Covenant Community Services
July 20, 2010
The Moment Heaven Stopped
Recognizing and Living in the Moments God Provides
Greetings!  

By the time you open this email I will have celebrated another year of life. As I ponder the last year I am struck with the realization that every moment matters. 
 
If you have followed these devotions for any length of time you will note some consistent themes. I believe these themes resonate in my soul and thus gush forth in my thoughts and writing. One consistent pattern of thought is enjoying life, remembering the good things, and capturing moments.
 
This past week I had the pleasure of beating the Bakersfield heat by spending some time at the coast. There were some great moments I had with family and friends that inspired this devotion. My reflection on those memories led to my thoughts about the moments Heaven celebrates.
 
As My thoughts turned to our Father, King and God, I began to think about moments from God's perspective. Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with the joy God experiences watching His children enjoy moments that He designed and created.  Moments matter and we should celebrate life and living while keeping our gaze upon Heaven and Jesus.
 
 
Jesus and Heaven celebrate a moment!
 
When He opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
 
~ Revelation 8:1 ~
Enjoy the Moments God Provides
 
Revelation 8:1 captures an amazing moment in Heaven. It is the moment the Lamb of Heaven, Jesus Christ, opens the last of seven seals which ushers in the ultimate victory of God over Satan and the wicked on earth. Heaven stopped and recognized the power and sacred nature of the moment. In fact, they soaked in it for about 30 minutes.
 
The incredible notion of a silent Heaven is nearly unbelievable due to other passages in Revelation that describe the worship in Heaven as never ending (Revelation 4:8-11). So, to stop Heaven it must have been something very very cool ... It was.
 
Heaven stopped to capture the moment Jesus - our Savior, our King, our Lord, and our Master - took His rightful place as ruler of all and as the Alpha and Omega by unleashing His wrath and fury upon wickedness. Heaven went silent because the moment of moments had come. The worship stopped and Heaven watched in awe!
 
Friend, don't forget what Jesus has done for you! We are to celebrate life, capture moments and make memories but we are always to worship Jesus in and through it all. It takes great wisdom to be a balanced follower of Jesus that lives on earth but understands Heaven is home. To find balance read, pray, serve and worship.
 
Lastly, enjoy the moments God has provided. If Heaven can stop for 30 minutes to enjoy a moment and recognize the special nature of an act then so can you. Slow down. Enjoy the ride and keep you eyes on Jesus. Moments matter in Heaven and they matter on earth so enjoy each moment God has for you!
For King and Kingdom,
 

Randy Martin
661-326-8304