DEVOTION – DAY 244

Revelation 1 :17-18 “Jesus Christ, The Living One”

 

Revelation 1:17-18 “When I saw Him, “I fell at His feet as though dead. Then He placed His right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

 

The apostle John had a vision of the Lord. He fell at His feet out of respect and awe. The Lord placed His hand on John and told him not to be afraid. The Lord declared He is the First and the Last – a title similar to the title Alpha and Omega. The Lord declared that He is the Living One. This is in sharp contrast to all other pagan gods that are dead.

 

For example, all the Roman and Greek gods of mythology were dead. People that are being worshipped as “gods” like Gautama Buddha, Guru Nanak, Sathya Sai Baba, Prophet Mohammed, and so on, are all dead. But the Lord Jesus is the Living God. He who had died have been resurrected and is alive for ever and ever. The Lord Jesus also has absolute dominion over the living and the dead because He holds the keys to death and Hades. He will return to reign, rule and judge.

 

We know someone who is a devout Buddhist. He even went on a pilgrimage to India to visit all the holy Buddhist sites. He told us that some of these sites had Buddha’s sacred relics like a tooth, or a bone fragment. He is however blinded to the reality that he is worshipping a dead god. We also know a couple that lived in Australia who followed Sathya Sai Baba. They even made a pilgrimage to India to see him more than 20 years ago while he was still alive. But Sathya Sai Baba who claimed divinity, died in 2011. In the same manner, all the false gods died and none were ever resurrected. None lived forever and ever. Only the Lord Jesus is the Living One. Only He lives forever and ever. We know a Taoist who believes in ancestor worship. He was zealous in visiting his home village in China in order to pay homage and worship his ancestral tablets. But all his ancestors were dead but he foolishly thought that they would be able to bless him from beyond the grave. He failed to see that if his ancestors couldn’t free themselves from their graves, how could they possibly bless him in the present?

 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you as the one true God. You are the Almighty God and Your Son, the Lord Jesus is the Living One, the Alpha and the Omega. There is no other God but you. Please help us to worship you with all our hearts, minds, souls and strength. In the precious name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. How is the Lord Jesus superior to all other false gods? Discuss.
  2. Why do you think some people continue worship their gods even though they are dead? Discuss.
  3. How can you graciously help those who follow false gods to realize that the Lord Jesus is the only Living One that they should follow?
  4. Why is it important that Christians follow a living God?