. What really is a saint? Well, it is someone who has died but what else?
A saint is someone who has been declared “Holy”. Now hear this, though, declaring someone holy is God’s work and not man’s. A person is holy not because of inheritance or something they have done but simply because God calls them holy. Remember Paul’s letter to the Corinthians? In 1 Corinthians 1:2 he is telling those of the church of Corinth, that they are saints! So if those bickering, fighting, divided and struggling members of that congregation were saints, why not us? What does it mean to be holy? The Bible names holy those things that have been set apart for God’s work. Therefore any work we do in faith can be described as holy. Babysitting while adults attend Bible study is one. How about volunteering with the Cub Scouts. Creating a worshipful home where laughter abounds. Befriending a kid at school who is being picked on. Helping an elderly neighbor take out their trash. Dear reader, those things you do for others in faithful service to God, make you worthy of God’s attention and worthy of participating in the communion of saints. Yes, let me remind you that in working for the Lord you are indeed a saint!
A saint is someone who has been declared “Holy”. Now hear this, though, declaring someone holy is God’s work and not man’s. A person is holy not because of inheritance or something they have done but simply because God calls them holy. Remember Paul’s letter to the Corinthians? In 1 Corinthians 1:2 he is telling those of the church of Corinth, that they are saints! So if those bickering, fighting, divided and struggling members of that congregation were saints, why not us? What does it mean to be holy? The Bible names holy those things that have been set apart for God’s work. Therefore any work we do in faith can be described as holy. Babysitting while adults attend Bible study is one. How about volunteering with the Cub Scouts. Creating a worshipful home where laughter abounds. Befriending a kid at school who is being picked on. Helping an elderly neighbor take out their trash. Dear reader, those things you do for others in faithful service to God, make you worthy of God’s attention and worthy of participating in the communion of saints. Yes, let me remind you that in working for the Lord you are indeed a saint!
Pray: Lord, help me be faithful in Your service! Amen
Blessings,
Joe