#DailyDevotion Set Your Minds On The Pilgrim Road
Gradual
“They are the people who have come through great suffering, who have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 5Blessed are those whose refuge is in You: their minds are on the pilgrim roads.(Revelation 7:14; Psalm 84:5)
As we begin to close the Church year, our lessons will begin to point to the Eschaton, the Last Day, when Jesus makes is second advent, when he comes again in glory. Funny how that is, we enter into the season of Advent, Jesus’ first coming by looking to his return to judge the nations.
Our gradual for this Sunday makes note of that. We get a scene from Revelation chapter 7. The sixth seal is broken and the Last Day comes upon the earth. Standing before is a great throng dressed in white. You perhaps thought there were not a lot of Christians in the world, but they were hidden and they have accumulated over time. There are more than you think.
This great suffering the elder references commenced with Jesus’ suffering and death. Peter notes in his first sermon on Pentecost the Holy Spirit’s being poured upon all flesh has occurred and has ushered in the Last Days. It is no doubt a great deceit of Satan to have Christians believe the Last Days is some distant point in the future. They are not. The Last Days are now. The Church and its members have been persecuted and endured great suffering since day one.
Now we note the people, the Christians have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The washing of the robes is the reception of the righteousness of Christ. We have been washed with the Lamb’s blood when we are baptized as Paul says in Titus 3, “5…He saved us by the washing in which the Holy Spirit gives us a new birth and a new life. 6He poured a rich measure of this Spirit on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7to declare us righteous by His grace so that we may be heirs according to the hope of everlasting life.” When the pastor absolves (washes) us from our sins by declaring we are forgiven in the name of Jesus we are absolved by the blood of Jesus. When we receive the LORD’s Supper and partake of his body and blood we are washed with the blood of the Lamb.
Now we pick up on Psalm 84:5 which is the second part of the gradual. We are blessed when we take refuge in our LORD Jesus Christ. We take refuge in no other name from the wrath of God. Jesus is our refuge from all the assaults and temptations of the devil. Such is the case with the multitude in Revelation 7 dressed in white. Those who take refuge in Christ Jesus set their minds on the pilgrim roads. Every year the Jews would set themselves on the pilgrim roads to Jerusalem for the feast. Now that Christ has come our pilgrim road to the New Jerusalem is Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life. We also put our trust in him with his directions for our lives. We put his words into practice in our lives. His words and his way is the road we set our minds to. Our minds are set not on the journey but on the destination, God’s kingdom. We can bear all things if we know where we are going and who is with us, Jesus Christ. We need not fear the bandits and murderers along the way, they cannot harm our souls if keep our face on Jesus.
Heavenly Father, grant us such faith and pour our your Holy Spirit upon us so we may put our trust in Jesus and fix our minds on the road that leads to your kingdom. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.