“Poppy, I’m coming!” Thomas hollered in what he calls his Poppy yell. When his family spends the night over, it’s what motivates him to transition from bath time to bedtime without a fuss. Once he’s said goodnight to his mom and dad and baby brother, Timothy, he starts across the house to Poppy’s room. About halfway through the living room, he breaks into a run and bellows, “Poppy! I’m coming!” It makes his Poppy’s day and signals time for Bible stories and prayers for Thomas. It’s the exclamation mark on the day.
When was the last time you thought about punctuation? Your eyes and your brain just read that question without stopping to consider the little mark at the end. You pause at commas while reading emails or articles, and you stop when you come to an end mark. I probably use more exclamation marks than most people. I edit them out of most of my writing, but if you heard me speak, you’d hear them! They speak of urgency, of great joy, of panic, and of exasperation. Hurry! Happy! Help!
Revelation is the exclamation point of the Bible. John is given a vision while exiled to the isle of Patmos. The exalted Christ, whom he had walked with in bodily form for three years during His earthly ministry, appears to him as he is worshipping on the Lord’s Day. (Revelation 1:10) He gives messages to the churches and visions of the heavens, tying together what has been and what is to come, exactly as He did before He ascended.
”And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.“
Luke 24:45 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.24.45.NKJV
”He supernaturally unlocked their understanding to receive the revelation of the Scriptures“
Luke 24:45 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/luk.24.45.TPT
”And we know that the Son of God has made our understanding come alive so that we can know by experience the One who is true.
And we are in him who is true, God’s Son, Jesus Christ—the true God and eternal life!
So, little children, guard yourselves from worshiping anything but him.“
1 John 5:20-21 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/1jn.5.20-21.TPT
In marriage, true intimacy is born of devotion and knowing. Devotion is firm and final, but knowledge is progressive. We pledge ourselves one to another, husband and wife, and through time and conversation, sharing life and love, knowledge comes. Our vows often contain the words for better or worse with good reason, for we are imperfect individuals committed to a union before God. Only in the assurance of love that flows from our Heavenly Father through us to one another can we ride the emotional highs and lows and remain faithful to the end.
Our relationship with God through Jesus is different. The depth of God’s love and His commitment to us is perfect, eternal, and never fails. He draws us to Himself and He continually reveals Himself to us by His Spirit through His creation, His Word, and His Son. When we seek Him we will find Him when we seek Him with all our heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
”I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully.
Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.“
Ephesians 3:16-19 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/eph.3.16-19.NLT
He longs to reveal Himself to you and to restore you. He wants you to know Him and to love Him with wholehearted devotion. He stands ready to enter into intimate fellowship with you. You only need to open the door to Him. (Revelation 3:20)
”And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it!
He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.
Just make sure you ask empowered by confident faith without doubting that you will receive. For the ambivalent person believes one minute and doubts the next.
Being undecided makes you become like the rough seas driven and tossed by the wind. You’re up one minute and tossed down the next.
When you are half-hearted and wavering it leaves you unstable. Can you really expect to receive anything from the Lord when you’re in that condition?
If your faith remains strong, even while surrounded by life’s difficulties, you will continue to experience the untold blessings of God!
True happiness comes as you pass the test with faith, and receive the victorious crown of life promised to every lover of God!“
James 1:5-8, 12 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/jas.1.5-12.TPT
John’s exhortation to guard against worshipping anything other than God is in complete agreement with the first of God’s commandments. ”You must not have any other god but me.“ (Exodus 20:3) In our world of exhaustive choices and fluidity, taking a look at amplified translations of John’s warning shows a singleness of mind required to receive anything from God.
”Little children (believers, dear ones), guard yourselves from idols—[false teachings, moral compromises, and anything that would take God’s place in your heart].“
1 John 5:21 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/1jn.5.21.AMP
”Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)–[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).“
1 John 5:21 AMPC
https://bible.com/bible/8/1jn.5.21.AMPC
”For my own sake alone I will do it, so my name will not be dishonored.
I will not yield my glory to another.”“
https://bible.com/bible/1849/isa.48.11.TPT
”“Loving me empowers you to obey my commands.
And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Savior, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who will be to you a friend just like me—and he will never leave you.
The world won’t receive him because they can’t see him or know him. But you know him intimately because he remains with you and will live inside you.
I promise that I will never leave you helpless or abandon you as orphans—I will come back to you!
Soon I will leave this world and they will see me no longer, but you will see me, because I will live again, and you will come alive too.
So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with me, for I will be living in you.
Those who truly love me are those who obey my commands.
Whoever passionately loves me will be passionately loved by my Father. And I will passionately love him in return and will reveal myself to him.
Jesus replied, “Loving me empowers you to obey my word. And my Father will love you so deeply that we will come to you and make you our dwelling place. But those who don’t love me will not obey my words.
The Father did not send me to speak my own revelation, but the words of my Father.
I am telling you this while I am still with you. But when the Father sends the Spirit of Holiness, the One like me who sets you free, he will teach you all things in my name. And he will inspire you to remember every word that I’ve told you.
I leave the gift of peace with you—my peace. Not the kind of fragile peace given by the world, but my perfect peace.
Don’t yield to fear or be troubled in your hearts—instead, be courageous!
Remember what I’ve told you, that I must go away, but I promise to come back to you. So if you truly love me, you will be glad for me, since I’m returning to my Father, who is greater than I.
So when all of these things happen, you will still trust and cling to me.
I won’t speak with you much longer, for the ruler of this dark world is coming. But he has no power over me, for he has nothing to use against me.
I am doing exactly what the Father destined for me to accomplish, so that the world will discover how much I love my Father. Now come with me.”
John 14:15-21, 23-31 TPT
https://bible.com/bible/1849/jhn.14.15-31.TPT
”The Lord does not delay [as though He were unable to act] and is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is [extraordinarily] patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.“
2 Peter 3:9 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/2pe.3.9.AMP
Read that again.
He is still doing exactly what the Father destined for Him.
Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20)
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