Call on Heaven: A 7-Day Devotional by Passion

Scriptures: Revelation 19, Revelation 21

He Who Is To Come: Jesus Is Coming Back

As followers of Jesus, we live in the tension of the already-not-yet reality of the gospel. Jesus has already saved us, and we are now a part of an eternal kingdom, but yet we still live in a broken world in the midst of the consequences of sin and the sadness of death. However, we have a hope that will not disappoint, and His name is Jesus. 

In Revelation 19, we see Jesus, called Faithful and True, riding a white horse and wearing many crowns; the righteous Judge who disperses the perfect justice throughout the world. In chapter 21, this King of kings and Lord of lords describes a new heaven and new earth where God’s dwelling place will be with His people. He will wipe every tear away from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain. He is heard saying “I am making everything new!” The Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, He will give to the thirsty without cost from the spring of the water of life. And yet, in the midst of the newness and restoration, His scars remain. For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, and on that day, we will see the culmination of His joy and ours. Our scars, our light and momentary troubles, will result in a weight of glory and eternal joy which far outweighs them all. 

Jesus has come and has given us eternal hope that is birthed in our salvation and will be fully realized when we see Him face to face. It is this promise that gives us strength and hope for today. In this world, there will be trouble, but take heart! Jesus has overcome the world. He is with us today right where we are. And He is coming back — He’s already on the move. 

Prayer: Jesus, let us remember the nail scars in your hands and praise you today for who you are—as the hymnist wrote, “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow”— the One who was and is and is to come. Let the reality of heaven stir up our hearts to worship and propel us to action for those who do not know you yet. Amen.

Scriptures: Matthew 6:25-26, Matthew 6:33-34

The Lord Will Provide: Jesus Is Our Provider

So do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them…Are you not much more valuable than they?…But seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Mt. 6:25-26, 33-34 

It is so easy to worry about our future or how we will meet our daily needs. In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about a mind-blowing reality: God is our Father in Heaven. This thought would have been revolutionary to the listeners of His sermon. They knew God was “The God who provides,” but a Father? And what’s more, He’s our Father? They knew the story of Abraham and Isaac, how God would ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son, only to stop him and provide a ram in the thicket instead. They had heard how Abraham responded by building an altar to God there on Mount Moriah, calling Him for the first time in Scripture “Jehovah Jireh” or “The-God-Who-Provides” because He provided a sacrifice and spared Abraham’s son. 

But those listening to Jesus didn’t know then what we know now: That God was giving us a picture of redemption—and ultimately, He would not hold back when it came to His own son. He would offer him as the perfect sacrifice. Romans 8:32 says this about the way God provided for us: “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?” He has made a way back to a relationship with our Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. The same intimate relationship Jesus has with His Father is now available to us by His life, death, and resurrection. We are now children of the God of the universe! As if it weren’t enough for the rest of our lives, how will He not, along with all that, give us our daily needs? 

Remember and believe today that you can ask your Father for whatever you need. He not only gives us what we need, He himself is what we need, and when we have Him, we lack nothing. 

Prayer: Father, when I am tempted to look to my own abilities to provide for myself, help me remember today that you are the ultimate source of everything I need. I entrust every circumstance into your able hands. Amen.

Scriptures: Revelation 5:12, Revelation 4:8, Revelation 5, Philippians 2:9

Cry Out: Jesus Is Central

Whatever is at the center of your life will determine what your life is about. It is easy to let a world of distraction, comfort, relationship goals, career success, or even our current circumstances determine our mind’s attention and our heart’s affection. As followers of Jesus, we can orient our lives around Him and let Him order our steps in a life of worship. 

As the book of Revelation unfolds, John tries his best to describe what he sees in heaven. He sees Jesus: with hair white like wool, eyes like a blazing fire, a voice like the rushing waters, and a sharp, double-edged sword coming out of his mouth, with a face shining like the sun in all of its brilliance. He is the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain—standing at the center of the throne—the center of heaven—the center of eternity. 

Jesus is the only one worthy to take the scroll, which is representative of the salvation plan of God for all people, and open it. Because of His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus is worthy. He is triumphant over sin, death, and the grave. With His own blood, He “purchased for God people from every tribe and language and people and nation,” and because of that, “every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Rev 5: 9, Phil 2:9). 

There is worship happening in heaven right now! The voice of many angels numbering thousands upon thousands crying out, “worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev 5:12) Jesus is at the center of heaven and we have the opportunity to join with all of heaven those who cry out day and night, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” (Rev 4:8) 

When we see Jesus for who He is, we can’t help but reorient what’s at the center of our lives. He alone is worthy of that place. 

Prayer: Jesus, you’re at the center of heaven, but are you at the center of my life? Do I orient my days around you or expect the other way around? Help me look up and see you, high and lifted up, the Lamb who was slain, for all mankind, yes, but also for me, and let it lead me to worship you with my words and my life. Amen.

Scriptures: Revelation 7:10-12, 1 Peter 1:15, Psalms 28:8-9

Salvation Belongs To You: Jesus Is Our Salvation

Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb. All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen!” Rev 7:10-12 

God has been a redeemer from the start. He is at work on earth right now, and He invites us into His redemption plan for all people. Every day, we have the opportunity to be what Scripture calls Ambassadors of Reconciliation, responding to His mercy and grace and the salvation He has already worked out for us through Christ Jesus. 

Our salvation is birthed out of the love God has for us and the lengths He went to restore us to Himself. While our salvation started the moment we put our faith in Jesus, it won’t be fully completed until we see Jesus face-to-face. 

Beautifully, our lives are lives of dependence. We needed Him when we first believed, and we need Him still. We need Jesus to live the life He has called us to— to make us holy like He is holy (1 Pet 1:15) in order to put that same Jesus on display for a world that is searching everywhere for answers. 

Something happens in us when we remember where we were before God saved us and reflect on all He has given us in Jesus Christ. We feel things like joy, hope, and peace instead of fear, judgment, or even condemnation. In challenging situations and times of celebration, we respond with things like praise and prayer. Salvation belongs to God, but He has freely given it to us. Let it bring joy like the psalmist declared: “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” And again he said, “Rejoice in the Lord all your righteous, sing all you who are upright in heart!” 

Prayer: “The Lord is the strength of His people, a fortress of salvation for His anointed one. Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.” (Ps 28:8-9). Carry me today Jesus, be my fortress of salvation and my shepherd, and let my life shine brightly so that others might know you too. Amen.

Scriptures: Psalms 8:1, Psalms 8:3-4, Philippians 2:6-11, Psalms 116:1

How Great Is Your Name: Jesus Is Majestic And Merciful

Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? Ps 8:1, 3-4 

God is inviting us to know the fullness of who He is. He doesn’t need to know or love us, but He wants to. He gave everything so we could know him, and we can spend our whole lives seeking Him and it will never be enough. We will never reach the other side of His love or fathom the depth of His grace, but we get to pursue intimacy with Him! 

God is the Creator, the uncreated One, mighty in power, sovereign, and holy. He is awesome and unfathomably great. In His infinite wisdom, love, and goodness, He saw you, and long before you were a thought in your parents’ minds, you were in the mind of God. He is the maker of the heavens and the earth, and yet He knows us. Even more, He loves us. At the heart of God is the heart of a Father. The heart of a Redeemer. 

At the center of eternity is Jesus, both the Lion of Judah and the Lamb who was slain. Jesus stepped out of heaven and didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant. He became a man, yet was fully God. He humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God gave Him the name which is above every other name. Every person on planet Earth will bow and confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:6-11). The paradoxical attributes of God paint a picture of God that exemplifies His otherness. He is holy and humble. He is King and servant. He is the High Priest and the Offering. He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all grace-giving. He is strong and gentle. He is holy and He is our friend. 

Prayer: Father, thank you for loving me in a breathtaking way through Jesus. It is a miracle in itself that you hear me and welcome my prayers. Even more, you answer and draw me near. “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications” (Ps 116:1). Amen.

Scripture: Matthew 4:19-20

Follow: Jesus Is Worthy Of Our Lives

“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately, they left their nets and followed him. Mt. 4:19-20 

The world is loud. Voices shout from every direction, “Follow me! Follow me!” and we have a litany of social platforms vying for our “follow.” We are all following a trend or a set of values or a person, but there is only One who is worthy to be followed, only one who will bring true purpose and meaning to our lives—Jesus. 

When Jesus called out to the disciples to come and follow Him, they had no clue what that would fully mean. They may have thought Jesus was a great rabbi, but the Messiah? Did they know that He was the “one and only Son sent from the Father, full of grace and truth,” as John would write in his gospel? They would eventually learn that Jesus is the God-man who would die for their sins and the sins of the world. He would send the Helper, the Holy Spirit to not only be with them, but to dwell within them, and to dwell within all who would call on his name. What a joy it is to follow Jesus! We have the nearness of God; the presence of God within us. As Paul writes, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.” The disciples didn’t know what was at stake and yet still they left everything to follow Jesus. In order to take up our cross and follow Him, we will need to lay some things down. What is that for you today? As you think upon the joy it is that Jesus called you by name, what is it that He may be asking you to lay down so you can follow Him with your whole life: body, mind, and soul? 

Prayer: 

My heart my life my all I bring 

To Christ who loves me so 

He is my Master Lord and King 

Wherever He leads I’ll go 

(McKinney, “Where you Lead I Will Follow,” 1936). Amen.

Scriptures: Romans 8:38-39, 1 Corinthians 15:19, Romans 8:11, John 16:33, Colossians 1:27

Nobody: Jesus Is Alive From The Dead

If we are alive in Christ, then our spiritual reality has shifted: we are no longer dead spiritually but alive both now and forever in Jesus. Even though we face troubling circumstances and the residuals of sin and death in this world, we have a new Master and King—Jesus. We live in a new kingdom which is under the authority of the Holy Spirit and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ro 8:38-39). 

When the women following Jesus came sprinting out of the garden tomb, they were filled with the realization that their Lord was not there…He had risen! While Jesus’ birth had inaugurated a new era, and His death had seemingly ended it, the empty tomb proved the gospel complete with the resurrection. He had come to earth, fully man, fully God, the Light of the world, to take away the sins of all mankind. Jesus had to die to become the transaction for our sin—the standard was perfection, and the price was death; in other words, because we could never attain perfection, our death could never atone for our sins. 

But all is lost if He is still in the tomb. As the Apostle Paul wrote, if the resurrection didn’t happen, we are most to be pitied (1 Co 15:19). But the tomb remains empty. Jesus’ death has brought us life. He became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. There is nobody in the grave! He is alive! He defeated sin, death, and the grave on the cross of Christ. No enemy can hold us down because the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead is living in you and in me (Ro 8:11). There will be trouble in the world (and in our worlds), but take heart because Jesus has overcome the world (Jn 16:33). And He is with us. Christ in us the hope of glory (Col 1:27). 

Prayer: God, thank you that the grave is empty. Because you are alive, I am alive. Because you have risen, I will rise and be with you forever. Thank you that by the power of the Holy Spirit sin and death no longer have a hold on me, but I can turn and fix my eyes on you, Jesus, day by day, moment by moment. Amen.