Pastor Mary Haley

June 14, 2022

Intro: Seems like every day I am praying for wisdom either for myself or my spiritual family. Life requires godly wisdom, because the ways of the world are spiraling into a very foolish place. Please keep in mind the Bible describes a foolish person as an “unbeliever.” To be unwise is not to be intellectually limited. An unwise or foolish person just does not comprehend or believe the sovereign knowledge, authority, and power of God. Therefore, this person lives apart from God—against His commands, unable to comprehend the truth, or accept his or her sinful condition due to the law of sin and death (Ro 8:1-2).

As believers, we are to make the most of our time on earth as we serve our King and His Kingdom. We are to live wisely which means to live according to God’s purposes for redemption and worship—oneness with God. When we invest our time and energy into learning the Word of God, we begin to discern its value and receive its power to bring salvation. Our recognition of God’s power to draw us to Himself and grow spiritual life in us, will lead us into genuine worship and blessing. For this reason, the enemy uses deception as a way to encourage people to self-destruct.

Drunkenness is a waste of spiritual resources. However, it is more than drunkenness that Paul warns about in our passage, today; it’s debauchery. According to history, drunken orgies were associated with the pagan worship of the ancient god Bacchus; many believed they communed with spiritual deities during these sinful times. Paul basically identifies the spirits associated with these orgies as demonic and warns the Ephesians to choose to live under the influence of the Holy Spirit instead. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus makes a similar warning about false prophets, deception, and lawlessness (24:11-12). That means when we know there is sin [lawlessness] in our lives, we must choose to embrace humility before God, confess and repent of sin [die to self], and surrender to the will and power of the Almighty. To live in harmony with the Holy Spirit is be filled with gratitude for our salvation in Christ; a rescue for our souls. So, continually be filled with the Holy Spirit, today.

Ephesians 5:15-20 Living by the Spirit’s Power
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, every day Your children make choices that either lead us forward in our worship of You or farther away. So, help me to welcome the influence of the Holy Spirit in making me spiritually vibrant. May my choices today bring me closer to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Our passage today, is a continuation from our reading from yesterday. If you missed that devotional, please take time to read Galatians 5:16-25 before proceeding. When believers walk in the Spirit [guided] and remain filled with the Spirit [abiding in fellowship or oneness] the evidence of that relationship with God is revealed in the fruit of the Spirit that is produced in our individual lives. Fruit is the revelation of the believer’s faithfulness to the gospel promise. Believers are called to live in spiritual and moral excellence based on the Word of God; in this way we take a relevant biblical truth and make it a personal truth. Please don’t use our culture as a marker to govern your life; use the Word of God because it is the Spirit’s work to exalt the Word in our lives.

Sowing and reaping are true spiritual principles; but, sowing and reaping are also revealed in the laws of nature. A sweet friend of mine sent me a picture of her flourishing garden, yesterday, and it is clear that what she sowed into the soil was growing and will in time bring a harvest of good things. The same principle is true in the spiritual realm. When we sow to the Spirit, in time we will reap or harvest spiritual fruit. When we sow to our flesh, in time we will reap a harvest from our fallen flesh. Quite frankly, this law reflects the judgment of God who commands us [for our well-being] to sow to the Spirit. We should be quick to resist sowing to our fallen flesh, because we know evil hides in it. When evil is left unchecked—when we do not allow the Spirit to liberate us from sin—our condition to rebel against God just worsens. Our flesh gets stronger, because we have rejected the loving work of the Spirit within us.

This Sunday we celebrate Pentecost—a Greek term meaning The Feast of Weeks. Pentecost is significant in both the Old Testament, as well as the New Testament. In the Old Testament, seven weeks after Passover, the Feast of Weeks celebrated the end of the wheat reaping season when people brought the first fruits of that harvest to God. This feast foreshadows the coming of Messiah and His ministry. Every feast is symbolic of an important aspect of God’s plan of redemption through Jesus. In the New Testament, Christ’s last words of instruction to his disciples before he ascended to heaven was for them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). Jesus sowed into the Spirit, so we could all reap a harvest from the Fruit of the Spirit. As Christ foretold, the Holy Spirit descended as tongues of fire at Pentecost to fill the disciples with power from heaven (Acts 2:1-3). The Spirit is producing a harvest in us now according to the New Covenant. “In the last days God says, I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. “In those days, ‘I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike—and they will prophesy” or release messages from God’s Word (Acts 12:17-18).

I hope we all realize the life Jesus died to bring us is the highest quality and most abundant life we can experience while we live in this fallen world (John 10:10). Don’t be dominated by your emotions or attachments to what God calls sinful desires. Live in the New Covenant promise and bear the Fruit of the Spirit. If God calls you out of sin, it is because he has something so much better for you. Trust him, because God is Good! Have a blessed weekend…

Galatians 6:7-10 NLT
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the work of the Holy Spirit to help us produce righteous fruit. You are the First fruits offering, Jesus, and we thank you for sowing yourself into the lives of every believer. We are the first fruits of the Spirit and our lives are an offering to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: In his letter to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul responds to false teachers in order to defend the authority of the gospel. The church in Galatia—occupied by law abiding Jews and Gentiles—is experiencing confusion and controversy. These Galatian believers are struggling to identify the difference between adherence to the religious law [legalism], being lead by their flesh, or being guided by the Holy Spirit into the liberating new life—faith in the gospel—made available by Jesus the Christ.

When Jesus broke through time and space to come to earth, the good news [gospel] announced the arrival of the kingdom of God. By the time the epistles were written, the gospel was revealed as faith in Jesus and what he came to accomplish with his life in order to grow God’s people for the kingdom. Jesus did not come to gather a group of polished religious performers; he came to take upon himself the judgment of God for the death penalty of sin, make believers right with God, and through faith set disciples free from sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Preceding our passage for today, the Apostle Paul has clarified the religious law cannot save anyone and that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone. Moving in faith by obeying the Word of God, as well as bringing a desire to please God and hear from the Holy Spirit is the right start to appropriating God’s power for overcoming sin. We need to walk with the Spirit and that requires continuous action as we obey the Word; this is how we live in the Spirit’s power.

As human beings with a fallen nature, we have conflicting forces working within us. We have the Holy Spirit who desires to help produce righteousness in our lives and it is in conflict with our flesh [human nature w/emotions] most of the time. These two forces are not equal in power. God’s power is supreme, but because God has given humanity free will, we can diminish the Spirit’s work in our lives when we give our demanding flesh authority. We can grieve the Holy Spirit when we do not desire his wisdom or hunger for righteous things. Living by the Spirit’s power is how we continue to crucify our flesh in this spiritual battle. Paul lets us know the kind of sin our flesh wants to produce in our lives. Overcoming sin is not something done to the believer but by the believer in the Spirit’s power—we choose to put to death the will of our sinful nature. We, too, have to make up our minds as to who will rule our lives. Praise God his grace is sufficient and his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor 12:19).

Galatians 5:16-25 NLT Living by the Spirit’s Power
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. 17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. 18 But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the law of Moses.

19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, 21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. 25 Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for giving believers the Helper for the spiritual battle we face each day with our flesh. Help me to pick up my cross and put to death any sinful desire that tries to take authority over your Word. I know each time I deny myself, I am closer to you and the life you have given me to live. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Rumors are everywhere; talk and opinions widely disseminated with no discernible source of truth. A rumor is basically gossip and the Bible warns against engaging in it (Pro 18:6-7). And, those who even listen knowing information is gossip then turn to pass it on are described as low in character (Pro 17:4).

Words can build up a person or tear him or her down; life and death is in the power of the tongue (Pro 18:21). Therefore, rumors are not harmless; a simple “oops,” “I’ll retract it later,” or “I’m sorry” doesn’t change the damage that has been done. Strangely our sinful nature likes sharing info that gets us a level of attention, but believers have the responsibility to speak wisdom and truth if we are going to open our mouths.

In our passage today, rumors have been circulating about the true identity of Jesus. Jesus listens to the disinformation and rumors, but spends no time responding to any of it. Instead, he turns to his disciples and asks a much more important question, “But, who do you say I am?”

This is the same question Jesus places before every human who hears about him; we will be judged by our answer. We actually answer Jesus’ question by how we live our lives every day. Do we honor and love God wholeheartedly? Do we look for the power to love our neighbors…even the difficult ones? If we really believe Jesus is the Anointed One, we will be confident in his ability and love to bring redemption, refreshment, resources, and restoration to everyone who wants to know the heart of God and live for his purpose. We will not doubt his sovereignty, authority, or power, because he has promised to be what we lack. Believers will declare Jesus is the Savior and the ruler of heaven and earth. Jesus is the Anointed One—he has the power to accomplish every task; therefore, we must stay connected to him. Peter declares the truth about Jesus. What do you say?

Luke 9:18-20 (NLT) Peter’s Declaration about Jesus
18 One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

19 “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.”
20 Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”

Peter replied, “You are the Messiah [the Anointed One] sent from God!”

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the anointing of your Spirit who empowers believers to know you, receive your revelation for life, so we can speak the Truth in love to others. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: According to Scripture, the “heart” is defined as the core of one’s life; one’s entire emotional nature and understanding. The “heart” is the center of spiritual activity, but it is also at the core of operations in human life. Because of sin, broken and estranged is the human state of the “heart” apart from the restorative work of Jesus the Christ [Savior]. The “heart” is deceitful, desperately wicked, and [without God] is beyond cure [Jer 17:9]. That is why we must repent from evil and turn to obey, apply, and hide the Word of God in our “hearts” [Ps 119:11]. The Word helps us guard our “hearts,” because everything we do flows from it [Prov 4:23].

As a nation, we mourn the loss of 21 human beings killed on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. What caused this young man to rob, kill, and destroy these lives? According to Scripture, the underlying truth is deception and evil hiding in the “heart.” Sure, there may be more details about this mass killing that will be uncovered, but the fundamental issue that motivated this act is found in the godless state of the human “heart.”

In our passage today, the angel of the Lord speaks to the Apostle John who is reminding us the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly for his Church. For the people of God, we are to have no other gods but the Most High (Ex 20:3-5). We are to be loving God with all our hearts, soul [personality], and minds (Mat 22:37). May believers worldwide stay focused on obeying the Word and worshiping Yahweh as we proclaim now is the time to find salvation in Christ. We are beginning to experience a harvest of the “hearts.” If you have never done so, please invite Jesus into your heart…

Revelation 22:6-9 NLT
6 Then the angel said to me, “Everything you have heard and seen is trustworthy and true. The Lord God, who inspires his prophets, has sent his angel to tell his servants what will happen soon [suddenly].”

Jesus Is Coming
7 “Look, I am coming soon [suddenly]! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book [scroll].”
8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw all these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me. 9 But he said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

Prayer of Salvation: Lord, I confess my sin against the authority of your Word and ask for you to forgive me. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Holy Spirit take control of my life and walk with me each day. I want to taste your goodness and see the salvation of my mind, will, and emotions. Take the broken places and heal me with your perfect love. Help me to tell others about your gift of salvation in Christ. I worship you Almighty God; there is none like you! In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: Before we dig into our passage for today, we need to remember after Jesus’ resurrection he spent 40 days [revealing the spiritual truth of his living presence] with his disciples as he traveled around Galilee and back to Jerusalem. During this time, Jesus continues to manifest his supernatural power by revealing himself to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus [Lu 24:13-32], suddenly appearing in rooms behind locked doors to more disciples [Jo 20:19], providing proof to Thomas a doubting disciple [Jo 20:27-28], initiating a miraculous catch of fish to seven disciples [Jo 21:6], restoring the disciple Peter from broken fellowship [Jo 21:15-17], and appearing to some 500 people to share about God’s forgiveness of sin by his sacrifice [1 Co 15:6]. Everything Jesus said and did, during this time, has been to assure all of his disciples that he is the fulfillment of the Old Testament [Tanakh] sacrificial system and the messianic prophecies—the manifested Truth.

In our passage today, before his ascension, Jesus opens the minds of his disciples so they can understand Scripture and the purpose of his life; to bring forgiveness of sins for all who repent” (Lu 24:47]. Before he leaves them, he wants them to have the wisdom to understand the steadfast love and faithfulness of God for salvation. Jesus wants them to be aware that evil and sin is what destroys life with God. Lastly, Jesus wants his disciples to anticipate the coming of the Holy Spirit who will bring the power to share this Good News. Jesus prepares and equips his disciples. He prepares and equips us to do likewise. God wants the world to hear and know the salvation he offers. Will you share in God’s faithfulness to tell those around you?

Luke 24:44-53 NLT
44 Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. 46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. 47 It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, [all people] beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ 48 You are witnesses of all these things.

49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”

The Ascension
50 Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. 52 So they worshiped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. 53 And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for preparing all believers and equipping us with the Holy Spirit and power. May we take your commission to share the Good News to heart and look each day for the opportunities that are provided. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Intro: In our passage today from the gospel of Luke, the newborn Jesus is taken to the temple and presented or consecrated to the Lord. This obedient act of Joseph and Mary fulfills the ceremonial law and is a public announcement that this baby belongs to God (Lev. 12:2-3). Jesus is approximately one month old at this time.

While the holy family is at the temple, first we meet Simeon—an elder and prophetic man of God. Simeon’s arrival to the temple is ordained and orchestrated by God who is planning a miraculous blessing for this righteous man. Simeon has been waiting a long time to witness the consolation of Israel—the coming of the Messiah to remove Israel’s sorrow and comfort the nation.

Can you imagine Simeon’s exuberant joy to the revelation that he is holding the Messiah? The One for whom he had waited years to arrive—the One who will set God’s people free from sin, evil, and error—rests in his old and weary arms. As Simeon holds his Savior, the peace of God fills his soul. He is overwhelmed by this honor.

Simeon bubbles over with a prophetic message for Joseph and Mary. I am sure the message is bittersweet to their hearing and understanding. Simeon shares a promise, as well as a warning. He prophesies that Jesus will have a different affect on the heart of people—he will be accepted by some and rejected by others. Jesus will be the target of evil, because he brings the message of life with God.

Next at the temple, we meet the widow Anna—a prophetess—who speaks the Word of God and proclaims the truth. Like Simeon, Anna hangs onto her hope to see the Messiah. God has arranged for Anna to be there, because she will now share the Good News and truth with others that the Redeemer has indeed arrived. The glorious Hope of the world has come to the rescue!

I find it inspiring these two elderly saints never loose their hope in the promises of God. If you have invited Christ into your heart and life, you have the Living Savior as your Friend and the Holy Spirit as your Companion. So, whatever is going on in your life, never forget the Savior now holds you in his mighty arms and he has promised to deliver you into his eternal goodness. He has come to rescue you from sin, evil, and error, as well as give you eternal hope!

Luke 2:25-38 NLT The Prophecy of Simeon
25 At that time there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel. The Holy Spirit was upon him 26 and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 That day the Spirit led him to the Temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus to the Lord as the law required, 28 Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms and praised God, saying,
29 
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
    as you have promised.
30 
I have seen your salvation,
31 
    which you have prepared for all people.
32 
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
    and he is the glory of your people Israel!”

33 Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. 35 As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”

The Prophecy of Anna
36 Anna, a prophet, was also there in the Temple. She was the daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher, and she was very old. Her husband died when they had been married only seven years. 37 Then she lived as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the Temple but stayed there day and night, worshiping God with fasting and prayer. 38 She came along just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph, and she began praising God. She talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem.

Prayer: Lord, I know I hold you in my heart, but a greater reality is that you hold me in your righteous arms and actually invite me to dwell in your holy heart. Thank you for loving me and giving me the right to use your name, Jesus! Amen.

Intro: Scripture often speaks to the eternal majesty or glory of God. All glory is of God and is manifest through his perfect character and attributes. God created all things for his glory (Is. 43:7). As I look out the window by my desk this morning, I notice the beautiful sun rising, the gentle breeze blowing, the palm trees swaying rhythmically to the wind, the birds singing, and the sounds of created life stirring around me. These things are not God, but all things find their source in him; in his glory. How precious is the love of God for us to allow his creation to experience his glorious attributes in tangible ways such as these?

According to Psalm 8:5, human beings were made in the image of God and crowned with his glory. Sin robbed the glory, but Jesus came to restore our connection to God, so we may once again behold the glory of God. Despite the many ways humanity may disappoint or reject God, he is still concerned for all of his creation; all of it belongs to God. He remains faithful even when we are not. If you struggle to understand your worth to God, I want you to think about the divine glory made available to you today in Christ. The glory of the sovereign Lord is restored to whosoever will by faith receive salvation in Jesus the Christ. As a redeemed son or daughter you have new life in the glory of God. So, our challenge is to move beyond our flesh and live revealing and releasing the glory of God’s presence in us.

What is the believers daily response to God’s glory? According to Scripture, the answer is confession, worship, and praise. When we confess our sin, we are recognizing the righteousness and justice of God to whom all creation is accountable. When we worship God with our lives, we are revealing the importance we place on our relationship with God by demonstrating honor and obedience to him. And, when we praise we are giving weight to the faith we have in God’s glorious goodness to perfectly care for his own.

My friends, if we are honest, we have all sinned by exchanging the glory of the eternal God for the favor of temporal human beings. This world, our nation, and communities have the invitation to connect in the glory of God. We make the choice based on our faith in who God has revealed himself to be in the Word. What God proclaims as sin, is simply the truth because he is holy and knows what aligns with his glory. What God proclaims as righteous is what we must embrace, because he has become our first Love. God is the eternal King ruling over his kingdom. So do not take the glory of God for granted. Humanity is but a vapor. We are here and have human life for a little while and then we vanish; but God is the Sovereign [supreme ruler] and nothing and no one is more powerful (James 4:14).

Psalm 93
1 
The Lord is king! He is robed in majesty.
    Indeed, the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength.
The world stands firm
    and cannot be shaken.
2 
Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial.
    You yourself are from the everlasting past.
3 
The floods have risen up, O Lord.
    The floods have roared like thunder;
    the floods have lifted their pounding waves.
4 
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
    mightier than the breakers on the shore—
    the Lord above is mightier than these!
5 
Your royal laws cannot be changed.
    Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for inviting me into your glorious presence. With your help, I will walk with unshakeable faith knowing you reign over all things and your promises are true. I confess my need for your forgiveness and I reach for your righteousness and strength in order to live for you. I worship and honor your position in my life; be exalted. I praise you for your faithful love extended to me. Throughout your creation, may your glory be manifest in your sons and daughters, today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

May 23, 2022

You may wonder how the passages are chosen each day for the devotionals, and the answer is that we follow the Lectionary. If you aren’t familiar with the Lectionary, it’s a guide (or layout) of scripture that can be used by Christians to understand the whole counsel of God, or the entire Word of God, and typically the guide is over a three-year cycle. Essentially, if you follow its selections, within three years, you will have gone through pretty much the entire Bible. Each day we are provided with an Old Testament passage, a passage from the prophets, and a New Testament passage and that is how we come to share with all of you.

So, as I share yet another passage from the Book of Revelation, I realize that this is becoming a common bi-weekly occurrence for me. If I am being completely honest, several months ago, if I had the choice, I would not have gravitated towards writing from Revelation. However, with each passing week, and as God has guided me to spend more and more time within this part of His Truth, I am growing closer to understanding His eternal love for all of creation.

In the Book of Revelation, we know that God is revealing to John what is to come; and just prior to today’s passage sin and evil will have been defeated, Satan will have been banished to hell, and everyone who sided with him, and rejected Christ, will also have gone straight to hell with him. Following the great judgement of chapter 20, God says to John, “Look, I am making everything new!” and He also tells him that “It is finished!” Some theologians believe this means that all of creation will be destroyed and re-created, while others believe that God will renew (or re-condition) existing creation.

Regardless of how God chooses to conclude this sinful earth, I see today’s passage as a clear roadmap for you and me that we need to be following right now. See, verses 6 and 7 tell us who will be filling up heaven, and verse 8 tells us who will be filling up hell. So, if you’ve ever asked yourself the question, “who will be in heaven and who will be going to hell”, God clearly tells us in today’s passage. Every single one of us has either thought or talked about “what happens when we die.” Well, my friends, God tells us what happens when we die in verses 6 through 8, and so we must be thirsty to return to our Creator, God, in heaven. God is very clear that we must NOT be fearful (cowardly), lack in faith (have unbelief), dishonest (or corrupt), sinful against others (by murdering with our thoughts, words, actions, or unforgiveness), immoral, follow the wicked ways of the world, idolize anything other than God (like people, things, places, emotions, etc.), or be a liar.

Revelation 21:5-8 NLT

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Prayer: Father, thank You for leaving a roadmap for us so we know what we need to do in order to be able to return Home to You. Please help us, Father, to do, say, and act in ways that are pleasing to You. Strengthen us to steer away from sin. We want to keep growing closer to You. We ask this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.