“Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy” (Revelation 22:11).

How much of our energy is spent on trying to control the behaviors of others?  Whether it is in the church, or in society, conformity seems to be a powerful god in our midst.  But the One True God has declared that we are to let people be.  They will do what they will do.  Preaching then cannot be convincing but directing.  You have been called by Jesus to live into a life that is righteous.

Lord, only by grace and in the power which is yours is righteousness possible with me.  I still do wrong, and I am filthy, living in a filthy culture.  But You have called me to be righteous.  It is Your Holy Spirit that must carry the burden and lead me step by step, for all power and authority belongs to You, even the power to raise me from the place of being wrong and filthy to the place of being righteousness.

Lord Jesus, I believe in Your name, which means, “God’s Salvation.”  You are the only One who can save me.  Slay the wrong filthy sinner in me today and raise one who is willing to practice Your righteousness.  Guide me in the goodness and mercy of Your grace so that I am on the narrow path and not on the broad way which leads to destruction.  You are my Savior, Lord, and God.  Thank You for bringing me into You.  Amen.

“And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near” (Revelation 22:10).

Daniel was told that the words of his prophecy were for a later time.  John is told that these words are for this time.  We have been living in the time where we know who the Savior is.  The outward appearance may be different, but we are the same as the people John served.  Humanity has not progressed.  Apply these words to your life and begin again the journey of becoming mature in Christ.

Lord, it does not matter what I think.  It does matter who I am.  Help me to begin again and realize that these are not cleverly devised myths, created to deceive me.  You have given me the words of truth and You have called me through my baptism to walk the narrow road of faith.  Lead me Lord so that I may open all of the prophetic words of Scripture and see them applied to my life.

Word of Life, Savior of the world, You have opened up my soul by what You have spoken.  Into my soul You have poured the Holy Spirit.  Guide me in the words of prophecy so that I may humbly walk with You, my Lord and Master.  You know all that is needed for me to be conformed to Your image.  Remove the obstacles and lead me in Your goodness all the days I live in this age until I see You face to face.  Amen.

“And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brothers the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (Revelation 22:9)

You shall have no other gods!  There is only One who is worthy of worship, honor, and praise.  Worship the One true God and Him alone.  Do share the word and honor others, but only worship the Lord.  Even well-meaning and with good intentions, we can be led astray to worship others.  We are all called to be servants of the One Lord and Master of us all.  Keep this in mind, lest pride sneak in and deceive your heart.

Lord, I have done this.  I have fallen to my knees and worshiped others and other things rather than You, the Creator of all that exists.  I thank You for the grace I need which enables me to continue the narrow path, but help me to keep these things straight and do this no more.  Help me serve You and let my service be an act of worship.  Help me to correct others if they were to make this mistake concerning me.

Savior of my soul, Holy Spirit that guides me, Father in heaven above, You, the One true God and are worthy of all worship, honor, and praise.  Lead me in true worship so that I may grow in wisdom.  Teach me once again what it means to serve with You whole my whole being.  Guide me this day in humility so that I may observe, see, and love You and my neighbor as opportunity presents itself.  May this day see me worshiping You in thought, word, and deed.  Amen.

“I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things” (Revelation 22:8).

What will happen when you realize the gravity of these things?  Too often, we take seriously things that do not matter and do not take seriously things that do.  Falling to your knees in worship is one way.  Keep in mind, this is John the beloved disciple and the Gospel writer.  Even he needed a revelation from the Lord.  Take heed and wake up while there is time.  Do not tarry but focus upon the gift of faith you have been given.

Heavenly Father, I am so easily distracted.  I worry about things that will make no difference tomorrow and do not pay attention to things that will have impact on me the whole of my life.  You know which is which and I realize my salvation does not depend upon me getting it right, but my maturity in faith does.  Help me to have clarity and focus so that I may become mature in faith and reflect the likeness of Christ.

Lord Jesus, come and grant specific direction in my life.  Let me not worship whatever wows me in the moment, but instead follow You, the author and finisher of my faith.  You have shown me what You have shown me and the faith I have is a gift from You.  Help me live my faith intentionally as I learn how to focus upon what is good, right, and salutary.  Guide me all the days of my life to keep Your presence front and center, for You are with me wheresoever I go.  Amen.

“And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:7).

Whether it is the end of your life in this age or the Lord returning at the end of this age, both are rather quick to come.  What is one hundred years in the face of eternity?  We do not have much time to get these things right, so it is always a good time to get serious about walking in faith.  You do not have tomorrow, you only have today.  You may hope for tomorrow, but today is the only day you have been given to do anything.

Lord, my past is gone, and it is unchangeable.  My future is in Your hands and I must accept its outcome by faith.  But I do have today in which to apply these words that You have given me.  There are many blessings You have pronounced, and here You give an additional blessing to those who will apply these words to their life.  Lead me into a life of faith where I apply the words You have given.

Come, Holy Spirit, and make the words of my mouth the forerunner of the steps I take.  Guide my footsteps in the light of Your word so that I may walk faithfully with Your guidance all the short days of this life.  Let me not fear death, nor the world, but only being excluded from Your book of life.  In You, Lord, is all hope.  Guide me in the hope of faith so that I may live every today faithfully in the promise of Your word.  Amen.

“And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show His bond-servants the things which must soon take place” (Revelation 22:6).

You will either believe by faith that what the Lord has spoken is true, or else you will follow what the world says and think that all religion is simply a matter of evolving thoughts about the bigger questions.  Although some mix all of this up, the struggle is to simply believe that the God of all creation has spoken the words He wants spoken in His name.  You will either believe He will do these things, or else you will not.

Lord, it is true that I have received conflicting reports and believe all kinds of subjective things about these words set before me.  You have given the words of eternal life.  Help me to stop looking for all the answers, and now apply these words that You have given me.  Help me to stop wandering and start moving forward on the narrow path of faith that You alone can lead me upon.

Lord Jesus, it really does boil down to me either believing that You are God in the flesh and kneeling at Your feet, or else not believing any of it.  Help my unbelief so that I may stand firm and humbly walk with You, and live this life that You have given me, and follow the way You would have me live it.  No matter the order of things, or things that I do not anticipate that will happen, lead me always in the way of Your promises.  Amen.

“And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).

The Lord created this universe and he separated the darkness from the light.  We now see dimly, but when there is a new heaven and a new earth, we will see clearly, for we shall see the face of God.  He is the light that shines in the darkness of this age.  As many as see the light, He gives the power to become children of God.  What you read here is not a new idea, but something the Lord has told us over and over from the beginning.

Lord, You call me to walk in the light of Your presence.  You are eternal and You enable me to walk in the light of eternity.  Guide me so that I may truly see and although I walk by faith, I can walk in the assurance that because You are with me, nothing can hinder me from walking with You always.  In the Lord, all darkness will be forever banished, and we shall bask forever in His continual light.

I may not fully understand all that this means Lord, but I do know that You have given us the words that lead to eternal life.  You have illumined my heart, Holy Spirit.  Continue to guide my footsteps in the light of Your word so that I may continue preparing to be with You forever.  Whatever would hinder me, remove, and guard me in my walk so that I may always move closer to You.  Amen. 

“There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4).

The mark of the beast and the mark of Jesus are both mentioned.  Is this a literal mark, or is it telling us about who, or should I say, to whom we belong?  Are you a child of the rebellion or a child of the Heavenly Father?  It will show in your demeanor.  It will be in your countenance.  It will be on your forehead for all to see.  This is why the Lord told us to let our light shine forth so that others would see what we do and give thanks to our heavenly Father.

Lord, in this crazy, mixed-up world, I am often befuddled when I think there are so many options.  There are truly only two.  Either I follow the way of the world or else I follow You.  Help me to follow You first, last, and always.  Guide me through the morass of this age to be made whole in Your goodness and mercy.  Let the words of my mouth speak of Your grace and mercy.  Direct my feet to walk the path You have set before me.

Holy Spirit, Your word to me is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.  Grant me clarity of thought and mind to humbly walk through this age such that Your name is clear upon me for all to see.  I have been marked with Your cross, sealed by the Holy Spirit in the promise of my baptism, and enabled to walk in this age by faith.  Guide me, Lord, to live all of the days You grant me in order to remain faithful so that I may live with You forever in the age to come.  Amen.

“On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations” (Revelation 22:2b).

One month for each of the fruits.  Twelve is a biblical number for completion.  All who are to be included, from every tribe, tongue, and nation are represented.  Each has their turn.  There are no greater and lesser, only those who are in the Lord.  Yes, there are different tasks, but equality in respect for all who are in the Lord.  Each of us has an equal opportunity to learn how to be faithful.

Lord, I am who I am and You have given the gifts You have given so that I might learn how to serve You and my neighbor.  Guide me so that when the opportunity arises, I am prepared to do my part.  Teach me to respect all people so that, whether they are rich and powerful, or digging ditches, I treat them equally with  respect.  You know all that needs to happen within me.  Let be done what needs to be done so that I may become like You.

Lord Jesus, we all need healing.  Let your healing touch come upon my life.  Let your healing touch flow through me to others.  Guide me in the upward way along the path You set before me.  Teach me respect for others.  Teach me to love my neighbor without consideration of their station in life, nor with any consideration of recompense.  Thank You, Lord, for the salvation You give by grace.  In faith, lead me all the days of my life.  Amen.

And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street” (Revelation 22:1-2a).

These are word pictures where John is describing as best he can what he sees.  How does one describe what one sees when they do not fully understand?  Much of Scripture tells us about things as they will be in eternity.  Are we even able to begin to comprehend eternity?  God has written eternity in our heart and we long for our true home.  We will not find the way on our own, for Jesus is the One who must lead us.

Jesus spoke several times about the living water.  There was the tree of life in the middle of the Garden of Eden.  The source of life is the One who created and sustains it.  What He gives is pure, holy, and satisfying.  He is the source.  For all things and through all things, our Lord is the source.  How simple that is to say, and how difficult it is, to build the whole of your life on this one, central, and eternal point.  Make the Lord your source for everything.

God provides for the just and the unjust alike.  We know there are both kinds, but we do not know who is whom.  All we have are suspicions because we do not know another’s heart.  Live as one who drinks from the well of God’s provision and no longer drink the polluted water of this world’s lies.  Lord, You are with me always, as You said.  Lead me in the life You give, my Lord and Savior, Jesus, and help me to live now and forever in and through You.  Amen.