When I woke up and immediately saw the things I had neglected in the rush of yesterday, I had to believe that I am blessed.

The laundry wouldn’t dry because of the humidity.
I felt sick to my stomach and totally inert because of the humidity and my soreness from working on the house. (We were supposed to continue that today, but after we got supplies, and hung some laundry, our bodies refused to cooperate.)
I looked again at the earwig dung in the cabinets holding our dishes and food in the garage.
I realized the container I filled with iced tea had a big crack in the bottom corner.
I shouted at the flies and fruitflies.
I sighed again at the filthy windows (we are so going to shine those once the kitchen is back together.)
I put dishes away at 9:30 at night and heard critters making ruckus directly above the deteriorating drop ceiling in the garage, and prayed, “Oh, Lord, please let that be mice and not bats.”
I was so glad to take a shower at the end of the day; then I dried myself with a towel that smelled like mildew.

At 9:00 at night, I was on my way out to the garage when I noticed the basement door was open a crack. I quickly closed it, and went to see if the cat was still sleeping in the living room. No see. I asked, “Where’s Livvy?” Nobody knew, so I told Mom, “The basement door was open.”
“Oh no.”
Mom immediately got everyone together to start looking for her, while I went down into the basement to look. I called for her and looked around. No sign of her down there. But the doors leading outside were still open! I looked out those doors and two things struck me: “I don’t hear anyone saying they’ve found her yet. And I don’t have a flashlight with me!” I stood for a brief moment wondering what to do next. Then I turned and in the corner of my eye I saw a shadow move. I thought it must belong to the cat who lives in the basement so I called him. And then I saw the eyes of that creature.

“Livvy!”

What can your heart do but skip at such a moment? I scooped her up immediately and two more realizations hit me: Those doors were wide open and it’s pitch black outside; there is no exterior lighting and I didn’t have a flashlight. Second, the basement door was barely open and I just happened to notice it that moment. Third, I barely saw a shadow in the corner of my eye. All this flashed through my mind as I scooped her up and said, “Thank You, Jesus.” She’s saved.

In the midst of all of this, I am blessed. Not because of the circumstances, but in the midst of them. God says I am blessed. He does not say that the earwig dung or the flies or the sick feeling or the family of unknown critters is my blessing, but He says I am blessed because I will be comforted. He says I am blessed if I keep His ways. He says I am blessed if I am gentle, peaceable, and compassionate. He says I am blessed if I crave for righteousness.

Jesus says that those who are lowly in spirit and grieving in heart are blessed. Does He say that their blessing is to be lowly and grieving? No; He says that their blessing is that they possess the kingdom of God and that they will be comforted forever.

And today was really a good day; but the basic little things like the constant earwig dung and the filthy windows, etc. etc. just build up their punch day by day. But– I am blessed!

My heart grieves, my spirit is lowly, and my body is weary, but my family is safe; my cat is safe; my soul is safe; I have food and clothing; I shall be content. I have a bed to sleep in and a roof to sleep under. I have electric lighting; I have running water; I have my Bible which I can study to my heart’s delight; I have many other books (I guess it doesn’t matter that I lack the time to read them!) I have a guitar and I know how to use it. I have a refrigerator. I have hope– I have every spiritual blessing!

I am most blessed in the natural realm by the beautiful, godly people in my life, I think. It’s a benefit that not everybody has. My family loves me, even when I’m totally nuts!

I have the freedom, unlike many other Christians, to meet with fellow believers to praise God and study His Word. Lots of people all over the world suffer very much just to assemble together to build one another up.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10)

For more Word for Wednesdays, visit Yeah, Right…

Word for Wednesday: I am Blessed is a post from: As In a Mirror

I know that the topic of suffering is kinda touchy. It always was for me, too.  Suffering is very, very real to me, and I can say that it was very, very real suffering that brought me to the Cross. Yes, but that suffering was caused by my sin! It was my sin that made the cross necessary! So I hereby would like to present my stance on the topic of suffering, based on a long study of the character of God revealed in His Word. This is not a matter of “picking and choosing” Scriptures and ignoring others– that does not make sense, because ALL Scripture is inspired by God and it says the same thing through and through, never contradicting itself.

Jean said when certain Scriptures seem to contradict each other, we must pray for clarification and be open. All I have to say is this: it once seemed to me that the Scripture said two different things in places, so I prayed for the clarification. God said, “You have it right in front of You.” The same God wrote every word in this book. He does not contradict Himself! His word is the clarification and the only time it seems otherwise is when we are blinded.

This question has been posed for ages: why does God allow suffering? Through my personal study of the Scripture have I come to this conclusion in my heart: Man allows suffering. There are people more experienced, who have been studying the Scripture longer than I, that I have received insight from. I do not believe there is anything wrong with this, because it is the purpose of the church to search out the Word of God, fellowship and build each other up in this respect.

I have not been spoon-fed any of this; this is the conviction of my heart through many evidences. It does not come from picking and choosing verses in the Bible that fit my perception; I have allowed my perception to be molded by the Scripture as a whole and have challenged all the theories I have heard. Those over me have “taught” me to receive nothing unless the Word of God clearly states it. I believe it has the same Author, so it will always say the same thing through and through, never contradicting itself (that doesn’t mean we interpret the whole by what we already assume!). There are things within the Scripture I do not yet fully understand; but concerning suffering, I am more than convinced that it is in the world because of man’s sin.

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12)

Death, suffering, evil, is in the world because of SIN! But people have been born blind; why? Because they sinned? No; but death, evil, and imperfection entered this world because of sin. We suffer in the flesh from Adam’s sin (thorns, wasps, mosquitoes, etc.), yes; but we are condemned because of our own sin, unless we repent and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation. And what is so amazing is that Jesus came into this world to work the works of God– to bring healing! By His blood we are cleansed from sin, and by His wounds we are healed of our diseases. (The literal Greek does not have punctuation or verses. I find it at least interesting to have seen this alternate translation from John 9: “Neither this man nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God should be revealed in him, I must work the works of Him who sent me– while it is day.”)

There are some who complain about God because “He allows suffering.” These people should instead recognize that the sin of man brings suffering into this world, and they should be grateful to God that He gives good things to all men, and that He offers salvation to all who believe in His Son! Our God is Good; He does not merely allow suffering; He works all things together for good to those who love Him. He does not cause all things to happen, but He works ALL things together for good to those who love Him! See, if I was not under the grace of God, sufferings and trials (for instance 9/11) would not produce in me patient endurance and strength, but rather fear and anger. Many religious and ethnic groups have been persecuted over the years, but none of them have reacted the way Christians have: with strength. Thus, suffering is no good in of itself.

1 Thessalonians says to give thanks IN all circumstances, not for them. I believe that horrible things that happen on this planet earth have been wreaked on man BY man; it has only happened since the fall of man. God did not send that snake to tempt Adam; this is how I know: James 1 says that God does not tempt (in the Greek this also means test or scrutinize) anyone, but every good and perfect gift is from Him, because His very nature is GOODNESS.

“Unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.” (Psalm 127). The house that fell–God did not tear it down; it fell by itself, because it was built in vain, it was not built soundly, according to the laws of nature which the Author of nature established. God never forces Himself upon people; this is clear when one studies the Scripture to search out the character of God. God offers freedom; freedom cannot be forced upon anyone! One can only RECEIVE a free gift. They could also choose not to, and instead sell themselves into slavery– slavery to sin, and receive the ultimate wages of death.

We give thanks in everything because we know that God is ultimately in control. He does not cause everything that happens to happen, but He works out the good end. We give thanks because He is not defeated; He always leads US in triumph in Christ Jesus. And this is the victory that overcomes the world: OUR FAITH. He has given us faith that can move mountains. We give thanks because nothing changes who God is, not even the bad circumstances. He has given us the victory, but that means there’s got to be a battle!

We pray “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Why would Jesus tell us to pray something like that if God’s will was done on the earth automatically? And in the Bible we are given a little glimpse of what heaven is like. Revelation 20-22 tell us that in heaven, there is no more sorrow or dying. We know full well that here on earth, there is sorrow, and there is dying. This tells me that God’s will is not yet done on the earth! Nonetheless, we have hope, because we have faith! We confidently expect that the enemy’s defeat is guaranteed. We give thanks to God because we know, though we do not see, that Satan will soon be trampled under God’s feet, and there will be no more evil! I have looked death and grief right in the face. It is bitter, it is putrid, and it comes straight from the gates of hell. Truth is, man allowed it to come into the world.

I totally agree that God does not cause everything that happens to happen, and that the “good end” is the salvation of souls– that is the whole reason Jesus came! It clearly says in the Scripture that it is God’s will that none should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials…” This same chapter goes on to say that God does not tempt (try or test, in the literal Greek) anyone, but every good and perfect gift comes from Him! These Scriptures tell us that trials will come! Evil things will happen, because sin is in the world. But God miraculously gives us the grace to endure, and this endurance produces proven character– we become stronger! This is our joy, that God is strong in us!

But does this make me thankful for evil? No; it makes me grateful for God’s surpassing grace that strengthens me through the evil. Like 9/11; it was an absolutely horrible situation, and many of God’s people died that day. Exceedingly wicked people caused it to happen, but what they intended for evil, God did work out for good. God did not intend 9/11. God did not cause it to happen. However, because God is God, He was not lost amidst the ruins, and I don’t believe it struck Him by surprise because He is not human like us. I believe that because God is God, He brought victory into that situation and used it to wake people up to see their need for Him, and to see the need to go back to the solid Christian foundation of this nation. For this reason, I will look back and say, “God, I thank you that You are not limited by man’s deeds, and I thank You that what the devil tried to destroy You will revive and You have worked through this incident to bring people to Yourself. In all these troubles, You love us and make us more than conquerors.”

Evil, evil men killed many, many people that day. And many, many people have suffered because of it. But God’s right hand still goes forth to save despite man’s evil deeds! God USED 9/11 to bring people to Himself. That does not make 9/11 good, and it does not mean we need to thank God for 9/11. Rather, we should thank God for WHO HE IS, and that He is not stopped by Satan, not stopped by sin and the hatred of man; God was not stopped by 9/11! Is it the will of God that His children are slaughtered and starving? No! But He works good out of those situations, because as the heathen see God’s strength in His people, they are attracted to it. Thus, God uses very, very evil situations out for a very, very good end: the salvation of souls! God is not stopped by anything! Thank You, God, for everything You are; You reign over all with wisdom, strength, and love. Thank You, God, that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness.

Jesus suffered a great deal; so much more than we could imagine, because HE BECAME SIN on our behalf. The Scripture says that He was made perfect through sufferings. Jesus prayed, “Father, Your will be done.” And He was heard because of His godly fear. God’s will was done, that Christ should suffer to reconcile people to Himself. It does seem that God’s will was Jesus’ suffering! But why was that suffering necessary? Because of man’s sin! God chose not to send punishment upon man, but to send His Son to be punished for man; in this way, justice was still done.

I have seen God work through people’s death, I have seen Him work through tragedy; He saved me through someone else’s tragedy! But was it God’s will that a certain little girl would grow up without a father because he died for someone else? Look at it this way: death is in the world because of sin in the first place, but when it came time for one of two people to die, the righteous man CHOSE to die on behalf of the guilty. Through that situation, un-human love was illustrated, and many souls were saved. See, God brings healing wherever He goes, if only people would receive it! There is a Scripture that says that Jesus could do no mighty work in a certain village because of their unbelief, except that He cured a few sick people.

We tend to think of God as a magician in the sky, and when something bad happens, we say, “Hey, why did You let that happen?” The Bible shows us a God whose nature is incomprehensible to us, yet that does not mean we can’t know what His nature is. (We can know something, or choose to believe it, even though we don’t fully comprehend it. We do that with statistics a lot!) God is a Designer; He designs and sets in order (that’s not a magician). He is a Giver; He gives His design a stewardship and a blessing. He is a Father; He lets us learn from our mistakes, but makes it clear that whatever disaster ensues upon us was not His intention, but the result of ours or someone else’s wrongdoing. He is Good; He can do no wrong. He is Faithful and True; He never changes.

God does have a master plan– but sin, disaster, and suffering are not in His plan except that they will be destroyed. His master plan is the salvation of souls, and that His will (good) be done. Once again, He exercises this plan, not letting any chaos stop Him. We know and wait for the place where righteousness dwells, in the new heaven and new earth. Psalm 37 speaks a lot about the way of the Lord versus the way of man.

For a long time I have challenged all sides of the “suffering” argument, and spent time researching in the Word of God to see if I missed something. But now, I have taken a position, having become fully convinced. I used to think about whether or not God “could have” stopped 9/11 and why He didn’t. Yet I realized that this same logic leads us to ask if God could have stopped Satan from tempting Eve. I came to see through a careful examination of the Scripture (outside of the study of suffering) that God’s nature is not to be a control-freak. So it wasn’t a matter of stopping the tempter; God gave Adam and Eve the ability to choose. It didn’t matter so much that the tempter came as much as that Adam and Eve chose to be tempted! God could not change Adam and Eve’s decision; and God surely did not send the tempter! He did not stop the tempter from coming, but why would He have to? Was it God’s will for Adam and Eve to sin against Him? That doesn’t make sense. Yet, God was not lost, and He worked out a way for us to be saved; not only that, He promised that the glory man once had will be restored! And God has done so much over the thousands of years of mankind’s existence to wake man up to stop sinning. But if man chooses sin, he will REAP THE CONSEQUENCES. God knows the evil heart of man; I don’t believe 9/11 caught Him by surprise. After all, He knew ahead of time what has not yet happened– it’s recorded in Revelation.

This is my argument, based not on what I have been “taught” but on what I have searched and found to be true; not chosen from the multitude of man’s theories, but learned from a careful study of the Word of God and His character revealed therein.

One thing I am so grateful for is the opportunity believers have to openly discuss these things, and the free access we have to the written Word of God! Even though America (yes, even the American church) in many ways is deliberately running away from God, nobody’s stopped us yet!

Closing thought: God does not humble man. He does not use circumstances to humble man. Man can only humble himself. “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10)

Belated WFW: Suffering is a post from: As In a Mirror

“But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:11-12)

God was telling Moses what He wanted to do. He was laying out instructions to this humble sheep-herder what He wanted him to do to accomplish His plan. But what was Moses thinking about? “I cannot do it.” What was God’s response? “Well I can! Isn’t that good enough?” God had to tell Moses that OVER and OVER again! (But He was patient with Moses!)

Judges 7:7 “Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

Once again, God was saying what He also revealed to the psalmist:

“No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.” (Psalm 33:16-17)

However,

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
      And whose hope is the LORD.
       For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
      Which spreads out its roots by the river,
      And will not fear when heat comes;
      But its leaf will be green,
      And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
      Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

HE IS ENOUGH.

He is All-mighty. (Genesis 17:1) He is all-seeing. (Hebrews 4:13) He is all-powerful. (Revelation 19:6) He is that He is. (Exodus 3:14)

Isaiah 51: 1“Listen to Me, you who follow after righteousness,
      You who seek the LORD:
      Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
      And to the hole of the pit from which you were dug.
       2 Look to Abraham your father,
      And to Sarah who bore you;
      For I called him alone,
      And blessed him and increased him.”

4“ Listen to Me, My people;
      And give ear to Me, O My nation:
      For law will proceed from Me,
      And I will make My justice rest
      As a light of the peoples.
       5 My righteousness is near,
      My salvation has gone forth,
      And My arms will judge the peoples;
      The coastlands will wait upon Me,
      And on My arm they will trust.
       6 Lift up your eyes to the heavens,
      And look on the earth beneath.
      For the heavens will vanish away like smoke,
      The earth will grow old like a garment,
      And those who dwell in it will die in like manner;
      But My salvation will be forever,
      And My righteousness will not be abolished.
       7 “ Listen to Me, you who know righteousness,
      You people in whose heart is My law:
      Do not fear the reproach of men,
      Nor be afraid of their insults.
       8 For the moth will eat them up like a garment,
      And the worm will eat them like wool;
      But My righteousness will be forever,
      And My salvation from generation to generation.”
       9 Awake, awake, put on strength,
      O arm of the LORD!
      Awake as in the ancient days,
      In the generations of old.
      AreYou not the arm that cut Rahab apart,
      And wounded the serpent?
       10 Are You not the One who dried up the sea,
      The waters of the great deep;
      That made the depths of the sea a road
      For the redeemed to cross over?
       11 So the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
      And come to Zion with singing,
      With everlasting joy on their heads.
      They shall obtain joy and gladness;
      Sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
       12 “ I, even I, am He who comforts you.
      Who are you that you should be afraid
      Of a man who will die,
      And of the son of a man who will be made like grass?
       13 And you forget the LORD your Maker,
      Who stretched out the heavens
      And laid the foundations of the earth;
      You have feared continually every day
      Because of the fury of the oppressor,
      When he has prepared to destroy.
      And where is the fury of the oppressor?
       14 The captive exile hastens, that he may be loosed,
      That he should not die in the pit,
      And that his bread should not fail.
       15 But I am the LORD your God,
      Who divided the sea whose waves roared—
      The LORD of hosts is His name.
       16 And I have put My words in your mouth;
      I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
      That I may plant the heavens,
      Lay the foundations of the earth,
      And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

Philippians 3:3, 8-11: “For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit,[a] rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh…Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

Hebrews 12:22-24, 28-29: “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel… Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

Our God is enough. He shall supply all our needs. (Philippians 4:19) He has given us everything we need! (Ephesians 1:3: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”)

How great a salvation, that we might be called the children of God! That we, who were once separated from God by our sins, have been brought near by the blood of Christ, though God did not owe us a thing! Yet He made a way for us to live forever! To think– He who went to Hell for us was perfectly blameless before the Creator! We all have sinned– we have run after our own way, deliberately chasing after those things that God hates! Yet God ransomed us, made a way for us to be forgiven, though we did nothing to deserve it! Let’s remember that the very reason we are breathing, and the very reason we live in freedom: it’s all HIM! HE is our all-sufficiency; HE is our salvation; HE is our righteousness; HE is our provider; HE is the giver of all good things; HE is the Victor! HE is our ALL in ALL. He is everything that is good. He is LOVE. He is the WAY. He is the TRUTH. He is the LIFE.

And He never stands still. He is a consuming fire. Fire SPREADS, ladies and gentlemen. His arm is extended to save. But who is His body? It’s us!

God is moving, and He’s calling us to follow.
God is leading, and He wants the world to know
That He is coming soon
And He is calling us to move.
He is an all-consuming fire
He is calling us to come higher!

Word for Wednesday: He is Enough is a post from: As In a Mirror

I have not been able recently to write any Word for Wednesdays (sorry folks!), but hopefully this will make up for it. Yeah, you know what I’m getting at.

Really, I have just been thinking a whole lot about all of chapters 24-25, but what I will concentrate on for now is chapter 25 verses 1-13.

“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish. Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them, but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.”

The fact here is, the bridegroom was delayed! Also, all the virgins, wise and foolish, slumbered and slept! Half of the virgins had oil for their lamps; the other half did not. Half had the resources to shine, the other half did not. Yet, they all slumbered and slept! Jesus says, “Watch, for you do not know when your Lord is coming!”

Are we slumbering and sleeping while we are supposed to watch for the bridegroom? Are we burying our talent in the ground? Are we kicking off while the master is away? Are we ignoring the least of these? We must be careful of false christs; but what are we to do instead? I find it quite interesting that earlier in this same discourse, in chapter 24 verse 14, He says,

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

Jesus ascended into heaven only after giving His disciples these instructions:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

Notice He never did tell them when to stop!

We have been given “the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20)

While waiting for the Coming Christ, we are to not become distracted with the things of this world, not to become hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, but what we are to do is spread the word! Are we imploring men, “Be reconciled to God!” The word translated “implore” is to beg; a derivative of the word bind. That is, to plead as one pleads for his life. Are we pleading men for their own lives? I heard from an interview with Mark Cahill that studies show only 2% of Christians share their faith regularly. Are you going to be part of that 2%? Are enough of us going to do that so that we bump that 2% up some? We are not just “getting converts” like the Jehovah’s Witnesses or the Muslims or the Catholics or any of those guys; we are pleading with men to be reconciled to God! We are letting men know how they can live forever!

We are not just waiting for when the train comes to take us home; we are gathering as many people to come along with us as will come! Their ticket has been paid for; all they have to do is trust they must go on this train, stop what they were doing to watch for the train and gather more people, and be willing to wait for it! Maybe it will rain some, scoffers will come, traffic might get heavy and it will be hard to see, it might get noisy and hard to listen for the train, but ladies and gentlemen, the train is a’comin, and when it comes, everyone will know!

Has every nation heard this gospel? If not, why are we slumbering and sleeping? Why don’t we tell them? If the bridegroom is delayed, we are not to sit around and sleep; we must watch and do the duties He has given us to do. When we see the signs of the end of the age, we must become all the more compelled to do some imploring. And really, we cannot be equipped to share this good news if we don’t have a good understanding of God’s Word, and if we are not truly passionate for Jesus. We must be firmly grounded in faith and love, and be practicing the fruits of the Spirit, so that we can have the power to share the gospel. When we are led by the Spirit of God, we will live our own lives with His power. We will be led by God to the people who need to hear about Him most at that moment; those whose hearts are ripe. Our words might minister to someone, but more often it is our lives that show people God at work in us through love.

Tony Miano, Director of the Ambassador’s Academy, a branch of Living Waters, put it this way, “Christians are called by the Word of God to live their lives in such a way as to expect the Lord to return at any moment, and with that expectancy should come a sense of urgency, understanding that over 150,000 people die every day, with the vast majority of them bound for hell.” It is us, the ambassadors for Christ, who have the key in our hands. With our given talents, are we earning more? Are we saving lives?

In the parable of the talents as told in Luke 19, the master told his servants, “Occupy til I come.” That word occupy means to KEEP BUSY! We have work to do, brethren!

I was reminded of a Casting Crowns song, “While You Were Sleeping.” It is very, very challenging and hard-hitting, very, very relevant. I don’t believe I’ve heard another song like it!

Oh little town of Bethlehem
Looks like another silent night
Above your deep and dreamless sleep
A giant star lights up the sky
And while you’re lying in the dark
There shines an everlasting light
For the King has left His throne
And is sleeping in a manger tonight

Oh Bethlehem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
For God became a man
And stepped into your world today
Oh Bethlehem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

Oh little town of Jerusalem
Looks like another silent night
The Father gave His only Son
The Way, the Truth, the Life had came
But there was no room for Him in the world He came to save

Jerusalem, what you have missed while you were sleeping
The Savior of the world is dying on your cross today
Jerusalem, you will go down in history
As a city with no room for its King
While you were sleeping
While you were sleeping

United States of America
Looks like another silent night
As we’re sung to sleep by philosophies
That save the trees and kill the children
And while we’re lying in the dark
There’s a shout heard ‘cross the eastern sky
For the Bridegroom has returned
And has carried His bride away in the night

America, what will we miss while we are sleeping?
Will Jesus come again
And leave us slumbering where we lay?
America, will we go down in history
As a nation with no room for its King?
Will we be sleeping?
Will we be sleeping?

Here is what He says to those who slumber:

“Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” (Ephesians 4:14)

There is hope! The solution is you and me!

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” (Hebrews 12:1-3)

“For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
      “ How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
      Who bring glad tidings of good things!” ” (Romans 10:12-15)

So, brethren, let’s seek more of God and more of His Spirit; let’s feed on this Word so we can change our world for Jesus. Let’s show the people the truth– it’s Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh!

So, to borrow the dancer’s phrase, “Move your feet!”

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Word for Wednesday: Awake is a post from: As In a Mirror