BY ALICE RAY
To the messenger of the city of Los Angeles write:
 OU CALL YOURSELF “The City of Angels,” yet you ignore the message of the three angels of Revelation 14.
Instead of the God of the universe, you worship the “stars” of the silver screen created in your movie industry and do not know that Jesus, the Daystar, the Bright and Morning Star, is ready to rise in your hearts and lighten the dark road ahead; and that His wisdom and righteousness will cause you to shine as the stars for ever and ever.
Yet there are some in you who do shine as the brightness of the heavens. They love the Lord their God with all their heart and soul and strength, and their neighbor as themselves. This love is made manifest in the many Bible studies they give, the truth-filled literature they scatter like the leaves of autumn, and the homeless to whom they give food, clothing, and warm blankets.
To those who overcome will the King of kings give golden crowns laden with stars. They who have ears, let them hear.
To the messenger of the city of Memphis write:
You are known as a city of music and the home of “The King.” But your songs speak of human frailties, sin, and despair. Even the happy songs speak only of a temporary pleasure. Don’t you know that the King of the universe longs to put His song in your hearts—a song of divine strength, forgiveness of sin, and hope?
There are some in you who do sing praises to the King and tell the good news of His soon coming. But even they must beware, lest they become spoiled by the praise of humans and their singing become a mere show instead of an act of worship, and they accept the glory for themselves instead of glorifying God.
To those who overcome will be given the privilege of singing the Song of Moses and the Lamb. They who have ears, let them hear.
To the messenger of the city of Portland write:
You are known as the “City of Roses.” Your gardens and parks are made beautiful by the many roses that bloom all summer, and your people enjoy their delicate perfume. Yet all these beautiful flowers do not prevent your gangs from killing each other, nor do they provide shelter for the homeless, or safety for the abused. If only you knew the Rose of Sharon! He would have replaced your hatred with love, your poverty with riches, and your fear with peace.
Yet there are some in whose hearts this Rose blooms, and they have allowed His fragrance to sweeten their lives and spill onto those around them. They are known for their acts of love and healing to the sick and suffering. Their danger lies in forgetting that they are only channels through which the Great Healer works, not healers themselves.
To those who overcome will be given the honor of being grafted into the bush of the Rose of Sharon. They who have ears, let them hear.
 To the messenger of the city of New York write:
You are “The Big Apple!” Capital city of the world. Mecca for the wannabes of the world. Home to artists, musicians, actors, writers, reporters, stockbrokers, and business executives of every trade, and to many of the rich and famous. Yet so many of your inhabitants feel unloved and rejected, not knowing that they are the apple of God’s eye. They don’t know that what they are truly seeking is not fame and fortune, but a Saviour. So they continue to try to fill the void in their hearts with the wine of money and power, when all they really need is Jesus, the lover of their souls.
Yet there are many within your city who know they are the apple of His eye. Some travel your streets searching out the honest seekers, offering health- screening services along with spiritual healing. Others try to reach the hundreds of thousands of people who live in your concrete jungle. But let them be alert to the wiles of the evil one, so that they do not become discouraged because they are so few among so many and succumb to the lies of society.
To those who overcome will be given the right to enter through the gates, into the City, the capital of the universe. They who have ears, let them hear.
To the messenger of the city of Palm Springs write:
You are a City of Sunshine, an oasis in a vast desert. The wealthy forsake the cold of the north to come and enjoy the warmth of your winter sun. But so many bring the coldness of winter with them in their souls. Their hearts are frozen to the needs of their fellow humans, needs that their wealth could help alleviate. Instead, they spend their fortunes seeking their own pleasures, letting the sun warm their backs out on your golf courses, giving their token gifts to charity. And all the while, the Sun of righteousness hovers near, hoping to melt the ice. Then the water of life could gush forth in the wilderness, the burning sand would become a pool, and the thirsty ground would bubble forth springs.
Yet there are those of your number through whom the Son shines and who offer the living water to those who are thirsty. But they should beware, lest they forget to drink and their hearts become as dry as the desert around them.
To those who overcome will be given the right to drink from the river of life, which flows from the throne of God. They who have ears, let them hear.
To the messenger of the city of Las Vegas write:
You are known as the “City That Never Sleeps.” The bright lights of your casinos and palaces of amusement burn brightly in the desert nights. Your visitors move frantically from slot machines to poker tables to roulette wheels trying, frequently in vain, to win “the big one.” Yet they do not realize that One watches them who neither slumbers nor sleeps. They do not know the One who is the Light of the world, who would banish the darkness from their hearts and give them the riches of His grace.
Yet there are some within you who have laid up their treasure in heaven, where moth and rust do not corrupt and one-armed bandits do not steal. For they know that where their treasure is, there also will be their hearts. Yet they need to be on guard, lest the lure of the easy dollar seduce them, too.
To those who overcome will be given the right to walk on streets paved with gold, in a city that has no need of the sun, where there is no night, because the Lord God is its light. They who have ears, let them hear.
To the messenger of the city of St. Louis write:
You are the “Gateway to the West.” Your graceful arch promises entrance to the land of green forests, tall mountains, and clear streams sparkling with gold nuggets. Yet your people do not know Him who is the Door and the Way. They rush through life in confusion, some not even knowing they are lost. They think the broad highway is the right way, because they missed seeing the sign that pointed to the narrow road that leads to the Promised Land.
There are many in you, however, who have read the Map and who know the Mapmaker. They are strategically stationed to give directions to those who have taken a wrong turn. But they need to take care that they stick with the true map, and not be fooled by cheap imitations.
To those who overcome will be given the joy of reaching the Promised Land and meeting those whom they helped to find the Way. They who have ears, let them hear.
________________________
Alice Marie Ray is wife of one, mother of four, and grandmother of seven, and has a great burden for the mission fields of the United States. She lives in Selah, Washington.
|
|
|
