Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/1/2020

Revelation 21:1-6 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne say, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look! I’m making all things new.” He also said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”Then he said to me, “All is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will freely give water from the life-giving spring.

Even though I am not a good student of Revelation, this scripture jumped out at me for the New Year.  Usually while I am preparing to speak, a sermon or devotion, there will be songs that pop into my head.  

This time it was the Country song Write This Down by George Strait, to which I related.  By changing the words from a “somebody done somebody wrong song” to words you might hear from Jesus, it came out this way:        

         Take my word and read it every day, 

         Keep it close by, don’t let them fade away. 

         Every single word is true; and I think you 

         need to know…so you remember what I say.

This year I am striving to retain more of Jesus’s words in my head the way that songs stick there.  I have found that even if I don’t memorize many scriptures, I can commit them to my memory in prayer asking God to engrave them on my mind so that when He wants me to speak through Him, the right words come. It’s up to me to feed my mind the Good News.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! God Bless America and God bless us everyone!

-Bonita Kitts, CLS
Ottawa First United Methodist

Prayer for Reflection