Revelation_20
Scripture
Revelation 20:12
And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
Observation
At the opening of this chapter, John talks about how Satan will be judged and devoured by fire and brimstone. He tries about the lake of fire and the second death. He also talks about the ones who were part of the first resurrection. The chapter is wrapped up with this image of a great multitude of people standing in front of God waiting to be judged.
Understanding
Check your attitude at the door.
When I was a kid my dream career was always evolving. I went from wanting to be a cowboy, to a carpenter, to a professional surfer, to a professional runner, to a business owner, and a bunch of things in between.
As it turned out, my first job out of high school was working as a carpenter for a framing company. But then I started to want a little bit more. I wanted to be in a place where I could be used by God. I started getting involved in a number of different ministries, which lead me to believe I wanted to be in ministry full time. So I went to bible college, for six months. And for a number of reasons, I quit. I then returned to working as a carpenter, but still with that desire to be used by God.
I then began giving God a laundry list of things that I “needed” Him to figure out for me, all so that I could get back to “serving” in a full time capacity. Funny thing is, those things never fell into place. Never did I really trust God to put me in the place he wanted me to be. But, I was always asking, “Why aren’t you doing things my way?”
By what I would call divine intervention, I found a career in law enforcement. And along the way learned an important lesson: it’s not about what you do, but who you do it for. God has given me an opportunity to be ministering full time to a special group of people who need to hear God’s story of redemption, and I am getting to take part in the great commission (Matthew 28:19). And by allowing God to work through me, I am also ensuring my name will be written in the book of life.
Life application
Help me to see the people you bring into my life with your eyes, and have compassion on them.