Alpha and Omega (part 3)

Hebrews 12:2 – Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. 

Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 

Revelation 1:12-13, 17-18 – I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. …  When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. 

• Reflect On: Hebrews 12:2, 13:8 & Revelation 1:12-13, 17-18
• Praise God: Because He has no beginning and no end. 
• Offer Thanks: Because Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 
• Confess: Any fear that drives your life.
• Ask God: To reveal the fault lines in your life. 

…[The] ….question I’m asking these days ….about myself: Where are my fault lines? How would I act under the kind of pressure that was brought to bear on the citizens of New Orleans [during Hurricane Katrina]. What am I basing my life on? I wish I could tell you my confidence has grown as I try to imagine myself confronting similar conditions. But truly it is hard to be anything but frightened by such thoughts. When worse comes to worst, I know it will only be God’s mercy that will sustain me and those I love. 

Today I pray that you and I will learn before it is too late how to fix our eyes on Christ, who is God forever. He is the One who is, who was, and who will be—the One who banishes our fear because He holds the past, present, and future in his all-powerful hands. Neither New Orleans nor Grand Rapids nor any other city in the world will last forever. But Jesus will. 

May he be the beginning and the end of everything we believe, everything we strive for, everything we trust in. May he be first in our families, first in our relationships, first in our businesses, and first in all the days that lie ahead for us. Then, no matter what happens, we will be given the grace to stand, knowing that our lives are hidden in the hands of the only One able to save us both now and forever. Amen.