I know your head probably popped off your pillow this Monday morning thinking about reading this devotional. You ran downstairs, made a cup of coffee, grabbed your well-worn Bible, and sat down in your favorite chair. Then you opened your email with anticipation because you would get to read about the letter to the church at Sardis. Well, I’m sorry to tell you that this week we are taking a step away from the book of Revelation.
The book of Revelation is one of the most hyperlinked books in the bible. That means every sentence has allusions to other biblical texts. It is a genre that requires study across the entire bible. The Daily writing team usually benefits from some of that study through the preacher preparing to preach the text we are writing on. Alex was on vacation this past week, and we did not have that benefit. The quantity of study that would have been required to write devotionals was too great to write about Revelation for you all.
In light of that fact, we have stepped away from Revelation while staying true to Alex’s goal for this series. The Revelation series is aimed at lifting our eyes and perspectives in a world that seems so out of control. This week, we will continue to do that through some of John’s other writings. We may or may not return to Revelation in future weeks, but our commitment, whether in Revelation or elsewhere, will be to fix our eyes on Jesus and his perspective of the world.
I leave you with one devotional thought for today. The nature of Revelation and its complexity has a lesson for us. The scriptures are a lifelong partner in your relationship with Jesus. They are designed by God’s Spirit to be lived in over the course of years. The Bible will challenge you, comfort you, confuse you, cause you fear and trepidation, and all together lead you to the person of Christ. Take a moment to thank God for the gift of his word. In his wisdom, he has given us a text that will never run dry.
by Aaron Bjorklund
