“YOU ALSO MUST BE READY!”

 Matthew 24:54-51                              (ESV)

“44 Therefore “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, for the SON of MAN is coming AT AN HOUR YOU DO NOT EXPECT.

45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time?

46 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.

47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions.

48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,'

49 and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards,

50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he DOES NOT EXPECT him and at an hour he DOES NOT KNOW

51 and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Times of uncertainty are growing as darkness is continuing to increase.  NO ONE is able to exactly predict when JESUS CHRIST will return to rapture we who are CHOSEN by THE FATHER!  Matthew 24:36 is blatantly clear that “But concerning that day and hour NO ONE KNOWS, not even the angels of heaven, nor the SON, but the FATHER ONLY!”  Since even JESUS the CHRIST is unaware of day and hour, wouldn’t it be prudent for we who are HIS Servants to be alerting others that “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”?  

Our CREATOR gave us HIS WORD to guide us, kind of like a roadmap assisting us through “this world”.  FAITH IS REQUIRED, not preferred, to please the FATHER (Hebrews 11:6), and this FAITH is not always doing what we think is best, but DOING what HIS WORD instructs us to do!  GOD IN THE FLESH prayed to the FATHER before going to the cross, “MY FATHER, if it be possible, let this cup pass from ME; nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU will."  We tend to get our own ideas of what HE desires to accomplish in our lives, but we MUST come to the place where we are willing to say “nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU will”!  

Would I be willing to surrender my life for HIS GLORY?  Sure, it is HIS anyway!  But what about my wife, my children, or my grandchildren?!?  They ALL belong to HIM anyway, so why do we think that we are “in control”???  

FATHER IN HEAVEN, continue opening my EYES to SEE that YOU are in control.  YOU were in control of the rough seas (Matthew 8:23-27) and YOU haven’t surrendered any power!  Cause me to recognize that I am just a CREATION of YOURS and that “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY” for YOUR PLAN for my life!!!

“LOVE!”

 1 Corinthians 13:4-13                                          (ESV)

“4 “LOVE” is patient and kind; “LOVE” does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant

5 or rude. IT DOES NOT INSIST ON ITS OWN WAY; it is not irritable or resentful;

6 IT (LOVE) DOES NOT REJOICE AT WRONGDOING, BUT REJOICES WITH THE TRUTH.

7 “LOVE” BEARS ALL THINGS, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 “LOVE” never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,

10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.

11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and “LOVE” abide, these three; but the greatest of these is “LOVE”.”

One of the most offensive things for me to hear is that a Believer has to accept a sinful lifestyle because we are CHRISTIANS, and GOD IS LOVE!  HE is the ONE WHO CREATED people the way they are and HE wouldn’t have made them this way if HE didn’t want them being this way?!?  Well, GOD didn’t create us to be full grown adults either!  GOD allows some of us to mature and grow up.  Some of us aren’t afforded that experience.  I recently heard about a child less than one year old that is battling cancer!  The prognosis is not good for this human.  We need to REALIZE how BLESSED we are to be where we are, but understand that we are left here to GLORIFY GOD.

When a child “rebels”, laughing at the act might actually be cute?  I’ve often laughed at a little child who hasn’t yet learned the difference between right and wrong.  But we REJOICE AT WRONGDOING, we are basically condoning behavior that is not profitable for the guilty party.  How much we “LOVE” this person might dictate how quickly corrective measures for their conduct are implemented?  Sometimes the “LOVE” (or correction) may be a bit heavy handed, but GOD is able to use even that for HIS GLORY!  

We have been BLESSED with three beautiful grandchildren so far, and we are the type of grandparents that enjoy doing what we can to ingratiate our BLESSINGS with what they want.  But we wouldn’t think of letting them drive a vehicle until they are mature enough to navigate traffic.  That would be highly irresponsible.  We “LOVE” them so much that we have to say NO to their wants at times FOR THEIR OWN BETTERMENT!  

“LOVE” is a delicate thing in that it BEARS ALL THINGS, but it also offers  guidance and correction when it is required.  Sometimes we need to let others observe the pains of their choices before offering them the guidance and correction, even though their rewards will cause pain.  “LOVE” BEARS ALL THINGS isn’t always just difficult for the one who is going through the lessons, it is hard for the ones having to BEAR ALL THINGS!  But allowing GOD’S PERFECT SON to go through the agony of the cross was more painful than anything we will ever know!  But “GOD so “LOVED” the world, that HE gave HIS only SON, that whoever believes in HIM should not perish but have eternal life”!!!  Now THAT IS “LOVE”!!!

“THE LORD PASSED BY!”

 1 Kings 19:8-12                                         (KJV)

“8 And he (Elijah) arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of GOD. 

9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and HE said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: for the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN DOWN THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

11 And HE said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE.

13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came A VOICE unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD GOD of hosts: because the children of Israel have FORSAKEN THY covenant, THROWN down THINE altars, and SLAIN THY prophets with the sword; and I, EVEN I ONLY, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”

For this humble servant, hearing from THE LORD in A STILL SMALL VOICE has to be one of the most cherished spiritual blessings that one can experience.  But for Elijah, who had been abandoned by all Israel, knowing that ALMIGHTY GOD was precisely WHERE HE needed to be, WHEN HE needed to be there, was medicine that his soul needed to SEE!

The COMFORT that THE LORD can give, even in the midst of chaos, is beyond description.  Even though “THE LORD PASSED BY”, and a GREAT and STRONG WIND rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake A FIRE; but the LORD was not in the FIRE: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE.”  GOD was present in the storms Elijah survived, but HE made HIMSELF known to Elijah NOT IN A STRONG WIND, and NOT IN AN EARTHQUAKE, and NOT IN THE FIRE, but in a STILL SMALL VOICE!  

“THE LORD PASSED BY” but Elijah couldn’t SEE HIM during the calamities he was witnessing.  Elijah had to endure the storms of life and then the STILL SMALL VOICE was manifested to him by GOD.  ALMIGHTY GOD was there all along, but Elijah felt as though he was EVEN I ONLY standing for TRUTH!  

How many times do I feel like I am in a battle ALL ALONE, or EVEN I ONLY is fighting this fight?  From time to time I have to have “THE LORD PASSED BY” outside of the catastrophes of life and speak to me in a STILL SMALL VOICE to calm my SPIRIT letting me KNOW that HE IS IN CONTROL, even through the calamities of life!   GOD is ALWAYS with me (Matthew 28:20), sometimes I just have to get away from “this world” and listen for HIS STILL SMALL VOICE as “THE LORD PASSED BY”!!!

“A BROKEN SPIRIT!”

 Psalms 51:16-17                            (ESV)

“16 For you will NOT delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will NOT be pleased with a burnt offering. 

17 The sacrifices of GOD are “A BROKEN SPIRIT”; A BROKEN and contrite heart, O GOD, YOU will not despise.”

It seems that mankind has an innate desire to solve our own problems, to figure everything out ON OUR OWN!  However when one comes “to the end of their rope” and their EYES are OPENED to understand that we can do NOTHING outside of the Grace and Mercy of JESUS CHRIST, only then can we be used by HIM for HIS GLORY!  GOD has a way of guiding us through the wilderness of selfish desires and personal gain to get us to where we can understand what we need to accomplish to Glorify HIS NAME.  It might be any number of experiences, but getting us to have “A BROKEN SPIRIT” is part of HIS PLAN, and HIS PLAN is where HE is exalted!

Elevating myself is not what I should be trying to do.  James 4:10 says “Humble yourselves before THE LORD, and HE will exalt you.”  When JESUS exalts us, the devil is put to shame as CHRIST is magnified.   But being exalted, according Philippians 2:8-9, meant OUR CREATOR “submitted” HIMSELF to becoming obedient even to the cross and HE “trusted GOD” with the exaltation!  JESUS, GOD IN THE FLESH, suffered  and died, but HE had to die to OVERCOME death, hell and the grave!

1 Corinthians 2:9 states “But, as it is written, "What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what GOD has prepared for those who love HIM!”  James 1:12 says “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test HE WILL RECEIVE THE CROWN OF LIFE, which GOD HAS PROMISED to those who love HIM”.  Allowing ALMIGHTY GOD to exalt us is FAR better than any dreams that our minds can fathom.  But “sacrifices of GOD are “A BROKEN SPIRIT”.  We have to be broken by HIM to be exalted to Glorify HIM!  Don’t fret when GOD orchestrates “A BROKEN SPIRIT” within your life, “A BROKEN and contrite heart, O GOD, YOU will not despise.”

“SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARR WELL?”

 1 Samuel 17:12-18                                     (ESV)

“12 Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul the man was already old and advanced in years.

13 The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.

14 David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul,

15 but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

16 For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.

17 And Jesse said to David his son, "Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.

18 Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”, and BRING SOME TOKEN FROM THEM."”

Most everyone knows the account of David, the shepherd boy, killing Goliath, a mountain of a man.  Goliath was reportedly over nine and one half feet tall, something that struck fear into the Israelites tasked with defending their own territory (1 Samuel 17:1).  In 1 Samuel 17:21 it is written “When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were DISMAYED and GREATLY AFRAID.”  Their FAITH wasn’t evident because their FEAR prevented it from being displayed!

Obviously we know how a young lad with NO BATTLE EXPERIENCE went and not only defeated Goliath, but severed his head and carried it to the reigning King Saul, whose EYES should have SEEN that YAHWEH was able to protect like no other.  Whether Goliath, or the Egyptian army, or anything else, when ALMIGHTY GOD is on your side the size and strength of the enemy makes no difference!

David wasn’t sent to the battlefront to confront the enemy.  He was sent by his father to “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL”.  But GOD had other plans for a young shepherd boy with no history of warfare.  While it is true he had slain a lion and a bear, but he had witnessed the protection of ALMIGHTY GOD and he KNEW that he would be delivered from his enemy.  His own brother rebuked him and said WHY (1 Samuel 17:28), but David remembered his deliverance and told him that the same GOD WHO delivered him from the lion and bear was still on the throne, and HE would be with him!  

When we are faced with an enemy in our lives, do we run with fear, or do we REMEMBER that our GOD is fighting our battles for us (Exodus 14:14), we just need to be SILENT?  We mustn’t run around declaring the majestic powers of our enemy, but like David, proclaim that ALMIGHTY GOD is on our side!  There is NO challenge that is TOO BIG for ALMIGHTY GOD!  HE owns the cattle of a thousand hills, and as a dear friend of mine used to say, AND THE HILLS!  “SEE IF YOUR BROTHERS ARE WELL” was what David was assigned by his earthly father, but his HEAVENLY FATHER had other plans!  Don’t limit GOD to your understanding.  HE HAS A PLAN!  We just have to BELIEVE!!!

“WHO GIVES BREATH!”

 Isaiah 42:5-8                                           (ESV)

“5 Thus says GOD, the LORD, WHO created the heavens and stretched them out, WHO spread out the earth and what comes from it, “WHO GIVES BREATH” to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it: 

6 "I AM the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, 

7 to open the EYES that are BLIND, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 

8 I AM the LORD; that is MY name; MY GLORY I give to no other, nor MY PRAISE to carved idols.”

This story was on a social media site recently.  When I saw it I thought of how we humans seem to forget that EVERYTHING IS HELD TOGETHER BY JESUS (Colossians 1:15-17)!  HE literally allows us to BREATH every BREATH we breathe!  There is NOTHING that is beyond the scope of HIS MIGHT!  NEVER be convinced that anything is too hard for YAHWEH to be Glorified!!!  As long as HE “WHO GIVES BREATH” is on HIS THRONE, we who Believe have HOPE!!!

“YOU ALSO MUST BE READY!”

 Matthew 24:42-44                             (ESV)

“42 Therefore, STAY AWAKE, for you do not know on what day your LORD is coming.

43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

44 Therefore “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, for the SON of MAN is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  

It can be so easy to allow the troubles and ills of “this world” to keep us in the grips of despair.  It seems that “the news” and “social media” are consumed by spreading negativity in abundance.  JESUS says in John 10:10-11 “THE THIEF COMES ONLY comes ONLY to STEAL and KILL and DESTROY. I came that they may have LIFE and have it ABUNDANTLY.

I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”  In CHRIST, we are PROMISED to have LIFE ABUNDANTLY!

But ABUNDANTLY doesn’t mean that we are free from problems.  John 16:33 says “I have said these things to you, that in ME YOU MAY HAVE PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."  We are NOT PROMISED to be free of problems, but IN CHRIST WE MAY HAVE PEACE!  

Sure, easy-believism tells us that we should live our best life now, but JESUS PROMISES in Matthew 5:12 “Rejoice and be glad, FOR YOUR REWARD IS GREAT IN HEAVEN, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”  Our warning while here on earth is “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY”, because “the SON of MAN is coming at an hour you do not expect.”   Don’t allow the gloom and doom of “this world” instill fear and doubt in your life, for JESUS offers LIFE without the tools of the devil!  Steal and kill and destroy may play well here on earth, but we are NOT of “this world” (John 15:19) IN CHRIST!

The great deceiver will attempt to color his schemes as catastrophic and with finality!  But his end has already been determined.  Colossians 2:15 states “HE disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them IN HIM.”  The reason that we IN CHRIST can CELEBRATE is because of what HE has done for us, not because how worthy we are!  We need to remember that HE has already completed HIS WORK against 

“the enemy”, but “YOU ALSO MUST BE READY” for the lies of “the enemy”!!!