The Open Door

“After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” (Revelation 4:1)

Let’s begin our journey through Revelation chapter 4. Remember as you are reading that this was a real event that occurred in John’s life. One day, this real human being, just like you and me, was going about his business and suddenly... a door standing open in heaven.

Have you ever stopped to think about this? What might it look like if you were having your devotional time and looked up and there in front of you was a door opening to heaven? Again, this experience was recorded in the bible for our benefit. It’s not just a weird story!

What does it mean that there was an open door? When a door is open, you are able to go through it, to get from one room to another. As I write this, I am struck at the thought that God would invite us to meet with Him! Maybe we won’t all have experiences to the degree that John did, but He does invite each of us to meet Him directly. Jesus, the perfect Son of God gave Himself that this door could be opened for us. He suffered more in one day than any human being ever- and He did it voluntarily.

Do you see how, in meditation, one thing leads to another? When we meditate on a verse of scripture, that verse itself becomes an open door to other insight, wisdom and revelation from other parts of the word. God has opened the door for us- He’s just waiting for us to go through. He will meet us on the other side. Meditation is the key.

“Father, help me to meditate deeply on Your word. Open the eyes of my heart to see and understand more of Who You are. Thank You for opening the door for me to enter in to your presence.”

(Coming soon: How to meditate on the word of God using your mind, body, heart and spirit)

Really Good Post!

“The path of the just is like the shining sun, that gets ever brighter unto the perfect day.” (Proverbs 4:19)

When was the last time you went for a drive not knowing where you were headed? Very seldom do any of us start our cars and begin to drive with only a vague sense of where we would like to go. It would be silly, a waste of gas and time. Most of us don’t even step outside our front door without a clear plan for where we want or need to go. I’ve tried going out without a clear purpose and plan. It seldom ends well. I usually spend time and money on things I never intended to spend time and money on! Perhaps you’ve been there, too. (I’m not talking about a leisurely drive on a day off, or an evening spent relaxing with friends. If you go for drives randomly for fun, more power to you.)

I want to humbly submit to you that, though we wouldn’t drive our car this way, this is the way many of us live our lives. We have a vague sense of the calling of God, but we do not have any real clarity. We know we are meant to expand His kingdom, to love Him with all our hearts, and that’s about it. Yes, we should have the simple life vision of loving God first and also our neighbor (see Matthew 22:36-40), but the Holy Spirit wants to give us clarity on how to walk that out.

People that have positions of influence in society attained success because they had a vision and pursued it passionately. It’s awfully hard to pursue anything with passion if we are constantly wondering whether this is God’s will for our lives. Thus, the high places of influence have gone to many who don’t care what God’s will is, because we, the people who want to follow God, are wandering in circles wondering what God wants us to do with our lives! This has left a vacuum of godly leadership in our society.

Ok, so why use time and space in a devotional to write about unrighteous leadership in society? The truth is that God wants you to have influence in your sphere. God wants you to affect the people around you as a beacon of light in this dark world. He even wants to expand your influence in ways you probably haven't even thought of. To do that, you must gain increasing clarity on your life’s purpose. You must walk in the light of His direction for your life. He wants to give you a sense of purpose, peace, hope and clarity for your life.

If you feel like you have been going in circles, like you’ve been driving your car aimlessly around the neighborhood, it’s time for the Holy Spirit to meet you with supernatural wisdom and clarity. If you want more understanding of God’s plan for your life, pray this prayer with me, based on Ephesians 1:17-19: “Father, grant me wisdom and revelation about the calling You have for my life. Thank You that I have a purpose and a destiny greater than I can comprehend with my natural mind. Thank You that the past is behind me and that my future is bright. Teach me to live a purposeful, focused life that I might be a righteous influence on those around me. Amen.”

Revelation 1-3

In the coming days, we will be exploring the throne room of God in Revelation 4 and 5. To prepare for that, please take a few minutes and read through chapters 1-3, especially if you are unfamiliar with the setting of the Book of Revelation. Go ahead, I’ll wait until you are done. (If you don’t have a bible on hand, go on over to www.biblegateway.com to find the text)

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Great! Now you know that John has been exiled to a prison island called Patmos for his witness for Christ. And you know that the Risen Christ has appeared to him and instructed him to write a book detailing the visions he is about to have. John then plays secretary as the Lord Himself dictates to him seven letters to be sent to the seven Asian churches.

As you read those chapters, take your time and imagine what is happening. Visualize the interaction between John and the Lord. Do you realize this really happened? John really heard a voice behind him, then turned to see the glorified Son of God standing in the midst of seven lampstands. John really saw the eyes of Jesus, burning like fire. His face was like the sun shining in all its strength (see Revelation 1:10-16). Jesus is ablaze with passion for His people and His face is blindingly bright! His very presence is overwhelming, as it caused John to fall like a dead man (see 1:17). (And you know what? If you are a believer, that same Risen Christ is with you and in you right now! Thank You Jesus, that You are with me! Let Your presence be tangible for me today, just like it was for John!)

The description is here for us because we are meant to get a picture of the Lord. He wants us to see Him! This was not just for John. Many of us have asked the Lord for a clear picture of who He is. Many of us have wanted to encounter Jesus. The Word of God is our invitation to encounter Him. We can deliberately purpose to see Him by imagining scenes like this, as recorded in the bible. Do not be afraid to use your imagination! The Lord gave us a mind for a reason. The Holy Spirit will be faithful to guide you and guard you against deception, if you will ask Him for help. Take chapter 1 and think on each verse. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you Jesus, and He will! It may not be very clear at first, but if you will practice this over the coming weeks, months, and years, you will begin to see more and more vividly. Remember...

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

"Father, open my eyes to see Jesus through Your word. I want to know Him better today than I did yesterday, but not as well as I will tomorrow. Change me into Your image as I see You more and more. Amen."  

The Beauty of His House

“How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!

My soul longs, yes even faints for the courts of the LORD; My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” (Psalm 84:1, 2)

The place where God dwells is lovely! His house is beautiful. The psalmist in our text is overcome with longing to be in the house of God. In the Old Covenant, this spoke of a longing to go to the Tabernacle of David and meet with God. The Tabernacle was a physical place where the LORD was worshipped day and night, incessantly. The psalmist calls this place lovely.

The earthly house of David was merely a shadow of the eternal, heavenly house of God. We know from Scripture that the Lord dwells within His people (1 Corinthians 6:19), in the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3), and in heaven. Each of these truths calls us to meditate upon them, for they are wonderful and life-transforming. Today, I want to invite you to meditate (think about, mull over, talk about) His heavenly house.

How do we do that, when we can’t see heaven? Well, the answer is, we can see heaven! God has put in His Word for us descriptions of heaven that we are meant to read and understand. The Holy Spirit will enlighten our eyes (Ephesians 1:18) to see what His dwelling place looks like. Revelation 4 and 5 give us the clearest, most vivid description of heaven, particularly the throne room of God, in the entire Bible. I have personally read these chapters a hundred or more times in my Christian experience and I can tell you firsthand that this practice has helped me to meet with God more consistently and to have more revelation of who He is and my calling in light of that.

Today, simply ask the Lord to show you heaven. Then, read Revelation 4 and 5 and receive the answer to your prayer. In the coming days, we will be exploring these two glorious chapters, verse by verse. Together, we will experience the life-changing power of beholding God!

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into that same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)                                        

Embracing Humility

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;

Pride and arrogance and the evil way

And the perverse mouth I hate.” (Proverbs 8:13)

A sober fear of God is a massive part of walking in simple devotion to Jesus. Jesus Himself delighted in the fear of the LORD (See Isaiah 11:1-3). In our text for today, Wisdom speaks and defines one way in which the fear of God is manifested- “to hate evil”. Further, we are told that pride and arrogance are evil in themselves.

We don’t often think of pride as being a cardinal sin, but it is. In recent years, we’ve seen pastors of large churches and leaders of large ministries lose their positions of leadership because of adultery, lack of financial integrity, or worse. But when was the last time a pastor resigned because of pride in his heart? I’m not saying that never happens; I just haven’t heard of it.

The point is- pride is evil. So much so that God even stands against those who are proud. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6) Do you want to be opposed by the LORD of hosts Himself? Great! Then just walk in pride! I would rather have Him on my side. I want His grace empowering me to be successful in that which He has called me to. I want His grace to live a righteous life, to love my family, to prosper in business, and to advance His kingdom in my city. Thus, my commitment is to humbly submit the areas of struggle in my life to His correction. I will not hide in darkness. I will not pretend to have it all together in public while struggling in private.

Is there something in your life that you have not allowed the Lord to touch? Are you trying to overcome in your own strength? Remember, God’s promise is to give you grace if you will humble yourself. Today, let’s not pretend we’re perfect. This means allowing God, and others, into the hidden places of our hearts to receive His help.

“Father, help me today to walk in humility. I confess my need for Your grace to sustain me. Lord I invite You to inhabit each and every area of my life and each moment of my day. Amen”

Welcome to Simple Devotion!

Welcome, friend, to Simple Devotion! I'm honored that you stopped by my blog. The purpose of this site is to support the body of Christ in cultivating simple and pure devotion to Jesus. My intent is to post a short, devotional-style entry almost daily. My prayer is that these writings would help to impart a measure of the grace of God to you for your walk with the Lord.

Here is my mission for this blog, summed up in one verse:

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification (building up), that it may impart grace to the hearers." (Ephesians 4:29)

Feel free to use this site as part of your daily devotional time with the Lord. Posts should be up most days by 8AM Eastern. I welcome your feedback. Please keep it positive and make sure that any criticism is offered in a loving, constructive manner.

Richest blessings to you today,
Mark