December 27, 2011

I am beginning to return to a more normal schedule following the great Christmas celebrations at church and with family. Today we head to St. Louis for a visit with David and Danelle. The weather will be very nice for the rest of the year, highs near 50 and sunny. I will run each day. Sunset is at 5:03 today, and gets a little later each night. Audrey gave me gardening tools, and I can already anticipate the warmth of spring. (Even though winter has essentially just begun!)

Revelation 18 – The Fall of Babylon

The single theme in this chapter is the fall of the great city Babylon. It is the greatest city ever, and its wealth will be gone suddenly. Many will mourn for its loss. “For your merchants were the greatest in the world, and you deceived the nations with your sorceries. In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.” (Verses 23b-24)

As I read this chapter I wonder which city this actually will be in the end times. Is it New York? Tehran? Rome? Or could it be some city yet to become prominent? It is only speculation to try to figure this out, but the take away for me this morning is that God is judge of the whole world, and the evil and injustice perpetrated anywhere will be punished, even if it seems that for a season the wicked prosper.

Lord, as the sun rises in the east, I am remembering Silent Night, and in the third verse the phrase “the dawn of redeeming grace.” Thank you for your mercy and love for this sinner, saved by redeeming grace to reflect “loves pure light.” Use me today as your servant.

Organizing some of my books yesterday I found My Spiritual Diary by Dale Evans Rogers, fourth printing, April, 1956. Her opening words are “I am resolved to keep a spiritual accounting, that I may check on my soul’s progression or (may God forbid!) regression. So I set down here my faith, hope, philosophy and spiritual adventuring, that I may know how weak and strong I am. Put Your hand over mine, Lord God, that this writing may be honest and reverent.”

As I also regularly keep a spiritual journal with similar purpose, Dale Roger’s account will be helpful to read in a devotional way during the next few weeks.