Sovereign and Eternal One
Posted by Karah
PAUSE
Silence your phone, pause your music, and turn off the TV. Find a quiet place where you can focus as you read today’s devotion.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” —Revelation 22:13
Read Revelation 22:12-13 in your Bible and consider the following.
• Summarize verse 12 in your own words.
• All people will experience a final judgment and Jesus will be the Judge. List the words Jesus used to describe Himself in verse 13.
The Alpha and Omega begin and end the Greek alphabet. When Jesus called Himself the Alpha and Omega, He pointed to His eternal and sovereign nature. God was first called the Alpha and Omega (Isa. 44:6; Rev. 1:8), but here Jesus made it clear that He too, is eternal and sovereign.
• Explain what Jesus claimed about His nature and His relationship with God by the titles He gave Himself in verse 13.
Put simply: Jesus has the final say. From the beginning, He was God’s plan to reconcile His people. From the beginning, Jesus knew He would return for all believers and righteously judge all people for their response to how they either received or rejected Him.
• Knowing Jesus has the final say, do you need to change your lifestyle? Why or why not?
RESPOND
Jesus is all the righteousness of God and believers are completely covered by His righteousness. So when you approach Jesus during the final judgment, you can be confident in knowing that Jesus will see His own righteousness instead of your sin.
• Meditate on Jesus as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev. 22:13). Praise Him for being the all-powerful, all knowing, ever-present God.
• Have you trusted in Jesus as Savior? If so, journal about the ways He changed your life and examine any areas that need to change. If not, talk to your parents, your Trailstones leader or a leader from your church to find out more.
• For further study on Jesus’ power to save, read Colossians 2:14-15.
MEMORY VERSE
Write Colossians 1:19-20 in your journal. Jot down two reasons it is important for you to memorize these verses.
BEHIND THE STORY
In verse 12, Jesus mentioned bringing a reward with Him when He returns. Revelation 1 also mentioned a reward, referring to the judgment of both the righteous and the wicked. His judgment will reward the righteous and destroy the wicked (Rev. 11:18). Again today’s passage tells us that reward and punishment both occur at judgment “to repay each person according to what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).
THE POINT
Jesus is sovereign and eternal.
Posted in Boys, Devotions | Tagged Camp Ridgecrest Alumni and Friends, Camp Ridgecrest for Boys, Reprinted from EC magazine. @ 2016 LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention, Weekly Devotions