• Home
  • Therapist
  • Counseling
  • Services
  • Approach
  • Office Policies
  • Questions
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Make Payment

Living The Hope

Alpha & Omega

1/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Many are familiar with the words of Revelation 22:13 where Christ says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."  When he speaks of the "alpha and omega" he is referring to the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet.  It is sort of like saying, "I am the 'A' and the 'Z'."  It is Christ's way of affirming that in terms of our life, He is the one who is with us at the beginning and He is the one who will be with us until the end.  These are powerful and comforting words.  But what do these words mean for us in terms our daily life?  What do these words mean in terms of our response to Him?  At least four things come to my mind...
1.  Christ should be the one with whom we begin and end each day.  It doesn't necessarily have to be a lengthy time, but we should spend some time at the beginning and the end of each day in prayer:  Inviting Christ to be with us throughout the day and thanking him for His provision as the day comes to a close should be an essential part of our spiritual formation.  In the Anglican tradition this is referred to as the time of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.  Personally I have found that if I begin and end each day in the presence of Christ, I also find that He is with me constantly through the course of my day as well.

2.  Every decision should begin and end with a time of seeking Christ's guidance.  As problems or concerns arise we should ask Christ, "How do I face or deal with this?"  When a decision is finally made our words should be, "O Lord, Thy will be done!"  Giving Christ the first chance to guide our thinking and allowing His "nudging" to be the final word will give us confidence in the decisions we are required to make.

3.  Every ethical dilemma should begin and end with the question, "What would Jesus do?'  This isn't just a saying for t-shirts or jewelry; it is a question for reflection and meditation.  Often the answer to this question will alter the strategy we had in mind for a specific situation.  The Wesleyan approach to godly living is to:  Do no harm.  Do Good, and Stay in Love with God.  Looking to Christ first and last will help us in applying these principles to ethical dilemma's we face.

4.  Every new life stage (beginning a new job, celebrating a birth or wedding, retiring) should begin and end with a conscious decision to make Jesus our Lord.  Reminding ourselves that our life is in His hand is surly one of the best ways to assure that our life journey is an ongoing walk with Him.
​
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," Jesus proclaims to us.  What a wonderful reminder that He who call us is with us forever, even unto the end of the age.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Dr. Allen Schneider is a  United Methodist pastor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist presently serving the Sapulpa and greater Tulsa communities.

    Archives

    February 2025
    November 2024
    August 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    November 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    May 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    October 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    July 2017
    March 2017
    September 2016
    April 2016
    May 2015

    Category

    All
    Caring
    Christian Living
    Christmas
    Easter
    Encouragement
    Family
    Friendship
    God's Care
    Grief
    Hope
    Inspiration
    Life Transitions
    Love
    Marriage
    Mental Health
    Mother's Day
    Patriotism
    Perseverance
    Prayer
    Relationships
    SFBT
    Solution Focused
    Stress
    Suicide
    Valentine's Day
    Wise Living

    RSS Feed

Come:
​1401 E. Taft, Sapulpa, Ok.
Call:
918-914-HOPE (4673)
Contact:
Link to Contact Page
Connect:
Sign Up For Newsletter
Photos from Base Camp Baker, amateur photography by michel, Homini:), shankar s., KatVitulano Photos
  • Home
  • Therapist
  • Counseling
  • Services
  • Approach
  • Office Policies
  • Questions
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Make Payment