And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.

‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

After the beautiful account of all creation including formation of man to have dominion over everything except for one solitary treeAdam reveals our fatal flaw.

Free will to choose was intended for choosing to worship the Creator, not our own curiosity.

And so it began. The story of my life, and yours.

The first couple chapters of Genesis, so majestic and serene, suddenly were destined for chaos.

Human curiosity is consequential, as full of hope and wonder as it is rife with strife and pain.

To know more is not a sin. To not heed the one warning of your own maker is. And if I might add ironically, we know better.

Curiosity has resulted in amazing inventions. But as a toddler tests the warning of a parent, the consequences of not listening can become a self-inflicted nightmare.

Obedience to God is an outcome of worship and the only safe place in this fallen world.

And because of Jesus, when that obedience goes off-road, God returns us back to his original plan where we can once again thrive and flourish and most of all, obey.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭21‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

and

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 ‭NIV‬‬

The book of Revelation ends with a final appeal of his ‘free gift’ ‘without cost’ available for the taking.

The hidden cost, however, is priceless: live life as was originally intended, forgiven when we don’t, and God-fearing. Not fear as we fear today—of powerfully evil things— but a fear that acknowledges and regards the awesomeness of our creator.

Every living thing thirsts.

A sip of his living water satisfies the soul and is the last drink we will ever desire or need.

Thirst is a drive that demonstrates our dependence and the humility of humanity in desperate need, seeking a God who satisfies the soul.

Parched, thirsty people, come.

They will wage war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will triumph over them because he is Lord of Lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭17‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This prophetic war is against Jesus alone in these end times. We are not enemy #1.

Though we feel attacked, we understand our battle is not against flesh and blood, it’s entirely within a spiritual dimension. We are just collateral damage in the way.

Privileged to witness this war from a redeemed perspective vanquishes our fears.

So when you endure attacks from the opposition, it’s not personal. We are mere casualties in a fight on a realm beyond our human experience or comprehension.

‘Do not fear’ appears 365 times in the Bible, each to soothe us against uncertain times.

Called.
Chosen.
Faithful.

These are what you are.
These are essentials of your redemption.

Be strong and courageous, my friend.

One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast. People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like the beast? Who can wage war against it?

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Dragons? Beasts?

Parts of Revelation read like a Game of Thrones episode.

I’ve never seen the show but that’s how I imagine it goes.

The biggest difference is that symbolic or literal, the Revelation account paints a frightening reality.

All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭13‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We all worship something. A thing, a person, a habit, anything that we’ve placed in the way of our connection to the one living and true God, the very one who can save us from that barrier.

I’m an addict.

I’ve spent most of my adult life clearing garbage off my path that seeks to be an easy off-ramp. It’s a tiring, relentless task I take up daily for the promise of a day when I no longer need to.

This is worship.

What are your dragons and beasts that derail your journey along the way to the day God says to you, “Well done good and faithful servant.”

That, my friend, is your path of worship.

Then the dragon was enraged and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭12‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is not the end.

Though the enemy is angry, he retreats for a time to restrategize a new plan.

It’s no time to gloat at victory but to prepare for the many battles still ahead of us.

The enemy is a clever beast possessing relentless armies of those who grow stronger with defeat.

Your reprieve is at hand but the war is still on.

This is not the end.

Every 5th grader who has ever been has had to write a ‘compare and contrast’ essay to demonstrate comprehension of opposing views, their similarities and differences.

Revelation offers such scenarios for those who truly understand the assignment.

1. Therefore, “they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. ‘Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat down on them,’ nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; ‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’ ‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭7‬:‭15‬-‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

2. The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭9‬:‭20‬-‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This set of revelations presented for John to record asks if you are smarter than a 5th grader.

This book is full of comparisons between consequences of a life lived in devotion to God versus the persistent rebellion of humanity even in light of its penalty.

It’s hard to imagine someone who clearly and continuously makes choices in violation of divine law. But they exist and will continue to up until the very end.

Be smarter than a 5th grader.
Understand the assignment. 

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”

‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

‘Just enough’ is good for cream in your coffee, but not your commitment to Christ.

Straddling the fence that divides this world from the one to come is all too common but isn’t as safe a place as you may think.

Because that fence is owned by Satan.

All in.

If I believe Jesus is all of who he said he is, if I believe in an omnipotent God who spoke everything into existence, I’m compelled to believe there’s something more and better to come deserving of my percent right now.

Living ‘just enough’ is an option off the table and the dire warning of this passage.

Bold and clear about our calling, we either live life hot as fire or chill to taking spiritual risks in territories which, for the moment, seem scary and foreign.

In-between there is no identity.

Choose now which master you will serve. Go all in or go figure out your life until you are.

The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Few of us have ever known the experience of war, the feeling of victory afterwards, or the knowledge that no more battles
will need to be fought ever again.

But this is exactly where we are now. The battle rages, victory is a promise, and eternal peace will be ours. We will need no further protection.

To be able to drop our guard at rest within the temple of God will enlist us into the community of former warriors whose eternity is assured.

Faith is the hope for things unseen or yet realized. We endure wounds of this battle hanging on the promises of a God who reclaims his property and makes us new all because of our faithfulness.

Until then, the battles rage on against us.

Soldiers who survive are always those whose vision sees beyond the current circumstances and whose focus remains solely upon the prize of victory.

My friend, you got this. 

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

‭‭2 John‬ ‭1‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

and again…

I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

‭‭3 John‬ ‭1‬:‭13‬-‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Not the most spiritually significant verses but they illustrate that nothing possesses greater potential than a personal encounter.

In our day of emails, texts, video, and to an ever diminishing extent, even the phone call, it’s impossible to capture the entirety of the message.

Live and in person chats are rare prizes bestowed of true friendship.

The critical importance of John’s message longs to be shared within a human encounter.

Nobody ever got saved by a Zoom call or text message. Surrendering isn’t achieved by an email.

Whenever and wherever, a face to face meeting has always been the means of connection to God and to others.

Collectively, we’re gradually losing our connectivity and missing the beautiful part that makes us both relatable and human.