Be Ready

I am compelled to look like Him and live for Him until he returns.

2 Peter 3:10-13  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

11  Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live,  12  looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, He will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.  13  But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth He has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness.

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The book of 2 Peter has been a great guide to help us see that the Christian life should look different in comparison to the rest of the world. We believe that Jesus gave us the power to live for Him and be productive and useful for a cause that has eternal significance. I have a solid foundation of truth to build my life on and I have God's promises that I will share His divine nature and escape the world's corruption.

Despite the overwhelming evidence for the truth, the world is going to make fun of us when they see that we are compelled to live for him and they will scoff at the idea that we are looking forward to Jesus return. How can you think that he is still on the way? Peter tells us that the length of the wait doesn't change the certainty that it will happen. (2 Peter 3:3-8)

2 Peter 2:9 So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.

Jesus return is still coming, he hasn't changed His mind, judgment will follow and then we will see what is really important. The world and all of the things that it thinks is important is going to burn. Sometimes we get sidetracked by these things but we need to ask ourselves if we want to live for everything that will certainly be destroyed, or do you want to live so that you will have an inheritance in the new heavens and earth?

Romans 2:4-5  Don't you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

There isn't an escape route. The world likes to think that they get another chance, they want to see some more information before they decide that they need to accept the truth, there isn't a second chance or reincarnation or purgatory, we don't get to change our situation or improve ourself after we die. Your relatives cannot light enough candles or pray enough prayers to change what has already been decided.

Devoted To God

Titus 2:11-14  For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people. And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

Are you ready for that day? Are you digging in the Word to find out how you can be more like him while you are waiting? God doesn't want to wait and change us after he comes and gets us, he wants us to start the change now, the surest way to know that I am ready and anticipating that day is for me to begin to look like who I will be after his return.

The new earth will be a place where righteousness dwells. It will then be impossible for sin to mess things up! And, we will be in God’s glorious presence forever! Are you ready?

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We Have Overcome

Overcome, overcome, mercy radiates beyond the pain. Hallelujah!

Out of Hiding- "Overcome" official music video from Out of Hiding.

Something is changing in the air
Something is rising all around us
She steps out to face the world
A bride who knows how much she is worth

And all around the words are heard

Overcome overcome, mercy radiates beyond the pain
The One overcomes, Crucified He overtook the grave
Hallelujah

Every debt thrown into the sea
Every fear crushed beneath His holy feet
Guilt can't penetrate these walls
We've been ransomed by the One traded all

And all around the words are heard

Overcome overcome, mercy radiates beyond the pain
The One overcomes, Crucified He overtook the grave
Hallelujah

I am blameless in His eyes

Do you know how much you are worth? Do you feel like you don't have much value? If you are a child of God then you are extremely valuable! Your worth doesn't come from what the world says about you or what you tell yourself in your negative thoughts.

John 16:33  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” 

The trials and sorrows of this world will get you down and you may feel worthless but your value as a child of God comes from the high price tag that Jesus paid to adopt you into the family of God.

Our pain in this world may get us to thinking that we are worthless or that God is against us but our value and God's love or us was proved by the pain that Christ endured on the cross.

Everybody Is So Busy

Are we busy doing anything that matters?

Colossians 1:24-29  I am glad when I suffer for you in my body, for I am participating in the sufferings of Christ that continue for his body, the church. 25 God has given me the responsibility of serving his church by proclaiming his entire message to you.

26 This message was kept secret for centuries and generations past, but now it has been revealed to God’s people. 27 For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory.

28 So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. 29 That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.

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Have you ever thought about how the gospel message got out of the small geographic area that Jesus worked in to become know all across the globe? After his three years of ministry, Jesus hadn't traveled very far from home, the events of his life would have been on the local nightly news but the major networks would have never covered him.

The only reason that the gospel got away from Jerusalem and spread around the world is the result of men that could say that they were glad to work for Jesus and his church despite having to suffer a lot of hardships and physical abuse. The Apostle Paul was such a man, he went through a lot, yet he tells us that he is happy to serve and to participate in the suffering that has come his way.

We are busy people and we are probably seldom as thrilled to serve as Paul was. All of our work and our pursuits are usually focused on ourselves. Paul tells us that we have a job that is way more important, we have a responsibility to warn everyone so that they will have the opportunity to be ready for Christ return.

We are powerful people

Ephesians 1:19-20 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

We have a job to do and we have an incredible power source to help us, a source that goes virtually untapped by the average believer today. The early believers and the apostles used the power to get awesome results despite their persecution.

As a Christ follower in the United States with all of the freedoms and protection that goes along with it I must admit that I do not use the mighty power that God provides to do his work. I also must admit that I do not work as much or with the passion that the early believers did. If the early believers worked as hard as I do then the message of Jesus would have never gotten out of Jerusalem to reach the uttermost parts of the earth.

Lord, I want to be busy doing things that really matter, I am too comfortable and I need a passion to rise up in me to do your work.

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Be Ready For Jesus Return

We don't know when so we need to be ready continuously for the return of our Savior.

Matthew 24:42-46 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.

Matthew 25:1-6 “Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 The five who were foolish didn’t take enough olive oil for their lamps, 4 but the other five were wise enough to take along extra oil. 5 When the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

6 “At midnight they were roused by the shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him!’

Matthew 25:14-15 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.

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Given the seriousness of the events that will take place in the end times, Jesus makes it very clear to his disciples that they need to be ready. (Signs and Wonders of The Antichrist and The Great Tribulation) Jesus tells them that things are going to go crazy in this world and that we need to keep alert and be ready at all times. As Jesus so often did, he told them some parables to illustrate his point, he wanted there to be no confusion about something so serious.

The parable of the wicked servant (Matthew 24:45-51)

The wicked servant may have started out okay but when the master delays there is the temptation to be selfish, lazy, disobedient or immoral. It is a very natural reaction, our carnal nature takes charge, it's like your parents telling you not to do a certain thing while they are away from the house, you may think you can get away with it, but there is always a chance that they will arrive home early.

Jesus had already scolded the leaders in the previous chapter for mistreating the people that were under their care. (Matthew 23:1-36) God gave them their position as leaders in the church and they should perform their service with an eye toward the fact that Jesus may return at any moment.

The parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13)

I never really understood this parable before studying it today, I didn't realize that a wedding procession in Palestinian from the bride's home to the groom's house usually took place at night, the bridesmaids are outside the bride's home waiting for the groom to get there to escort her to his home.

In traditional Palestinian weddings, messengers may repeatedly announce the bridegroom's coming, yet it can be delayed for hours. Delays occur while the bride's relatives haggle over the value of presents given them, emphasizing the bride's great value and thus the wisdom of the groom's selection .
- Inter Varsity Press Commentary

This parable tells of the tragedy of experiencing the second coming of Christ unprepared. It didn't matter that the virgins fell asleep the tragedy was in the fact that they knew about delays yet they didn't prepare for them and they needed to go get ready after the groom came, it's too late.

Both of these parables refer to the delay of Christ's coming and warn us that we must beware that the long wait for the return of Jesus does not lead to apathy and carelessness.

The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

Christians are required to be active. How can you be a Christ follower if you are sitting in a recliner all of the time? Christians who refuse to use the gifts and the money that God has given them to use for his work will encounter harsh judgment when Christ returns. We have the opportunity to invest our time and money in ways that will help to multiply the kingdom.

Don't be discouraged by the delay.

2 Peter 3: 8,10,14 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.

Think about how surprised the people outside of the ark were when water started pouring down from the sky, they thought that they could go on ignoring God but the day of judgment came and caught them off guard. Nobody expects a thief to break-in, we take safeguards against, we prepare our homes because we know that it will be a big surprise when he comes in.

Jesus is on the way, don't worry about the delay, the delay gives more people the opportunity to prepare for his coming.

I want to be ready constantly, Lord help me to be found faithful to the end.

Signs And Wonders

Jesus warned us that we better be ready for his return.

Luke 21:7-12, 27-28 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”

8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying, ‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them. 9 And when you hear of wars and insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.”

10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. 12 But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution."

27 "Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

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Who can explain the desire to know what will happen tomorrow? Maybe it is our desire to be in control that drives some people to go to great lengths to find out what the future holds. The disciples were fascinated with the future, you couldn't hardly blame them, after-all they were promised a better day, they were promised restoration and healing, they were expecting the Messiah. They believed that Jesus is the Messiah but they were confused about the timing, they thought that his reign was about to start.

There is a better day coming for God's children but it isn't going to begin very soon, the disciples were expecting the Messiah and the awesome changes that he would bring, they hoped that now is the time for it all to begin. Instead of giving them a timetable, which would cause many to become slack or discouraged, he gives them the warning signs and gives us a caution about the events that will take place.

Some of the signs of the times:
False Christs, Matthew 24:5, Luke 21:8 Wars, Matthew 24:6, Luke 21:9-10 Famines, Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11 Earthquakes and fearful sights, Matthew 24:7, Luke 21:11 Persecution, Matthew 24:9,  Luke 21:12-19 Betrayal, Matthew 24:10, Luke 21:16	False Prophets, Matthew 24:11   Lawlessness, Matthew 24:12   Loveless, Matthew 24:12   Gospel preached to every nation, Matthew 24:14   Armies surrounding Jerusalem, Luke 21:20-22   Miraculous signs in nature, Luke 21:25

If you think that this world is a crazy place now, you haven't seen anything, the antichrist will make the worse of our savage governments look tame, the most brutal men in history will he seen as nothing compared to him. There have been a lot of people that have claimed to be Jesus and this will increase in the end times as will false prophets, people will look for answers and out of desperation they will believe the deceivers.

Even today we look for signs and wonders, people try and interpret every disaster that makes the evening news as a sign that his return is imminent, it is difficult to not think about it. After all this world is not our home, for those of us that have become followers of Christ, we are anxious to get to a better place that he has prepared for us.

Hebrews 11:16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

God has performed "signs and wonders" ever since creation. We are still exploring new things that he created in our world and in the galaxies that surround us. He made the sun stand still, a donkey talk, fortress walls fall down at Jericho with nothing but worship as a weapon. Is God guilty of hiding out and not proving himself to us? (Psalm 77:10-20, 78:1-4, Job 38:1-41)

Jesus performed "signs and wonders" cast out demons, healed, raised the dead, he even rose from the dead himself, but did everyone believe in Him? Actually they asked him for more signs! (Matthew 12:38, 16:1, 24:3)

The apostles did many "signs and wonders" to prove that they had received power from God through their faith in Jesus. (Acts 2:43, 5:12, Romans 15:18-19, 2 Corinthians 12:12) Still not enough signs and wonders for some people.

Hebrews 11:6 And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

Instead of looking for "signs and wonders" we need to be found faithful, God is most pleased with those that believe without a sign, that's the true test of faith. He wants us to be ready at all times (Matthew 24:44) doing what is important, serving him, seeking to be righteous and serving others so that they will see God's love through us. (Matthew 5:13-16, Titus 2:12-14)

Thank you Lord for proving your existence, your love and most of all your forgiveness. 
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Await My Return

Like a thief in the night.

Matthew 24:42-44  "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 

43  Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 

44  You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

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Jesus spoke a lot about the need to be ready, to keep your guard up, he told us to be found faithfully serving in the work that he has called us to do.

We were all created for good works (Ephesians 2:10) and we are expected to be working on those good works until the day that Jesus takes us home and relieves us of our labor. What an awesome day that will be when we will finally be free from the old sin nature, free from the pain and sorrow of his world.

Luke 12:37  The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat!

What an amazing thought, that we will be seated by our Savior and that he will serve us, the one that was bruised for us will forgive the multitude of wrong things that we have said and done and he will serve us himself. Not the angels or some other heavenly being or saint from years long ago but Jesus is going to serve me!

Thank you Lord for your incredible love that looks beyond my ability to be faithful and and obedient. Thank you for the sacrifice that you made for me! May I always be doing the ministry that you have called me to do until the day that you take me home.

You might like to read: Commands of Jesus blog series.

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