10 On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet,
Imagine John, sent to a remote island as punishment for being a Jesus-follower, still takes time to commune with the Lord. He didn’t let his negative circumstances stop his spiritual growth. He didn’t let has anger or disappointment form a barrier between himself and God. He is on this island, probably the equivalent of Guantanamo Bay, because he is deemed a threat to the Roman Empire. Can you imagine someone with no natural power, no political position, no wealth, no family connections, and no web-based political machine becoming an enemy of the state! What made John so dangerous to the strongest empire in the world? Jesus! As we think about our days with turmoil across the globe, the answer is not natural power, political position, wealth, family connections or web-based political machines. The answer is still Jesus. But Jesus is also the biggest threat to all these. Jesus operates independently of these earth-bound powers. He can choose to use them or choose to cast them aside. It is His choice. John on that island had none of these earthly powers. He probably struggled for his very existence, his food and shelter. And yet, when Sunday rolled around, he was at church. He did not let his circumstances stop his intimacy with God. He continued to draw in close, and when he did that, God showed us a glimpse of who Jesus really is, of Jesus’ place in history. Sometimes we let very small things keep us from drawing in close to the Lord. Perhaps the music at our local church isn’t the same quality as the newest download. Maybe our amateur musicians can’t compare to those highly trained and paid professionals! Maybe our noses smell things in person that you can’t smell when you are watching one of those TV churches at home. Maybe the kids moving around distract you, instead of being carefully edited out. Maybe we are so guarded because of past hurts that we can’t take someone asking out of concern “how are you doing.” So we let these little things keep us from gathering. John didn’t let anything hinder him. He had many reasons to stay home, but none of them became his excuse. And because he didn’t, we have the Revelation of Jesus Christ to read today. Just think what will happen if we make ourselves available to God, to be used by Him!
The Arnold Journey 