Category: News (Page 7 of 90)

The description of the end times is fascinating; confusing; beautiful; terrible; awe-inspiring! The vision of Christ’s return and judgement causes alarm, dismissal, and endless discussion.

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:7-8

It is the last Sunday of the Church Year. A day when we look toward the return of Jesus and the end of things as we know; the ultimate and inevitable conclusion of everything as we understand it.

But it is also the day when we look to those same events as culmination of God’s Plan for redemption, salvation, a new creation, and life everlasting; free from death, sadness, and pain!

As Christians, we need not fear the destruction, the calamity, and the judgement to come, because we know the other side of it. We know “the end” is not “The End.” For those who believe in Jesus and trust in God, it is the beginning of something far beyond our comprehension and imagination! Something that will make all our suffering and pain in this life trivial, forgettable, and inconsequential. When we have faith in Jesus, we have nothing to fear and everything to anxiously anticipate! “Come, Lord Jesus! Come!”

Scriptures

• Daniel 7:9-10
• Daniel 7:13-14
• Revelation 1:4-8

What are our priorities? Not just what we say they are or want them to be or what we think they should be so others view us the “right” way; what are they actually?

[Jesus said,] “You will be hated by all for My Name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

Mark 13:13

Last week we heard that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and our neighbors as ourselves. But, really — “all”?! I mean, come on. That’s just hyperbole, right?

That’s what we’d like to believe, but that is not the reality of the text or our calling.

Today’s Scriptures make that clear.

In the Gospel, Jesus praises the poor widow literally gave everything she had! In the Old Testament lesson, Elijah asks for the same from a widow and her son; and she obliges!

Both gave because the truly believed and put that faith into practice, trusting that the Lord would provide!

So, what’s holding us back from being “all in” for God in all areas of our lives? Is it a lack of calling? A lack of faith? A lack of trust? Is it disbelief in what Scripture says or what God commands? Is it an inherent security that comes from our stuff instead of God? Our time instead of His work? Our perceived duty to self and others over duty to Him?

The fact is, there is nothing we have that isn’t actually His; including our things and time. When we realize that He has simply granted us temporary stewardship over these things, it is very freeing! Our decisions can be “all in” because they are “all His” anyway. We can rely on His provisions because we see His faithfulness for us every day. So we can respond in with the same generous faithfulness in all things!

“Thank You, Lord, for Your constant faithfulness to us and provisions for us. Grant us thankful hearts that respond to You in every way, for everything, forever! In Jesus’ name. Amen!”Throughout history there are those who would agree with Charles Dickens that they lived in “the best of times” and “the worst of times.”

Dicken was writing about the French Revolution era, but I wonder if some in Jesus’ time might have been tempted to think similarly. After all, though they were under Roman rule and all the negatives that contained, they were mostly left alone, had a beautiful temple and temple area; they could travel fairly freely, earn a decent living, and lived within the “Pax Romana.”

“Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” (Mark 13:1)

But Jesus doesn’t share a rosy future approaching, but rather some frightening – even horrifying things to come! He shares the challenges that will come soon and last until He comes again. They need to watch and be on their guard lest they stray and walk the path of the world instead of the path of God.

We see people being led astray in similar ways today. We hear cries about how wonderful (or terrible) things are, or great they will be. We focus on this or that of the world, or issues which are temporary and take our eye off the ball of promised eternal prize and what must precede It.

We caught up in and try to read “signs of the time” in this age instead of those of the World to come.

“See that no on leads you astray” Jesus says. That is just as true for us as it was for His disciples then.

Things will get bad. Very bad. But fear not, for “the one who endures to the end will be saved!”

Don’t be swayed by the “best” or “worst” of this world! Don’t loose sight of Goal! Don’t take your focus off Him!

HE is the point! HE is the goal! HE is the best, for all time!

“Thank You, Lord!”

Scriptures

• Mark 13:1-13