A new year has come, the holiday decorations have been packed away for another year and the house has been cleaned up and put back in order.
But Christmas is still here. That's my New Year's Resolution. I said I wasn't going to have resolutions this year but I've changed my mind. I want to live with those feelings of celebrating my Savior and being generous and giving all year because I truly believe that's how God calls us to live- not just at Christmas time.
Jesus is everyday and should be celebrated and loved and shared every single day of the year! Why pack Him away with the holiday decorations? This year I'm not and I hope you'll join me in this effort.
My heart has been moved for the people of Asia- India specifically. My heart aches for the people there and I'm even praying about going there someday on a mission trip. A friend of mine is married to a pastor who goes to India every year so maybe I'll be able to join his team someday. What a blessing that would be! Join me in prayer for this if you will. But until the time when God paves the way, I want to do what I can from here.
So I've joined with Gospel For Asia to raise funds for Asian families in need. 100%- let me repeat that because so few charities do this- 100% of the funds you send go to their intended purpose. Those funds are not used for overhead or to line someone's pockets! How fantastic is that! 100%
That's why I've chosen Gospel for Asia because I wanted me donated dollars to count- every single one of them!
Please join me here: Christmas EVERY Day to raise money to send the word of God to Asia. And not just the word of God (that's the most important part) but things these wonderful people need to rise up out of poverty and reach out to others in their community. Things like water filters to clean the water they drink. Livestock- water buffalo, sheep, chickens, goats- that they can raise and harvest for cheese, eggs, milk, and meat to feed their families as well as to sell for income. It's a hand up, not a hand out! Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. What an amazing program! Please join with me in this goal. Send Jesus to Asia!
Christmas EVERY Day
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Friday, December 28, 2012
Another year....
Hello readers :) Sorry for the absence and hopefully I'll be able to be back on more regular now that the Holiday season has passed. Speaking of holidays, I've learned so much this holiday season and I want to post some of my feelings and thoughts here tonight.
When I was growing up, Christmas was a time of family togetherness coupled with fun traditions and gifts. Some years had more gifts than others but I remember the thought was always the same- We're celebrating the birth of our Savior! One Christmas, the one that always comes to mind when anyone asks me about my most memorable Christmas, still stands out as my favorite and probably always will.
Daddy got laid off from his job just before Christmas so Mom explained to us that Christmas would be very small. And since my birthday is just a few days before Christmas, that meant that my birthday was small that year too- but as vivid as Christmas is in my memory, I have no memory of my birthday that year.
Mom decided to make our gifts that year and set out making matching dresses for us 4 girls and rag dolls. She got busy sewing while we were at school and out playing so we wouldn't see. A couple weeks before Christmas, Mom and Daddy took us to the playground at the school and while playing, Mom fell and tore her shoulder up. She was in a sling, her arm immobile for weeks so the sewing came to a grinding halt.
Well, Christmas morning we were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on our front door. The 4 of us girls raced to the door and pulled it open only to find no one there...and a great big wooden crate on the porch. "Santa" had brought Christmas to our house by way of the local Firemen. Inside that crate was Christmas dinner and gifts for all of us girls. In addition to those gifts, were the wonderful rag dolls that my aunt had come over and helped my mom finish. Mine is pictured below. I still have her and cherish the memory of that amazing Christmas. A year when we expected nothing and God blessed us with everything through a most unexpected source.
When I was growing up, Christmas was a time of family togetherness coupled with fun traditions and gifts. Some years had more gifts than others but I remember the thought was always the same- We're celebrating the birth of our Savior! One Christmas, the one that always comes to mind when anyone asks me about my most memorable Christmas, still stands out as my favorite and probably always will.
Daddy got laid off from his job just before Christmas so Mom explained to us that Christmas would be very small. And since my birthday is just a few days before Christmas, that meant that my birthday was small that year too- but as vivid as Christmas is in my memory, I have no memory of my birthday that year.
Mom decided to make our gifts that year and set out making matching dresses for us 4 girls and rag dolls. She got busy sewing while we were at school and out playing so we wouldn't see. A couple weeks before Christmas, Mom and Daddy took us to the playground at the school and while playing, Mom fell and tore her shoulder up. She was in a sling, her arm immobile for weeks so the sewing came to a grinding halt.
Well, Christmas morning we were awakened by the sound of someone pounding on our front door. The 4 of us girls raced to the door and pulled it open only to find no one there...and a great big wooden crate on the porch. "Santa" had brought Christmas to our house by way of the local Firemen. Inside that crate was Christmas dinner and gifts for all of us girls. In addition to those gifts, were the wonderful rag dolls that my aunt had come over and helped my mom finish. Mine is pictured below. I still have her and cherish the memory of that amazing Christmas. A year when we expected nothing and God blessed us with everything through a most unexpected source.
This year, I've paid closer attention to the way people act during this time of year. I saw people throw themselves completely into the preparations, going all out with decorations and food and gifts but leaving out the most important part- Jesus.
I saw people buy a few gifts, decorate a little, attend church, but otherwise behave the way they always behave.
I saw others buy tons of gifts and give them all away to families in need, Decorate their homes and invite the less fortunate in to share a hot meal while sharing the love of Jesus with them too!
I've also seen others not buying gifts, decorating, sending cards, or celebrating at all but quietly, secretly, giving to those in need, sharing Jesus at Christmas time just as they do all year long.
Which one do I want to be? Which path is God calling me to walk down? Maybe one of these, maybe a combination of a couple of them, or maybe a path completely different. All I know for sure at this point is that God is calling me for a higher purpose. He wants to use me to share His word, to do His work, to be His hands and feet. He doesn't NEED me...but He WANTS me! What an amazing God we serve! I know that my God could save the world on His own without my help, without anything from me at all...but He wants to bless me by allowing me to serve Him by serving others! WOW!
Another year has come and gone, another birthday behind me. In reading my Bible everyday, I've learned so much about my amazing God. I love Him so much. I adore Him and long to be with Him. I pray daily for Jesus to return because I'm impatient for it but I know that His time is far greater than mine. He knows there are still people whose hearts will turn when they hear the Good News so He waits.
What is God calling you to do? What path is He leading you down this next year? Will you listen or turn your back and run the other way like Jonah?
Part of what God is calling me to do is to raise funds for hurting people in Asia. People who've never hear His name. People who have no idea what Christmas is. People who struggle each and every day to feed their children and more often than not go to sleep each night hungry. My heart is heavy and burdened for the people of India specifically. What a beautiful people they are, some of the most strikingly beautiful people I've ever seen, but so lost. They NEED a savior! And what better way to show them their Savior than to provide Him along with their everyday needs?
Go here to donate- if the Lord moves on your heart to do so- and help me send sewing machines to Asia!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!! May God's blessings pour out on you.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Did you know any of this?
Please watch this video. It contains important, little known information about our nation's history.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
God Came Near 2- Mary's Prayer
In Max Lucado's 1987 Masterpiece, God Came Near, chapter 4 had me in tears. I had to read it over and over because it was so beautiful and I couldn't help but think what an amazing Christmas program closing this would make. Picture it:
Young Mary holding her infant son close, knowing she would have Him for only a short while, praying this prayer with a heartache unlike anything she's ever known before.
God. O infant-God. Heaven's fairest child. Conceived by the union of devine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leaper's open wound,
to wipe a widow's weary tear,
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white- clutched tonight in an infant's fist. They aren't destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.
Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.
You will see our nakedness, for we cannot hide.
You will see our selfishness, for we cannot give.
You will see our pain, for we cannot heal.
Oh eyes that will see hell's darkest pit and witness her ugly prince...sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.
Lay still, tiny mouth. Lay still mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.
Rosebud lips- upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you- lay still.
And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.
Do you taste the dust of the trails you will travel?
Do you feel the cold sea water upon which you will walk?
Do you wrench at the invasion of the nail you will bear?
Do you fear the steep descent down the spiral staircase in to Satan's domain?
Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.
And little heart...holy heart...pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?
You'll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You'll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You'll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you'll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.
Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you'll rest again--this time in the embrace of your Father.
God Came Near by Max Lucado
(C) 1987 published by Multnomah Press
Used with permission
From the arms of his mother, to the arms of his Father...the journey our Lord traveled in between was nothing like anything we can imagine. We can read about it, we can think we know what Jesus felt or experienced based on our own experiences...but we'll never truely know.
Mary's prayer for her son, her Creator, is that of a mother who spent 9 long months anticipating his birth, feeling him wiggle around in her womb, growing...the creator being created.
So beautiful!
Young Mary holding her infant son close, knowing she would have Him for only a short while, praying this prayer with a heartache unlike anything she's ever known before.
God. O infant-God. Heaven's fairest child. Conceived by the union of devine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.
Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.
Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
to touch a leaper's open wound,
to wipe a widow's weary tear,
to claw the ground of Gethsemane.
Your hands, so tiny, so tender, so white- clutched tonight in an infant's fist. They aren't destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.
Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.
You will see our nakedness, for we cannot hide.
You will see our selfishness, for we cannot give.
You will see our pain, for we cannot heal.
Oh eyes that will see hell's darkest pit and witness her ugly prince...sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.
Lay still, tiny mouth. Lay still mouth from which eternity will speak.
Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.
Rosebud lips- upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you- lay still.
And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.
Do you taste the dust of the trails you will travel?
Do you feel the cold sea water upon which you will walk?
Do you wrench at the invasion of the nail you will bear?
Do you fear the steep descent down the spiral staircase in to Satan's domain?
Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.
And little heart...holy heart...pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?
You'll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.
You'll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.
You'll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.
And you'll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.
Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.
And there you'll rest again--this time in the embrace of your Father.
God Came Near by Max Lucado
(C) 1987 published by Multnomah Press
Used with permission
From the arms of his mother, to the arms of his Father...the journey our Lord traveled in between was nothing like anything we can imagine. We can read about it, we can think we know what Jesus felt or experienced based on our own experiences...but we'll never truely know.
Mary's prayer for her son, her Creator, is that of a mother who spent 9 long months anticipating his birth, feeling him wiggle around in her womb, growing...the creator being created.
So beautiful!
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
God Came Near
I'm not sure where I got this particular book but I found it on my shelf and decided to give it a go. And I'm so glad I did! I'm so blessed by having read this book.
It's called God Came Near written by Max Lucado and published in 1987 by Multnomah Press.
I've received permission from Max Lucado's people to share on my blog about this book and how it's touched me so I'll be doing that for the next few blog posts.
In the first chapter, titled The Arrival, on page 23 is a passage that struck me as so beautiful and so moving I had to share. As a mother, knowing what it feels like in the seconds, minutes, hours after bringing my children into the world, I remember well the awe but it's hard to imagine what it might have been like to give birth to God. Max Lucado puts it so beautifully:
Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can't take her eyes off of him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. "His kingdom will never end."
He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependant upon Mary for his well-being.
Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.
She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!
God Came Near by Max Lucado
Can you imagine? Can you for even one moment try to put yourself into the place of Mary and try to grasp what it must have been like to give birth to the creator of the universe? WOW!
It's called God Came Near written by Max Lucado and published in 1987 by Multnomah Press.
I've received permission from Max Lucado's people to share on my blog about this book and how it's touched me so I'll be doing that for the next few blog posts.
In the first chapter, titled The Arrival, on page 23 is a passage that struck me as so beautiful and so moving I had to share. As a mother, knowing what it feels like in the seconds, minutes, hours after bringing my children into the world, I remember well the awe but it's hard to imagine what it might have been like to give birth to God. Max Lucado puts it so beautifully:
Wide awake is Mary. My, how young she looks! Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. The pain has been eclipsed by wonder. She looks into the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. At this point in history, the human being who best understands who God is and what he is doing is a teenage girl in a smelly stable. She can't take her eyes off of him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. So this is he. She remembers the words of the angel. "His kingdom will never end."
He looks like anything but a king. His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependant upon Mary for his well-being.
Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter.
She touches the face of the infant-God. How long was your journey!
God Came Near by Max Lucado
Copyright 1987 Published by Multnomah Press
Used by permission
Can you imagine? Can you for even one moment try to put yourself into the place of Mary and try to grasp what it must have been like to give birth to the creator of the universe? WOW!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Paul says....
Paul says lots of stuff in the Bible, lots of very good stuff. But since I'm still hung up on the End Times, I'm going to stick to what he says about that particular topic.
In 2 Timothy 3:1-9 he says: But understand this, in the last days there will come timesof difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.
WOW! It's almost like Paul looked ahead into our time and could see what was coming. He is totally describing the people of today. And I know you could say there have always been people like that but it's difficult today to NOT find people like that because there are so many of them. The general population is filled to overflowing with the types of people Paul is talking about. Truely God fearing, faithful, humble people are getting to be few and far between.
And that makes me think of another verse: Matthew 9:37 Jesus tells his Disciples: The harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
There are so many lost people in this world- millions, if not billions, of them. So very lost, suffering apart from God. And there are so few people who are willing to go to them, to show them the way to the Cross. We are living in the End Times...and before much longer, it will be too late for the lost.
Matthew 7:13-14 says: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Many will follow the wrong path because no one shows them the right one. They are blind to it. We, as God's children, cannot sit idly by and watch as they walk into an eternity apart from God. How many of these lost people would give their hearts to God if they had been told the truth by someone who showed them the love of God? It breaks my heart to think of all these people who die in their sin without ever hearing God's truth, never knowing they have a Savior who loved them enough to die for them.
Because we stand silent.
The days grow short. Will you be a worker with me? Will you stand up and join me in the fight to win one more soul for the kingdom of God? You win one more. I win one more and those two go win one more each and the numbers grow and grow.
I refuse to turn my back and do nothing while people suffer!
In 2 Timothy 3:1-9 he says: But understand this, in the last days there will come timesof difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness but denying its power.
WOW! It's almost like Paul looked ahead into our time and could see what was coming. He is totally describing the people of today. And I know you could say there have always been people like that but it's difficult today to NOT find people like that because there are so many of them. The general population is filled to overflowing with the types of people Paul is talking about. Truely God fearing, faithful, humble people are getting to be few and far between.
And that makes me think of another verse: Matthew 9:37 Jesus tells his Disciples: The harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
There are so many lost people in this world- millions, if not billions, of them. So very lost, suffering apart from God. And there are so few people who are willing to go to them, to show them the way to the Cross. We are living in the End Times...and before much longer, it will be too late for the lost.
Matthew 7:13-14 says: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Many will follow the wrong path because no one shows them the right one. They are blind to it. We, as God's children, cannot sit idly by and watch as they walk into an eternity apart from God. How many of these lost people would give their hearts to God if they had been told the truth by someone who showed them the love of God? It breaks my heart to think of all these people who die in their sin without ever hearing God's truth, never knowing they have a Savior who loved them enough to die for them.
Because we stand silent.
The days grow short. Will you be a worker with me? Will you stand up and join me in the fight to win one more soul for the kingdom of God? You win one more. I win one more and those two go win one more each and the numbers grow and grow.
I refuse to turn my back and do nothing while people suffer!
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Are we living in the end times?
Ever since the Left Behind series was first released back in 1995, interest in End Times prophecy has sky rocketed. There are so many different interpretations about how things will play out in those days.
Some people believe that Jesus will return and take the church to heaven in the blink of an eye before the Great Tribulation throws the Earth and its inhabitants into turmoil the likes of which have never been seen before.
Some people believe that Jesus will come mid way through the Great Tribulation and take the church to Heaven, forcing believers to endure these terrible times for 3.5 years.
Other people believe that Jesus will come only after the 7 years of great trial have been completed.
Basically the only thing believers disagree about is timing- when Jesus will return for God's children.
I've read the Left Behind series- if you haven't you can find information about it here: Left Behind Series. I've studied the Bible prophecy pertaining to the end times and I believe that the book series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye are pretty spot on. I believe in the first scenario- that Jesus will return and remove true believers from the earth before the Great Tribulation.
When Jesus was here the first time, people saw him and those whose hearts were inclined to believe didn't have to have faith that He was real. He was there, He was real, they could touch Him and hear Him with their ears. Today, we have to believe by faith alone. We've never seen Jesus with our eyes, heard him speak with our ears, touched Him or felt His touch. Our faith is all we have.
Revelation 3:10 says: 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Because we, God's children, have believed in Him without seeing, have kept His world and endured patiently, He will take us from the Earth before the Great Tribulation. That is what I believe.
And why do I believe that those days are upon us?
Matthew 24:36-38 says: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.
In the days of Noah, the people were corrupt, they were full of sin, they were wicked and participated in all manner of sinful lifestyles. If you read the story of Noah, you could very easily imagine that you were reading about our world today. Homosexual marriage, vulgarity and sex on TV, child abuse, murder, drugs, alcohol, and all manner of depravity are so common it fails to shock the average person.
In the days of Noah, God chose the only Godly people left. He chose Noah and his family to build the ark, save the animals, and represent Him as they rebuilt the world after the flood. And just as will be in the end times, God will take His children out of harms way when He unleashes His wrath on the earth. God made sure that Noah and his family were safely sealed inside the ark before the rains came. Because Noah and his family loved God, kept His commands, God saved them from the flood. He will do no less for His children today.
Jesus' disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end. Here's what Jesus said in Luke 21:7-19:
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
We've had many people come and try to convince people that a certain date will mark the end of the world. Just recently a preacher insisted that the rapture would happen in May of 2011 and again in October 2011...both dates came and went and we're still here. We're hearing of wars and uprising nearly daily- our embasies and consulates being attacked all over the world, Syria and Egypt in turmoil, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinians.
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
Earthquakes causing tsunamis in Asia and the south Pacific. Japan, Haiti, Chile, and Indonesia. Massive tornados, hurricanes, and snow storms around the world. Drouts causing crop failure and famine.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.
Christians around the world are being persecuted for their faith. Church leaders in China, North and South Korea, Afganistan, Iran, and India being imprisoned, tortured, and killed just for believing in Jesus. Even here in the United States of America believers are being persecuted. Churches are being attacked, burned down, and our rights are being stripped away at an alarming rate. Families are being torn apart. Christians are being labeled as intollerant and hateful because we stand against sin. Our freedom of speech is being revolked because what we have to say isn't what the world wants to hear.
All of these things we're seeing are things that Jesus himself said would happen at the end of the age...in the time before He would return. Never before in church history has the world been more ready for the return of Christ than it is now.
I pray daily for Jesus to return. I long with everything in me for His return, to be in Heaven with Him. But I know He waits for one reason only...He loves every unsaved person as much as He loves those of us who've made the choice to love Him back. He wants everyone to come to Him and He'll be patient until the time when He knows there is no more hope. That being said, it is up to us, God's children, to take up the cross daily and win souls for Him. Win the lost, do what we must- sacrifically so- to lead the blind to the arms of Christ.
We are at the gates of eternity. The signs are before us, staring us in the face if we'll but open our eyes to see them. Jesus is preparing to return! Do you have someone in your family who is lost? Someone in your neighborhood who doesn't know Jesus? Can you in good conscience let those people continue to live in darkness when you have the lamp the light the way? Can you picture them trying to survive in a world ruled literally by Satan. Through the Great Tribulation that will be the worst and most desperate time our world has ever faced?
Some people believe that Jesus will return and take the church to heaven in the blink of an eye before the Great Tribulation throws the Earth and its inhabitants into turmoil the likes of which have never been seen before.
Some people believe that Jesus will come mid way through the Great Tribulation and take the church to Heaven, forcing believers to endure these terrible times for 3.5 years.
Other people believe that Jesus will come only after the 7 years of great trial have been completed.
Basically the only thing believers disagree about is timing- when Jesus will return for God's children.
I've read the Left Behind series- if you haven't you can find information about it here: Left Behind Series. I've studied the Bible prophecy pertaining to the end times and I believe that the book series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim LaHaye are pretty spot on. I believe in the first scenario- that Jesus will return and remove true believers from the earth before the Great Tribulation.
When Jesus was here the first time, people saw him and those whose hearts were inclined to believe didn't have to have faith that He was real. He was there, He was real, they could touch Him and hear Him with their ears. Today, we have to believe by faith alone. We've never seen Jesus with our eyes, heard him speak with our ears, touched Him or felt His touch. Our faith is all we have.
Revelation 3:10 says: 10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.
Because we, God's children, have believed in Him without seeing, have kept His world and endured patiently, He will take us from the Earth before the Great Tribulation. That is what I believe.
And why do I believe that those days are upon us?
Matthew 24:36-38 says: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[a] but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.
In the days of Noah, the people were corrupt, they were full of sin, they were wicked and participated in all manner of sinful lifestyles. If you read the story of Noah, you could very easily imagine that you were reading about our world today. Homosexual marriage, vulgarity and sex on TV, child abuse, murder, drugs, alcohol, and all manner of depravity are so common it fails to shock the average person.
In the days of Noah, God chose the only Godly people left. He chose Noah and his family to build the ark, save the animals, and represent Him as they rebuilt the world after the flood. And just as will be in the end times, God will take His children out of harms way when He unleashes His wrath on the earth. God made sure that Noah and his family were safely sealed inside the ark before the rains came. Because Noah and his family loved God, kept His commands, God saved them from the flood. He will do no less for His children today.
Jesus' disciples asked Jesus about the signs of the end. Here's what Jesus said in Luke 21:7-19:
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
We've had many people come and try to convince people that a certain date will mark the end of the world. Just recently a preacher insisted that the rapture would happen in May of 2011 and again in October 2011...both dates came and went and we're still here. We're hearing of wars and uprising nearly daily- our embasies and consulates being attacked all over the world, Syria and Egypt in turmoil, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Israel and the Palestinians.
10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
Earthquakes causing tsunamis in Asia and the south Pacific. Japan, Haiti, Chile, and Indonesia. Massive tornados, hurricanes, and snow storms around the world. Drouts causing crop failure and famine.
12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.
Christians around the world are being persecuted for their faith. Church leaders in China, North and South Korea, Afganistan, Iran, and India being imprisoned, tortured, and killed just for believing in Jesus. Even here in the United States of America believers are being persecuted. Churches are being attacked, burned down, and our rights are being stripped away at an alarming rate. Families are being torn apart. Christians are being labeled as intollerant and hateful because we stand against sin. Our freedom of speech is being revolked because what we have to say isn't what the world wants to hear.
All of these things we're seeing are things that Jesus himself said would happen at the end of the age...in the time before He would return. Never before in church history has the world been more ready for the return of Christ than it is now.
I pray daily for Jesus to return. I long with everything in me for His return, to be in Heaven with Him. But I know He waits for one reason only...He loves every unsaved person as much as He loves those of us who've made the choice to love Him back. He wants everyone to come to Him and He'll be patient until the time when He knows there is no more hope. That being said, it is up to us, God's children, to take up the cross daily and win souls for Him. Win the lost, do what we must- sacrifically so- to lead the blind to the arms of Christ.
We are at the gates of eternity. The signs are before us, staring us in the face if we'll but open our eyes to see them. Jesus is preparing to return! Do you have someone in your family who is lost? Someone in your neighborhood who doesn't know Jesus? Can you in good conscience let those people continue to live in darkness when you have the lamp the light the way? Can you picture them trying to survive in a world ruled literally by Satan. Through the Great Tribulation that will be the worst and most desperate time our world has ever faced?
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