Pocket Thoughts - 10/24/25
God * has mercy and freely pardons those who turn to Him * rewards those who listen to Him with the richest of fare * has made an everlasting covenant of peace with His people.
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One of the purposes of Jesus the Good Shepherd was to seek “other sheep” who would be welcomed into His flock. This was a reference to Gentiles – anyone not born into the Jewish family line. This didn’t sit well at all with the Jewish religious leaders, but their opposition didn’t change the mission of Jesus. He came to lay down His life for all who would place their faith and trust in Him – Jew and Gentile alike. We naturally build fences to separate ourselves from those who are different from us. Jesus came to build bridges to give all the opportunity to come to Him. Let us, as His dearly loved children, be about building bridges so that more precious sheep may become a part of His flock. – TV
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The events following the blasts of the first four trumpets in Revelation 8 devastate one-third of nature. But a long eagle soaring through the air cries out a warning of what’s yet to come with the sounding of the next three trumpets. From his vantage point in the sky, he foretells of God’s restraint lifted and of the terrors to come. Certainly, descriptions of God’s judgment and the battle against evil described in the book of Revelation aren’t for the faint of heart. But God’s mercy is present between the lines. Those who recognize God as the holy Ruler over all creation and who seek refuge and salvation through King Jesus as judgment falls will be saved. Tragically, even in the midst of terrible suffering, many will reject and hate the One Who would delight in their rescue. One can almost feel the depth of God’s sorrow in the eagle’s words: “Woe! Woe! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the trumpet blasts about to be sounded by the other three angels!” – TV
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The book of Esther is unique in that God’s name is never mentioned in the telling of this amazing story. Just as we’re unable to see the wind but can clearly see its power as it blows across the treetops, the power and providence of God are unmistakably evident as He orchestrates one event after another. His hand is in every detail, working for the salvation of His people. That’s true of your life as well. Whether or not you acknowledge God, His very involved activity in your life has one purpose – to draw you into relationship with Him. His Holy Spirit is calling to you in your circumstances. He desires to claim you as His own, to appoint you as partner in His kingdom work, and to prepare you for eternity in His holy, glorious presence. Let the wind of His Spirit blow over your soul and open your eyes to the greatest Love you can ever know. – TV
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Father, if I’ve idolized what You’ve made or whom You’ve sent into my life or what You’ve said to me, please forgive me. What I need, desire, thirst for, and crave is You Yourself. Those other things direct me, call me, point me to You, but they’re not You. Lord, may I sift through, discern, and peel away the signs and find my way to the Source. Make me relentless in my pursuit of You. In the beautiful Name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.
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“Let us beware lest we in our pride accept the erroneous notion that idolatry consists only in kneeling before visible objects of adoration, and that civilized peoples are therefore free from it. The essence of idolatry is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him. It begins in the mind and may be present where no overt act of worship has taken place…So necessary to the Church is the lofty notion of God that when that concept in any measure declines, the Church with her worship and her moral standards declines along with it. The first step down for any church is taken when it surrenders its high opinion of God.” – A.W. Tozer
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“Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” – Psalm 29:1-2
