Devotionals by Dr. M. Craig Barnes
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. --
Nobody needs the church to know that the world is in trouble. That's perfectly clear to anyone who is paying attention. If the church wants to be prophetic today, it needs to proclaim words of hope. This text is among the most hopeful words the church has to offer. It claims that the same God who was at the beginning of creation, bringing light and beauty into the dark chaos, will also be at the end of time. And again God will create light and beauty out of the dark chaos we have returned to the world.
Have you ever read a mystery novel that is so frightening you just had to sneak a peak at the last chapter to make sure everything works out okay? That's why we were given the last book of the Bible. It begins with the words, "The revelation of Jesus Christ...." In the end, this book claims, the salvation of Jesus will be revealed in all the earth.
The story could not possibly have a better ending, and nothing we do is going to make the story's end any better, or any worse, because God has already written the ending.
Not only is this true for our world, it is true for your life. In the end, the salvation of Jesus Christ will be fully revealed. If you know that the story ends so beautifully, you have no reason to be afraid just because you're in a dark chapter.
-- Craig Barnes