In past devotionals in this series, we have encouraged you to meditate upon the definitions of Jesus as found in Revelation 1.
Meditation, however, is often seen as a means of relaxation and a way to connect with our inner self; and it has become a word that many born-again Christians have come to equate with Eastern religions. Therefore, some of you might be wondering why I am suggesting “meditation”!
I would like to assure you that meditation is actually a Biblical concept, one that is mandated in Scripture: “Blessed is the one … who meditates on his law day and night.” (Ps. 1:2 NIV). The three words that are generally translated into English as “meditate”, actually mean to murmur, to mutter… speak, study, talk, utter; to muse, commune, speak; and to take care of, revolve in the mind, imagine. In fact, a friend of ours who is a Messianic Jew came to know Jesus as his Lord and Saviour by muttering John 3:16 to himself. Thus, it isn’t the actual “meditation” that is wrong; rather, it is the focus of our meditation that can lead us astray.
Therefore, as you prepare for the Christmas season, I encourage you – not to empty your mind and focus on yourself; but rather, to focus on Jesus! Mutter His Truths. Talk about them, revolve them over and over again in your mind!
Today, I would like to introduce another topic of meditation for this Christmas season: “’I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end’‘ says the Lord God.” (Revelation 1:8a NLT)
Most of us are familiar with the term “Alpha and Omega”. Those raised in the church grew up with it. We recognize it as a title for God. But have we ever truly attempted to understand the magnitude of this label? I mean, think about it! Our Lord God is … The beginning, the end, and everything in between!
To take this a step farther, let’s remember that God is the One Who began it all. This is probably not too difficult to understand, for our Lord began history as we know it. He is the creator of everything: “In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone.” (John 1:1-3 NLT)
And that beginning was perfect: “Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!” (Genesis 1:31 NLT)
Thus, our Lord God is the Alpha, the beginning.
Of course, mankind messed up His perfect creation. We started doing this in the Garden of Eden when both Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit: “She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.” (Genesis 3:6-7 NLT)
As a result, our Lord had to come to this earth as a tiny baby, the baby whose birth we celebrate. He had to grow up among us to die on a cruel cross for the redemption of all of our sins: “My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground….But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” (Isaiah 53:2a, 5 NLT) Our Alpha, our beginning, made a way to return His perfect creation to their rightful status!
This is what we celebrate at Christmas, and this must be the focus of our meditation as we celebrate our Saviour’s birth.
But the verse doesn’t stop there. It goes on to say that our Lord God is also “the omega…the end”! Although Jesus made a way out, the end is not yet come! Suffering and darkness continue on this earth, and it will until the day of Jesus’ return! And, this, of course, is the “revealing” of Jesus that was given to John on the Isle of Patmos!
If that doesn’t blow your mind, then this certainly will: Jesus’ return isn’t the end either! It is, rather, the end of the beginning, for after Jesus’ return, we will live in the Earth made new for eternity! Our only “end”, our “omega” will be the Lord God Himself, as we abide with Him forever!
I don’t know about you, but I, personally, don’t spend nearly enough time meditating on this. I barely meditate on the fact that God is my “Alpha”, my “beginning”; and I’ll admit that I rarely even think about Him being my “Omega” as well! Yet, that is what He is. That, in fact, summarizes the primary purpose of the book of Revelation: God is our “Omega”! He is our “End”!
I would like to challenge each of you, as the celebration of the Birth of Jesus approaches, that we wouldn’t just mediate on the fact that Jesus came here as a tiny baby; but that we would spend some time meditating on the entire truth: The Lord God is our “Alpha and Omega” and EVERYTHING in between!
Join us on Saturday, for “He Stands Among the Lampstands: Christmas Revelations, Part 5”
In His Love,
Lyn
Lynona Gordon Chaffart
Author, Moderator, Acting Director, Answers2Prayer Ministries
(To access the entire “Christmas Revelations” mini-series, click here)
