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When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. John 14:3 (NLT)
Imagine the setting. You’re sitting on your deck enjoying the last remnants of light from a warm summer evening. As you look to the west, lost in your thoughts, you see clouds on the horizon. It’s the makings of a beautiful sunset as the sun sinks prematurely below the billowing thunderheads.
Then you see it…you think. “Was that lightning?” You ask yourself as you continue to watch the horizon. A few moments later your suspicions are confirmed. A second flash of light brightens the darkening horizon. As you watch the approaching storm the signs of its inevitable arrival multiply. The once calm wind begins to blow, occasional rumbles of thunder are heard, the lightning flashes grow more frequent. A storm is coming.
The word picture can conjure up all sorts of emotions. If you are relatively assured of your safety and the safety of your loved ones you may look forward to the oncoming storm. There is nothing as awesome as a good ole’ fashioned summer thunderstorm.
On the other hand, you may feel some concern. Thunderstorms can bring hail to destroy crops. Heavy rain can wash out roads. Wind can cause massive destruction and even death. Your emotions about the coming storm depend on your feeling of personal safety and/or trust in the outcome of the storm.
When Jesus left the disciples he prepared them for his departure by promising his return. He didn’t tell them when he’d return, but he told them how and what to look for. He told them about the gathering storm clouds on the horizon; about the deterioration of the family as God ordained it; about economic upheaval; of political unrest.
He warned us of false prophets and teachings that would claim a new way, a better way than the way of the Good News of Jesus Christ. ‘Just as you know the signs of the seasons,” he would say to his disciples, “watch the signs of the times.”
We don’t know when Jesus will come back for us. Forget those who have all the numbers and the codes figured out. Forget the stories about asteroids and alien spaceships. Put away the white toga and take the ladder away from the roof. You don’t need to wait for a specific time or place. In fact, at a time we least expect his arrival he will come for those who have accepted his grace and forgiveness. How? Like the lightning. Just a flash and I’ll be gone.
If I’m talking to you at a coffee shop and suddenly disappear, it’s nothing personal. I’ve been called. If you see my car idling by the side of the freeway with no sign of me? I’m in a better place with NO traffic jams.
I see the storm clouds on the horizon. I know the signs. A storm will be here soon. I’m just waiting for the lightning!
PRAYER: Jesus, in spite of how many struggles we have here, I’m feeling truly blessed with my life in you. Still, I can’t wait until I get to see you face to face. Thank you for the promise that someday, maybe today, you will come back for me. Amen.
(thanks to pictureapromise for the great photo! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pictureapromise/264103118342?sk=wall#!/pages/Pictureapromise/264103118342 )
I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the Lord. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Jeremiah 29:11 (NCV)
Imagine what it must have been like for those who read the Prophet Jeremiah’s letter. They had been ripped out ofJerusalemand lost everything they had. The lost their homes, their jobs, their identity. Some had lost family members. They were strangers in a foreign land, forced to live among enemies.
While they were told their captivity would end and God would restore them, some died never seeing their belovedJerusalemagain. Others were born in captivity and died knowing nothing but a life of slavery. The onlyJerusalemthey knew was from stories from the elders. They lived and died as captives in a foreign land. Some were born late in the captivity and ‘return toJerusalem’, butJerusalemwasn’t really their home. As Hebrews the only life they knew was the life lived inBabylon. They ‘returned’ to a home that was based on their heritage, not necessarily their heart.
You may be going through a time in your life right now when you feel like one of the captives. Everything that was familiar and ‘safe’ has been ripped from your hands. You feel like a foreigner in a place that doesn’t understand your morals, your way of thinking or your heritage.
Once you knew “Jerusalem” in your heart. You walked close to God, felt his presence, enjoyed the company of his people but then the road of life took and unexpected turn. Now you long for the presence of God in your life like it once was, but things have changed and many of those changes are out of your control.
Perhaps you feel as one born into captivity. The things the rest of society consider ‘normal’ don’t match the standards God has told you to follow. You long for the ‘Jerusalem’ others have talked about; but still, there is nervousness about the future. You know God will be there, but the unknown concerns you.
God’s tells us he has a plan for our lives and it’s a good plan. He KNOWS his plans for you but he doesn’t always tell us what those plans are. He only promises that his plans for you are good, offer hope, and will come to pass in his time. There will be times when we feel like a captive, like an alien in a land where no one understands us, but during those times we can rely on the promise that God’s plans for us are good.
So, what do we do in the meantime? What action does God expect from us while we are in captivity? Jeremiah 29:7 says “Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in the city, good things will happen to you also.”
There it is! The answer to how we should live as captives. Not worried; not angry; not demanding the right to live according to our heritage; not moaning and lamenting our plight. Nope. Just the opposite. While we are here in this foreign land we are to make our corner of the world the best we can make it because when good things happen to those around us, life will be easier for all of us.
PRAYER: Lord, I ask that while I am ‘captive’ in this foreign land, you would keep my attitude positive and my eyes on the promise of your deliverance. May the things I do today make my world a better place because I know your ultimate plans for me are good. Amen.
Where God’s love is, there is no fear, because God’s perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears. 1 John 4:18 (NCV)
As my children approached the age where they could drive, we made a family rule. It was a simple rule intended to instill the importance of safety, not intended to cause pain or harm. The rule was that if, in the first month of driving on their own, they got a speeding ticket, they would lose driving privileges for one week. I’d get their license and their keys.
One night my daughter was returning from the city with some friends. As she came off the interstate and onto the highway leading home she instinctively hit the cruise control. Within a mile she was back up to the interstate cruising speed. Within a couple more miles she saw the dreaded flashing red lights in her rear view mirror.
The problem was, the interstate speed was too fast for the highway speed. She was given a ticket for speeding. I still remember the night this all happened. She walked into the house license and keys in hand and gave them to me. She then told us what happened (her version of course). In the course of the conversation she mentioned that one of her friends asked if she was afraid to come home and tell me about the ticket. My daughter told her “No, I know what will happen.” That was the end of it.
I wish I could say this was an example of every disciplinary action at our home, but it wasn’t. It does given an example of God’s love though. My daughter knew well in advance of the consequences. There was no yelling or screaming, and there were no surprises. In a love relationship that’s how ‘wrongs’ are handled.
When the Father came looking for Adam and Eve for his evening walk, they hid in the bushes. Why? They were afraid. Did they have reason? Well, they thought they did. However, God certainly wasn’t surprised by their actions. There is no indication in scripture that the interaction between God and the couple was full of anger. He was harsh with the serpent, but he was gentle in handing out the natural consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin.
That first account of sin is a perfect example of love without fear. Even though God handed out consequences, he also handed out healing. When God took away the fig leaves and clothed them with animal skins it was a symbol of taking away the shame and offering emotional healing.
God’s not into punishment. What he is into is doing whatever is necessary to bring us into a loving relationship with him. A loving relationship built on trust, mercy and grace. A relationship that drives out fear and brings peace.
The phrase “Just wait until your father comes home” is sometimes used when punishment is inevitable. But when it comes to your Heavenly Father there is no fear in his return. He loves you. The sin you bear need only be a temporary glitch in the relationship. A glitch that can be forgiven through Jesus.
PRAYER: Father God, I praise you for your love and patience with me. I thank you for the fact that your love is a love that harbors no fear, no revenge and no anger. Empower me to live free of the lies the enemy tells me about your anger with me. Help me to show love to others the way you have shown love to me. Amen.
In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.” Luke 15:10 (NLT)
He was in his early 20’s. He had quite a reputation around the small town I’d just moved into. Most of his activities revolved around multiple girlfriends and marijuana. Jim (not his real name) and I struck up a friendship as the result of an old man we both worked with at a small factory in town.
The old guy, I’ll call him Richard, was a Bible-thumping Presbyterian who always had a good word for everyone and usually it came from the Bible. Richard had a been a Christian for over 40 years at that time and read the Bible through every one of those years. Richard didn’t just ‘love the Lord’; he walked and talked with him on a daily basis!
As time passed, Richard and I decided to make Jim our very own prayer project. Jim was interested in the Bible, but most of the time it seemed like it was just a good discussion tool and not something he took seriously.
Perhaps that’s the reason why I was so surprised one morning when he showed up at church. I’d invited him but had no thought that he’d actually attend, but there he was at Sunday School in jeans and a t-shirt (which, in this church was simply unheard of and inappropriate).
After Sunday School we talked a bit before I had to excuse myself to tend to some of my responsibilities at the church. I lost track of Jim and couldn’t see him during the worship service either. I assumed (sadly) that he left for home. At the end of the service the pastor announced that he had an introduction to make. He invited Jim to the front of the auditorium. Jim had been sitting up in the front row the whole time. The pastor told how this young man had come to him after Sunday School and prayed to accept Christ as his Savior.
I was moved to tears to say the least. As I made my way through the crowd to try to reach Jim (who was now surrounded by a crowd of ‘welcomers’) one of the deacons stopped me and said, “Say, I see you are painting your house!”
His statement still amuses me in a sense. I tried, as I was choking back tears, to engage in the small talk but on the inside I was screaming “Who cares about my stupid house! Do you realize what just happened here? A soul has come home! A life has been changed! A lost sheep has returned to the fold!”
I think of this story whenever I hear this verse from Luke. Do we, as followers of Jesus Christ, really realize the impact we can have on someone’s eternity? We admire great evangelists who can win 1,000’s to Christ, but the angel’s party in heaven over just one soul. We weren’t put here on earth to make money or to raise families. As Christ-followers, we are here to show those who need the Savior the way to repentance and joy and eternal life.
Let your light shine! Be a part of changing just one persons life today by showing them the love and grace of Jesus Christ. Rejoice in the privilege God has given us to make a difference in someone for eternity!
PRAYER: Lord I thank you for Jesus. It’s amazing to me that the angels rejoice over even one person who comes to you. Empower me to see the great privilege I have to make a difference today. Help me to show someone what Jesus is like and perhaps even have the great privilege of leading them home. Amen
To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations. Revelation 2:26
We live in difficult times. Everyday there are new warnings about the upcoming econimic disaster. Political conflict is on the rise with nation after nation being forced into warfare that kills babies, mothers, children. There seems to be no end in sight. While medical science has learned how to cure or treat many diseases, it seems like new ones with deadly results are turning up. And if that isn’t enough, starvation and homelessness in some countries, including the U. S., has reached epidemic proportions.
WOW! Still with me? What a downer. And in all that list I didn’t even mention the struggles we go through personally, on a daily basis with our relationships, health and finances.
But believe it or not, this post isn’t about defeat. It’s about victory. It’s interesting that when the Apostle John penned the above words in Revelation he was just begining on a journey in which God would show him absolutely horrific things. Events in the future he couldn’t understand, but that must have torn him apart. But the first section of his ‘revelation’ don’t talk about defeat, they talk about victory, about overcoming.
During these difficult times it’s easy to think about ‘what I’d do if I was in charge’ or ‘the government needs to do this, or do that in order to solve this dilemma. The harsh reality is, our time on earth isn’t intended to be a pleasant walk in the park. This weekend I’m writing from Northern Minnesota. It’s been one of the most pleasant mid-October Weekends I can remember. We walked through beautiful forests and beside crystal clear lakes. As I walked I thought how nice it would be if everyday were like this. But the reality is, in a matter of hours I’ll be ‘back to reality’.
Our journey may be difficult. Sometimes the struggles we bear are our own doing. Sometimes they are the result of abuse or the evil actions of someone else. Sometimes they are the result of decisions we thought wise in the past that ended up taking us down the wrong course.
The lesson from Revelation is this. Times will (not might) be tough while we walk this journey on earth, but for those of us who are followers of Jesus Christ, better days lie ahead. Jesus pleads with us to be overcomers here so that once we reach eternity we will be rulers of nations. Now, I don’t know what that means exactly but it sounds pretty cool to me.
So today I will try to overcome the obstacles ahead of me for this day. I won’t worry about the future because my Father will give me strength for whatever lies ahead. I won’t regret the past, because the sins of my past are forgiven and the scars will remind me that Jesus healed me. I will rely on the Holy Spirit of God to guide me through the turmoil I know lies ahead.
Our Father doesn’t ask us to do anything more than to do his will. That will is summed up nicely by Jesus earlier in another one of John’s writings. Love God. Love myself. Love my nieghbors.
(Besides, I read the back of the book. We Win!)
PRAYER: Father. I’m tired. I’m worried about the future and angry about the mistakes of my past. I resolve today to be an overcomer because of your Holy Spirit living in me. Amen.
