Day 2 - Verse 100 - "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His." 2 Chronicles 16:9

Do you ever have one of those days, or weeks, that you feel like you have to pray, "Lord, show yourself strong for me right now, because I am not feeling strong."  I believe God hears those prayers of ours, prayers of desperation and earnest need.  And I believe, just as this verse tells us, that when we put our trust completely in Him, and give our hearts over to Him, He does show Himself strong for us.

So what does that mean?  What difference does it make in our lives when God "shows Himself strong"?  Does it mean that everything automatically falls into place and whatever was causing us to drop to our knees in desperate prayer is taken care of?  I think we can all say, "obviously not" to that. Because our needs remain the same, the problems don't go away, and circumstances aren't changed in the moments we utter our pleas.

But you know what is changed?  WE are changed.  We are given His strength as we ask for Him to show Himself strong.  We become empowered through His Spirit living in us to face the problems, to get through the tough circumstances, and to do so without fear.  For we are reminded, in every core of our being, that if HE is for us, then who can be against us?

God shows Himself strong as we become strong in Him.  We look back and say,"How did I get through that?"  And we know the answer is:  GOD.  God Himself became the strength that we needed, when we needed it.

When we face times of uncertainty...and there are so many areas of uncertainty in our lives right now...if we have given our hearts to God, placing in His hands our lives and our futures, all we need do is ask Him to show Himself strong in our lives.  To know that, no matter what, He is with us and will never forsake us.

When we face times of doubt...and our enemy loves to throw the darts of doubt at us so that we will not be testifiers to the power of our God...we just ask our Father to show Himself strong, to take those fiery darts and to extinguish each of them before they take hold and cause us to question His plan, His very existence.

When we face times of personal crisis, death of loved ones, our own sicknesses...and those times are bound to come to each of us as we live on this broken planet...we ask God to show Himself strong, to take hold of our emotions and to remind us of His great love for us, a love that we cannot be separated from, no matter what we are going through.  For He is our Good Shepherd, and He will walk with us through the valley of death and sorrow, into a place where He will  anoint our heads with oil and our cup will overflow with His blessings, and we will live in the house of the Lord forever.

The only condition on all of these promises is that we are a people who have given our hearts completely to Him...have we?  Are we?  Every day, that is our choice.  Who has my heart?  This temporary world that I'm living in now, or my God, the Creator of the universe, my Lord and my Savior, my Good, Good Shepherd who opens the gate for me and asks me to follow Him?

Lord, let me make the right decision every morning as to where my heart resides...let it always be placed in Your good and gracious hands.  I give my heart to You.

Day 1 - Verse 100 - CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

Well it has taken us a while to get here, hasn't it?  There have certainly been ups and downs, and detours and delays, but here we are!  The end of our journey!

Our parallel journey along the Appalachian Trail of 2,185 miles comes to an end as well.  Do you want to see what it looks like from the view in Maine where we would be standing right now?  That's it, Katahdin, Maine.  The goal for many a hiker through the years.

Our goal has been just as "lofty"!  Our goal was to commit 100 Bible verses in our memory.  While I know at this point that I cannot recite all 100 on command, I also know that these verses have brought God's Word to life in me at times when I absolutely needed it the most.  God's Word is unique in its ability to speak to us, and that is because it is His living Word, inspired by Him, through the Holy Spirit.  And that same Holy Spirit lives in us as Christians to speak His Word to us individually, and in ways that we cannot understand, at just the right moments of our need.  There is no other book like the Holy Bible---if you haven't embraced it, you have missed hearing the Word of God speak to you.  Why would you ever want to miss out on that glorious experience?  I urge you to open your Bible and start reading it again, or for the very first time.  Go to it with an open heart and an open mind and pray for wisdom (James 1:3) and God will hear your prayer and allow you to start on another beautiful journey!

But today we  must look back!  We've covered a lot of ground over our 2,185 miles!  If you'll remember, the verses have been grouped into several different categories.  We started out with the Bible's Fantastic Four, went on The Roman Road of Salvation, learned of The Word of God and Prayer, Inner Peace and Security, Worship and Thanksgiving, had 10 Verses to Stand On, viewed Holiness by Obeying God's Commands and Fullness by allowing the Holy Spirit to Rule in our , Lives, gained Joy through God's Kind of Happiness, increased Faith by Trusting God and Resting in His Word, heard The Great Commission of proclaiming Jesus, rested in the 23rd Psalm, and concluded with the Alpha and Omega, remembering the first and envisioning the second coming of Christ.

This last verse is one of my very favorites that when I first heard it, I almost gasped in wonder that God's eye had found me!  It is a beautiful picture of our loving God, keeping His watchful eye on everyone on this planet earth.  I'm choosing it to end with because I want to encourage each one of us to be the person that this verse describes:

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to show Himself strong for those whose hearts are completely His."  2 Chronicles 16:9

My heart has not always been completely His, but as of today, as of this morning, as of this moment, I give my heart to Him so completely.  He has me!  He can do what He wills in my life and I am content.  My trust is in Him.

Because of those things...He promises me to show Himself strong to me.  I have no need to fear, for He is with me, always.  He will strengthen me when I am weak, and He will lift me up when I fall down.

Oh what a God we serve!  What a marvelous Book He has given us.  Let's spend a few days camping out at this last stop, and then....let's see where God takes us next!

In His Amazing Love!!

Janice

Day 4 - Verse 99 - "He who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20

"He who testifies about these things...."

Do you know the "He" that brings us His testimony?  Jesus, Jesus Christ, our Savior and our Lord. Do you know Him?

For He is coming, and it will be soon.  Whether I am here to see Him come in majestic glory to the earth or not, He is coming for me, and for everyone now living, soon.  Our lives are just a vapor, and then....He is coming.

In praying for those I love who do not yet acknowledge Jesus as their Lord and Savior, I often repeat Jesus' prayer as relayed in John 14:24,  “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." I want all those that God has given me in this life to love the most dearly to be with me, and to see the glory of Jesus, bestowed upon Him by His Father.  I cannot even imagine what that is going to be like, but I want to be there and I want all who I love to be there.

But, in writing this, I realize that I have been commanded to love everyone, as God has loved me. EVERYONE!  Not only those that it comes naturally to me to love, but those that, in my human nature, I would choose to separate myself from and never consider entering into a relationship based on love.  That's what sets Christianity apart in my eyes...the command that we have to choose to love ALL, and to see others as just as worthy as us to receive God's wonderful gift of life through Jesus.

Christian love, then, has to be about proclaiming the love of God.  We cannot say that we love others if we are withholding THE WAY to everlasting life from them.  What good is loving someone in this life if we are keeping them from eternal life when they leave this earth?  And we all will leave...Jesus will come!

This is where it gets difficult.  Loving so much that we cannot keep silent.  And this is where, to some, Christianity becomes offensive.  To say that there is one way makes some people cringe. It makes some people mad.  And it makes some people shut down.

I recently heard an allegory that, to me, made sense.  If you're on a plane that's about to certainly crash, and the flight attendant announces, "Listen to me...when this plane crashes, there is only one way to get out of it and live.  Do what I say, and I will show you that way.  No other way will get you out. If you choose another way, you will die."  Is that flight attendant being narrow-minded?  Are they being mean?  Is it cruel of them to say that they know the only way?  Or is it an act of supreme kindness and love to share with you the way to survival?

That is what God has done for mankind.  He understood that we would grow confused about who He is and about what this life is about.   He knew our minds were not capable of embracing His truth without seeing it and hearing it first-hand.  He sent His Son, Jesus, to say, "I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life"....follow me and I will lead you out of this life and into the next.  (John 10:1-18)

"He who testifies about these things says...."

Believe the testimony of Jesus.  Read the Bible and hear His words to us.  He came for us.  He is coming again for us.  Believe in His name and be saved....for He is coming soon.

Look unto me, and be ye saved , all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. Isaiah 45:22


He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16:16

But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.  Acts 15:11

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.  Acts 16:31

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved .  Romans 10:9

Day 3 - Verse 99 - "He who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20

The sun comes up

It's a new day dawning

It's time to sing Your song again

Whatever may pass

And whatever lies before me

Let me be singing

When the evening comes

Bless the Lord oh my soul

Oh my soul

Worship His Holy name

Sing like never before

 Oh my soul

I'll worship Your Holy name

Matt Redman - 10,000 Reasons (Bless The Lord) 

Just as quickly as the night changes to morning (I wondered again as I looked out of my kitchen window this morning, can you ever catch that exact moment?), our world will change from one of darkness to eternal light with the coming of our Lord Jesus.  

On that glorious day, it will truly be time to sing like never before!  For we will never see the darkness of evening again...we will live in His eternal presence and light.

Oh, bless the Lord!  Worship His Holy name!  He has made all things new while He also is the Alpha and the Omega!  God truly is everything!  And all things will praise His name forevermore.

It really does take your breath away when you let it sink in, doesn't it?  God, who has been forever, who is the Creator of all, longs for us...created this realm of time for us...and has planned from the beginning of time a place where we will live with Him, forever.  Bless the Lord, oh my soul!

Coincidentally, I read Isaiah 40:28 the other morning and talked about it with Robert (husband)...

Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

I love the way Isaiah phrases his testimony...it's like he's saying, "Of course you know...of course you've heard....REMEMBER!"  We know that God is everlasting...that HE is the Creator of all that we know and see...and that He will never wear out, will never give up on us, and has wisdom and knowledge that we cannot even begin to comprehend.  

I said, "coincidentally", because the very next day my darling 9 year old granddaughter, Genevieve, texted me this same verse.  Since she moved to Kansas City eight months ago, we have had a habit of texting each other Bible verses that we read and want to share with each other.  I loved that God was speaking His same words of reassurance to both of us at the same time in our lives.  

His words of reassurance can ring in all of our ears..."Do you not know?"  Yes, we know!  "Have you not heard?"  Oh yes, Lord, we have heard!  You are great, you are mighty, and YOU ARE COMING QUICKLY!

Bless the Lord, oh my soul...whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing....

WHEN HE COMES!

Day 2 - Verse 99 - "He who testifies about these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen! Come Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20

Jesus is our Promiser --- He promises His return!  Three times in Revelation He makes this same promise, in verses 7, 12, and here in 20.  "Look, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he one who keeps the prophetic words of this book...Look! I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me...Yes, I am coming quickly!"

When the Bible states something in threes it is a point of emphasis.  Jesus wants us to hear His promise and know deep within us that it is true and sure...He IS coming soon!

Robert Morgan states, "The immediate response of John in verse 20 was "Amen!" This is a term of agreement, meaning, "so be it!"  Then John offered the Bible's concluding prayer, "Come, Lord Jesus!" This is the equivalent of the Aramaic term Maranatha.  It's a prayer for us to repeat frequently  What a tragedy that Christians seldom pray specifically for the Lord to return.  Let's start including Maranatha in our prayer vocabulary."

Join with me today in praying for Christ's return, praying that His church will be prepared for Him like a bride waiting for her bridegroom, praying that He will find us faithful and anxiously awaiting His arrival!  Pray that every person that is to hear His Word hears it soon and that we take seriously the responsibility of proclaiming His coming...both His first arrival as a baby, teacher, suffering servant, Son of Man, crucified Son of God and risen Savior, and His second as our victorious King and Lord of Lords!

Every day we are given here on this earth is a day of opportunity to share Jesus' promise...every morning that we see dawning could bring with it the day of Jesus' return.  "Come, Lord Jesus!" Maranatha!

We need to review our last set of verses of the Alpha and Omega...starting with Isaiah 9:6 and going through Revelation 22:20....

Isaiah 9:6  "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be on His shoulders.  And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,The mighty God, The eternal Father, The Prince of Peace."

Luke 2:10   "But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people.' "

Luke 2:11  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

Luke 2:12  "This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in a cloth and lying in a manger."

Acts 1:11 "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven?  This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven."

Revelation 21:1  "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer."

Revelation 21:2 "I also saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband."

Revelation 22:20 "He who testifies to these things say, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"

Day 1 - Verse 99 - "He who testifies about these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20

What can you say about this next to the last verse of all of Holy Scripture?  The final verse adds John's benediction, "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen."  So the very last things that Jesus leaves us with (as He is the one testifying to John throughout the book of Revelation) is to remember that He is coming, and coming quickly.  And John's response is, "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"

First, do we still truly believe that Jesus is coming, or have we fallen into a state of semi-disbelief, and join in with the scoffers that are described in 2 Peter,  "Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” 2 Peter 3:3

It is easy to listen to those who say that the world has been going on for a kajillion billion years and that it will continue on for another kajillion billion years, if we take good enough care of it.  Biblical truth tells us that our earth was created for a specific purpose, and once that purpose has been served, it will cease to be and will be replaced with God's perfect new earth as we learned in Revelation 21:1. One of the reasons that I do not believe the earth is as old as secular scientists claim is that it takes away from the truth that the earth was created for a finite time...it had a beginning and it will have an end.  But secular scoffers see the world through a different view, and that everything we see here and now will continue on through the ages, with no end in sight.

We, as Christians, need to hold fast onto the truth that Jesus proclaims in His parting sentence to John, and to us.  "Yes, I AM coming quickly!"  Jesus IS coming.  Just because He hasn't made His reappearance in the past 2,000 years, does not mean that He will not return.  He will come at the precise moment His Father gives Him the nod, and not a moment sooner.  "Now concerning that day and hour no one knows-neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son -except the Father only." Matthew 24:36

Remember that our ways are not God's ways and our thoughts not His, and that a thousand years to us, is like a day unto the Lord.  (Isaiah 55:8 and 2 Peter 3:8)  So let us not grow weary, and let us not give up our hope...Jesus IS coming again, and if He said quickly to John, then we are 2,000 years closer to His soon return!

Second, do we respond as John did to Jesus' pronouncement of His return?  "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!" or have we grown so comfortable in this world, that we are not anxious for Jesus to come and transport us to the next?  Would we be disappointed that our earthly plans have been upset?  Have we grown comfortable living in ways which would cause us shame if Jesus returned right now?  If we looked up into the sky today and saw Jesus descending from the clouds, on a white horse of glory, would we run toward Him or run the other way to try to hide ourselves from His judgment?

John's response shows no hesitancy...he is ready!  This is a good tool for self-examination of our spiritual lives.  How do you respond to Christ's proclamation that He is coming quickly?  Are you ready?  Have you embraced Him as your Savior and asked for His blood to cleanse you from all your unrighteousness?  Are you living in a way that proclaims that truth in your life...living to bring God glory in response to His graciousness to you?

Jesus is coming, He is coming quickly.  Let the church be ready...as a bride ready for her bridegroom!

Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  Revelation 19:7

Day 4 - Verse 98 - "Then I saw the Holy City, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Revelation 21:2

This morning as I read this verse one more time (after repeating it in my head throughout this past week), I couldn't help but say, "Jerusalem! Jerusalem!" and the "Holy City Hymn" by Frederick Weatherly started resounding in my mind.  I looked up the lyrics and read through the last verse...this is where Weatherly depicts the Jerusalem that John saw in his vision:

And once again the scene was chang'd

New earth there seem'd to be,

I saw the Holy City

Beside the tideless sea

The light of god was on its streets

The gates were open wide,

And all who would might enter

And no one was denied.

No need of moon or stars by night,

Or sun to shine by day,

It was the new Jerusalem

That would not pass away

"Jerusalem! Jerusalem

Sing for the night is o'er

Hosanna in the highest

Hosanna for evermore!"

Jerusalem! Jerusalem, sing for the night is o'er!  Jerusalem has held such a special place in God's history of our world.  It IS His Holy City and will be restored as His crown jewel in the new earth when it comes down from heaven, from God Himself.  

I often think that if I were an atheist, just the course of world events over the past 60 years would cause me to stop and ponder!  Why, for almost 2,000 years did the Middle East, the area of mankind's origin according to the Bible, lie in almost total obscurity, and then in the mid- to latter part of the 20th century rise to become the center of the world's attention?  Why was Israel, a nation obliterated and its people scattered throughout the world, able to be resurrected into a nation in 1948, retaining its own native language, something that's never before happened?  Why, now, in 2016, is the United Nations sanctioning Israel, above all of the other world's nations including North Korea and Iran, five times over for human rights violations?  

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

"He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."  Isaiah 11:12

"Then say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all around, and bring them to their own land."

Ezekiel 37:21

"O God, do not keep silence; do not hold your peace or be still, O God! For behold, your enemies make an uproar; those who hate you have raised their heads. They lay crafty plans against your people; they consult together against your treasured ones. They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” For they conspire with one accord; against you they make a covenant— ..."  Psalm 83:1-18

The reason, for me, is clear to see.  It is God's plan being fulfilled.  We get to witness these things after the fact and compare them to Biblical prophecy and realize that our God is faithful and true, and the Bible holds up in all of its knowledge of things to come.  

But, in the end...in the end of this old earth story...Jerusalem is glorious!  And as Weatherly's song suggests, I believe we will go in and out freely to enjoy its beauty and its radiance.  For then it will have become truly God's Holy City...a city as we've never seen before!  

Hosanna in the highest! Hosanna for evermore!