Are You Ready?

Matthew 24:3-8(NIV) As Jesus way sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?"
Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of war, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earth quakes in various place. All these are the beginning of birth pains."
I remember my mother telling me, "Don't worry, you will definitely know when the baby is coming." Anyone who has been in labor can tell you the same thing, when it is really time, you know it!
God has provided His infallible Word that we too might know. If you continue to read the text in Matthew 24, you will find that the pains of the labor are great and many won't make it through it at all. But consider this, what do you do when you know it is time to go to the hospital?
You make sure all of those you love know it too so they can come, because after the long ordeal of labor is over there will be a wonderful new life to celebrate.
Jesus told us to make disciples. Are we being good and faithful servants? Do your loved ones know of what is to come? Have they put their faith in Christ alone?
Have you?
If YOUR answer is no, let me hear from you. We will walk through the answers to all of your questions together. I love you and want you to celebrate one day with me in the Glory that is to come.

Black Ball?

When I was in Junior High and High School, I belonged to an organization that voted on their membership by placing white marbles into a box for a yes vote and black marbles for a no vote. Being a Christian and very optimistic the majority of the time I thought it a mere formality and we were always cautioned about the responsibility we had in casting a negative vote. The admonishment always went something like, "The only reason to ever cast a black marble was if we knew this person to be morally corrupt in some way." (Remember our age please.)

Much to the displeasure of our advisor and shock of the majority of us one young lady being voted on the year I was a senior was black balled by three voters. This had never happened before and we were all asked to leave the hall and the three voting negatively were asked to speak to the advisor privately within the next week at which time another vote would be taken.

I don't know what was said but I do know that whatever these young ladies decided they knew about this person was not what they claimed and when the vote was retaken there were no black marbles cast. For me it was a relief because I had come armed with Matthew 7:1-2 "Do not judge. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." I say relief because at the time I was not as bold for the Lord as I am today, but bold or not I would have stood in the gap for this young women who as far as I could tell was a Christian and had done nothing to deserve this type of contempt.

When we judge someone else's character we need to be so careful that what we say is truth (not just as we think, but as God so deems). Being judged with the same measure as we judge someone else is very serious, because it is God that does that judging and He has the advantage of knowing what is in our hearts. I would not want to stand in God's judgement for having misjudged someone else harshly or otherwise! In fact if we cannot say that we for certain know someone else's heart, we better leave it to God!

Matthew 6:14-15(NIV) For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Jesus spoke these word while telling the disciples how to pray. It makes not forgiving people very scary doesn't it?  The only way we can do it is to do it is through Christ Jesus. The last several years I have heard several people say they just couldn't forgive someone.  

     YOU MUST! Yes, even if they did it intentionally! Yes, even if they did it to your children or grandchildren! Yes, even if they were suppose to be your friends! It doesn't matter why, Jesus died so God  could forgive every single thing we ever did to sin against God, but many of us want to believe that it isn't the same thing. According to the scripture it is.

     With that said, if I have done anything to you, forgive me. Anything anyone has done to me, I forgive you and if you ask the Lord, He will forgive you as well. 

                                                              God Bless and have a great 4th of July