Wednesday, April 30, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Revelation 22
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 50
Key Verse
Revelation 22:11 — “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.”
Devotional Thought
John, exiled on Patmos, is shown a river. It is the last vision of the Bible, and it is a river—pure water of life, clear as crystal, flowing straight out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. On either side grows the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, a new crop every month, its leaves for the healing of the nations. This is where Scripture ends: not in a throne room of terror but in a garden-city where the curse is gone, where servants see the face of God, where night never falls because the Lord Himself is the light. The Bible began in Eden with a river and a tree and God walking with man; it ends with a river and a tree and God’s name written on foreheads. What was lost is restored, and more besides.
Then the vision turns to voices. The angel refuses John’s worship—”See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant”—and directs him to worship God alone. Jesus Himself speaks: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” Three times in this chapter He says, “I come quickly.” And the Spirit and the bride answer with one word: “Come.” The last invitation of the Bible is an open door: “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” No price, no pedigree—only thirst.
Psalm 50 sounds a different note, and we need it. God summons the earth to judgment and tells His people that He is not hungry for bulls and goats—every beast of the forest is already His. What He wants is thanksgiving, vows kept, praise, and a life ordered aright. The wicked who recite His statutes while hating instruction are warned that God’s silence is not approval. “These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself.” But to the one who offers praise, God promises: “I will shew the salvation of God.”
Read together, these chapters are one message. The God of Psalm 50 is the God of Revelation 22—the same Judge, the same Savior. April is ending; the world outside is greening, rivers running full, trees budding. Creation itself preaches the text. The river of life is not a metaphor for a vague hopefulness; it is a Person. Jesus is the water, the tree, the light, the morning star. And the door stands open today, before the “quickly” arrives.
Reflection
- Jesus says three times in this chapter, “I come quickly”—does the way I spend this ordinary Wednesday suggest I actually believe that?
- Psalm 50 says God wants thanksgiving, not mere religious performance. Where in my life have I been offering Him bulls and goats while withholding my heart?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Alpha and Omega, bright and morning star, we hear Your promise—”Surely I come quickly”—and with the Spirit and the bride we answer, Come. Thank You for the river of life flowing from Your throne, free to all who thirst. Forgive us for the empty offerings of Psalm 50: the praise withheld, the vows unpaid, the words of Scripture on our lips while our hearts wandered. Teach us to offer thanksgiving, to call on You in trouble, to order our conversation aright. Keep our names in the book of life, write Your name upon us, and let us see Your face. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 50:1 — “The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.”