Monday, April 28, 2008

Practicing for a Priestly Performance

Revelation 5:6- 9
I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He came and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song.


King of the Universe,
You are the Sacred Lamb of God, omnipotent, omniscience, and omnipresent. Perfect in power and knowledge, Your presence is everywhere. Because You were slaughtered, You and You alone, are worthy to step forward, take the secret scroll, sever its seals and open it. Your right to rule the world was and is and always will be undisputable, unquestionable, and undeniable.

With Your precious blood You purchased people from every tribe, tongue, and nation to build for Yourself a kingdom full of priests to rule and reign over all the earth. Instead of resisting Your will, disputing Your purpose, and complaining about Your ways, I must immediately start submitting to Your almighty authority. Falling in step with the rest of the universe, it is imperative that I recognize Who You are, change my haughty attitude, and fall down in reverent awe of You.

Taking up a harp, with my eyes focused on You standing on the throne of my heart, I’ll practice plucking a lovely cord for the King when I live harmoniously with others. Holding out my golden bowl full of passionate, persistent prayers, I’ll honor You, hasten Your coming, and attract the hopeless, helpless and heartless to the sweetness of Your splendor. By maintaining one accord within the multicultural, multilingual, and multiracial body of Christ, I’ll reproduce the crescendo of thunderous praise that will one day, possibly quite soon, resonate throughout all of creation:

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!

Thank You for giving me a guided tour through the gates of Glory, and allowing me a glimpse of the gala events at the throne of grace. To the Sacred Sacrificial Lamb who sits on the throne, be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever! Amen.

I can’t wait to get to heaven to see the magnificent Throne Room where the King of the Universe conducts His official business, and to find out for sure what’s on that secret scroll. Absolutely no one but Jesus, the Sacred Sacrificial Lamb who was slain, is worthy of taking it from the King, severing the seals, and opening it. According to God’s revealed Word, the Truth, our only response will be to reverently worship the Only One who has the right to rule and reign over all creation. We can practice for the priestly performance for which He purchased us by:

Taking up our harps, focusing on the King, and living harmoniously with others.

Holding out our golden bowls full of passionate, persistent prayers for the hastening of Christ’s coming, as well as, for the hordes of helpless, hopeless and heartless.

Singing a new song, in one accord, by accepting, and even joining with those whose worship style is different than our traditional preference.

When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We’ll sing and shout the victory!

Buckingham Palace, the official residence of the Queen of England, is open 8-weeks out of every year for public tours. The most popular room on the tour is the Throne Room, where the Queen receives visiting dignitaries and conducts her official business. I’m sure it pales in comparison to the Throne Room in the Paradise Palace where the King of the Universe conducts His official business and graciously visits with undignified people.

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