Revelation 16:1-11. Godamprsquos power not mine.
The seven plagues are a bit like the problems in the seven churches of Asia, actually five churches because two of them, Smyrna and Philadelphia, were praised by Jesus. The same threads seem to run through the churches and the plagues, the thread of worldly compromise, the thread of self-sufficiency, and the thread of repentance.
The church of Sardis is told to wake up, which means to repent, which is twice repeated in todayamprsquos passage after the fourth and fifth bowls, but the people refuse to repent, as I sometimes do.
The second and third plagues were on the waters, turning them to blood (3,4), and killing every living thing.
As Pastor Park said today, referring to Pastor Kim, the sea is a symbol of bountiful resources. Those of us who depend on our own resources ignore God because we think we donamprsquot need him for anything. I was like that twice in my life.
And then God took away my money and made me poor so that I could learn who was the source of my earthly resources.
I suffered the first plague of festering sores because I had the mark of the beast from all the times I compromised my faith.
I think mostly of the time I had a wife dying of alcoholism and my duty to her despite the misery of our marriage that her drinking had made, and I blamed her for it instead of looking at my sinful contribution in that marriage.
Instead of repenting and caring more for her, I compromised by giving some care to her while having an affair with another woman.
The fourth plague of the sun scorching me was my idol of a fantasy marriage that would be full of happiness but ended with no marriage at all, just an affair and a child made. My idol of a PhD and a professorship turned sour in failure and massive debt. I blamed others for the mess I had made and would not see how it was all just the conclusion of my life.
The fifth plague of darkness is my daily loss of direction when I fail to use the lamp of the word to guide my feet and look up to the cross where comes the power and love to help me stand and inspire me to right action and the meditation of my QT.
Without the word I cannot see my sin and do not want to repent of my constant judging of others, such as my small group member, an alcoholic who was drunk all week and missed mokjang and worship.
But repent I must and repent I will because I need to.
Application: call my alcoholic small group member to see how he is.
Lord, help me accept the plagues you give me because you are righteous and I am not. Do not take your Spirit from me but inspire me to repentance and application of your word.
