"Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not." (Luke 12:40).
Remember the childhood game we all played called "Hide and Seek"? One person would close their eyes and count to a specific number while everyone else found a hiding place. When the counting was done, the person counting would say, "Ready or not, here I come!" They would then proceed to look for all those who had hidden.
The Bible has many Scriptures to let us know that Jesus is coming very soon. We do not know when He will appear to take us home with Him. Only those who are truly born again will be able to go with Him. It isn't enough to go to church, or even pray once in awhile. It isn't enough to be a good person. It isn't enough to believe there is a God. There will be so many who will assume they will go with Him based on false teachings or beliefs that they are a good person. Being good is the right way to live, but it isn't enough. You must be born again. All sins must be confessed and repented of. Jesus' blood must be applied to those sins, then you must live a sold out life to Christ every day.
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9-10).
When Jesus returns, we will have no warning. We will not hear Him counting and know that He is ready to come. We must be ready at all times. When He returns, He will not wait for anyone to make last minute preparations. He will not wait for anyone to get ready and make things right. When He returns, it will happen in the twinkling of an eye.
"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52).
Are you ready for His return? When you hear that Jesus could come before you finish reading this, how do you feel? Are you excited? Are you nervous? Are you scared? Are you happy? What is your reaction? In all actuality, He could come before you finish reading this. He will not wait for last minute preparations. Make things right while you still have time.
Confess your sins, repent of those sins, turn from those sins, and ask Jesus to save you. Then, whenever He returns for you, you will be ready. He is coming. There are people who will tell you that He is not coming. Don't be deceived. He is coming when we least expect Him. Be watching. Be ready.
Ready or not, He's coming!!!
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;" (Philippians 3:10).
We often will have someone ask us if we know a particular person. This person usually has a reason for asking us this question. Perhaps they want us to introduce them to that person. Maybe they want to know more about that person. It could be that they need a favor from that person and need us to help with it. They might know that person and want to tell us something about them and need to know if we know them. No matter the reason for asking this question, we have all been asked it in one form or another.
What if I asked you if you know a particular movie star. Well, you know what his name is. You know what he looks like. You may know what his wife's name is. Depending on how much we have listened to the news, read articles, and researched, you might know how many children he has, what their names are, what his favorite food is, if he has any pets, what his hobbies are, and so on. Knowing all of these things; however, only allows you to know about him. They do not cause you to know him personally. You could call his agent and tell them who we are, and we would not be allowed to speak with the movie star, because there is no personal relationship with him. You might tell the agent, "But I know his name, his favorite color, his favorite food, his wife's name, his children's names, his birthdate, and so on", the agent will tell you "goodbye" because you do not know him; you only know about him.
How many people today know about Jesus? They have heard or read that He loves us and died on the cross for our sins. They may know that He rose again on the third day and is coming back for us someday. Perhaps they were taught of the miracles that He performed that are recorded in the Bible. Maybe they can tell you details about His ministry while He was here on this earth. Doesn't that mean they know Him?
Absolutely not!!!!!!!! Paul said in this passage that He wanted to know Christ. Paul had not met Jesus in the flesh, but had an encounter with him on the road to Damascus.
"And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." ( Acts 9:1-6).
Saul persecuted and killed Christians. He did not regard Christ at all. On this day, as he was going to deliver letters of execution for more Christians, he encountered the Lord. He had such an experience that day that he was radically changed. Even his name was changed from Saul to Paul. Paul then became an apostle who was in authority over many churches in that day. He had a relationship with the Lord that few have had. Yet, he says that he wants to know Christ. Not only that, (if that weren't enough), he wanted to know the fellowship of His suffering and be made conformable (or changed) unto His death. Paul felt he didn't know Christ like he should have. Where does that leave you and I?
If you truly know someone, you know what makes them happy, sad or upset. You know their likes and dislikes. You do what you can to make them happy and avoid doing what hurts, disappoints or upsets them. You recognize their voice above all others. You want to spend time with them. You want to learn more about them every day. You think about them all throughout the day. You introduce your friends to them and want everyone to meet them.
Does this sound like the relationship you have with Christ? Do you know Him, or just know about Him by what you have heard others say or read what they have written about Him? Do you take others' word for it, or do you have a personal relationship with Him? Don't just know about Him. That isn't enough. How sad it will be on Judgment day when this life is over to stand before Him and say, "But I knew all about You. I knew what grandma said about You. I remember what the preacher said about You. I remember what I heard on tv or read on the internet about You." He will say, "But you didn't know Me". There is a huge difference.
So, do you know about Him, or do you know Him? You can know Him today. Open your heart to Him and invite Him into your heart. Ask Him to change your heart and life and save you from your sins. Begin a wonderful relationship with Him right now. It's the best decision you can ever make! Don't delay. You are not promised tomorrow. He loves you and is waiting for you!
"Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified" (Matthew 27:22).
Jesus had been brought to Pilate to be crucified. In this passage, Pilate was asking the people what he needed to do with Jesus. They all said, "Crucify Him". This question that Pilate asked the people needs to be asked to everyone today. "What shall I do with Jesus?" There are only two options: either disobey or ignore Him completely, or accept and follow Him completely.
"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions." (Matthew 19:16-22).
"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God." (John 6:66-69).
These passage show us there were people who walked away from Jesus because they did not like what He had to say. They liked living their lives their way, and didn't want to change anything. They wanted to be with Him as long as things were going their way, but when the truth came forth, they decided they didn't want any part of it, so they walked away. They chose to ignore and disobey Him, and as a result, walked away from Him. How sad.
So, what will you do with Jesus? Will you love Him, obey Him, trust Him, follow Him, serve Him, depend on Him, learn from Him, listen to Him, and honor Him? This is who He is looking for. He is looking for those who have faith to believe Him and obey Him no matter what. He only has your best interest at heart. He is not out to "get you". He will not hurt you. He will not disappoint you. He only does good things.
Will you obey Him today? Will you accept Him as your Savior today? Will you invite Him into your heart and ask Him to forgive your sins? He lived a sinless life, died on the cross for your sins, took stripes on His back for your healing, rose again on the third day to give you hope of eternal life in Heaven. Don't ignore His love and sacrifice for you. Turn to Him today.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20).
Will you let Him in? Will you accept His call today? What will you do with Jesus?
"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26).
Jesus asked a very serious, thought-provoking question in this passage. This question was simple and to the point. He was simply asking, what good is it if we gain everything this world has to offer, (fame, fortune, homes, cars, jewels, money, temptations, relationships, lifestyles, habits, sins of any kind, etc.) yet lose our soul and spend eternity in Hell.
He is saying that nothing is gained if the soul is lost. He goes on to say, what would you give in exchange for your soul? In other words, are you willing to live your way, doing your thing, gaining your riches, and neglect your soul? Are you willing to exchange your soul for what the world calls fun? When you live in sin, you are exchanging that lifestyle for your soul. So, what you are saying is, this temporary lifestyle is more important and means more to you than where your soul will spend eternity.
Satan tries to tempt us to fall into sin, and when we do, we have just exchanged that sin for our eternal soul. Nothing in this world is more important than our soul. Our soul should be the most important focus. We should keep our focus on keeping our soul pure and sin out of our lives. Sin always leads to destruction. It will doom the soul. Follow the Lord, and preserve your soul. Follow the world and lose your soul. It's that simple.
Nothing is worth losing your soul for. Nothing is worth going to Hell for.
"And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him." (Matthew 4:19-22).
The men in this passage were fishermen. This is what they did for a living. Without fishing, these men had no livelihood for them and their families. Day in and day out, they were out on the water in their boats fishing. Every day was the same. Until this particular day, when Jesus came by. He didn't tell them to leave their fishing business, nets, boats or anything. All He said to them was, "Follow Me". This passage said they left their nets straightway, or in other words, immediately. They didn't ask any questions, they didn't need any details or didn't wait for Him to say it again. They didn't ask for a confirmation to make sure. They simply left their nets. This meant they left their livelihood, their income, their security, and everything they knew. They left everything to follow Him.
Later in that passage, James and John were in the boat with their brother and they were mending their nets. Again, they needed these nets to catch fish in order to sustain a livelihood. They left their nets, their ship and even their father and followed Jesus. They didn't ask Him any questions or argue with Him. They simply obeyed, even though they knew it would cost them their business and their income.
What are you holding onto? Are you staying in your comfort zone instead of taking a step of faith and following Him whole heartedly? Lay aside everything that would hinder you from completely following Him. You must lay aside your wishes, your plans, your ways. God is calling us out of our comfort zone. We will never fulfill His plans for our lives as long as we continue doing things as we have always done them. We must trust Him to take care of us and lead us the way He wants us to go.
Don't question Him. Don't argue with Him. Don't ignore His call. He is calling you today. Will you leave your agenda and follow Him? You will not be sorry that you made that decision. You will be so thankful you did and will have His peace and joy in your lives.
"There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." (Proverbs 14:12).
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6).
"Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." (John 4:48).
Have you heard the saying, "Seeing is believing"? We hear this often. Sometimes things we hear seems very unbelievable, so we feel we need to see them in order to believe them. Our minds have trouble believing things that we cannot see with our eyes. However, if we can see it, we don't need faith to believe it. It takes faith to believe for the things we cannot see. We are living in a generation that refuses to accept the facts of the Bible unless they can see them.
"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).
God wants us to believe Him and His Word, even when we don't see a way for it to happen. Simple faith believes Him for the impossible when our eyes tell us there is no way.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. (John 20:29).
God expects us to simply believe Him; not just when He does a miracle for us. We should expect miracles, of course, but we are not to just follow Him for the miracles. Our faith should not just be active when we see His miracles. Our faith should be active even when things are not easy in our lives. Trust Him anyway. Trust Him always.
"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." (Hebrews 11:6).
We can't even please God without faith. Are you trusting Him today in spite of your circumstances? Do you have faith even though you can't see your solution? Step out in faith today and believe Him for the impossible!
"And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it." (Luke 8:7).
This passage, and the verses leading up to it is about a teaching Jesus was doing. In this teaching, He was describing the different types of places that the seeds (Word of God) can go when they are sown. In this passage, He mentions among the thorns. This would indicate a place full of weeds, briars, and overgrowth. No seeds could grow in that kind of environment with all the weeds and thorns.
Look around in your yard. Weeds seem to grow faster than anything else. If the weeds are not plucked from the roots, they will continue to grow and get bigger. The longer they grow, the harder they are to remove. If they are removed when they are small and tender, they can be removed very easily. If left neglected, they will get so large that it is almost impossible to remove. Just because you get rid of the weeds once, doesn't mean you won't have to ever again. It is a continuous process.
We are on a path in this life. This path will lead us to our destination to spend eternity. Weeds will sometimes grow on this path, and we must consistently remove these weeds. These weeds could be anger, bitterness, temptations, unforgiveness, lying, gossip, pride, or any other sin that we fall into. The longer we leave these "weeds" in our lives, the harder they are to get rid of.
Prayer, fasting, studying the Word of God, repentance, and daily renewing of the mind will get rid of these weeds and keep them gone from our lives. As we see from this passage, these weeds will prevent the Word of God from effectively changing our lives.
It's time to get rid of the weeds in our lives. We must not allow them to stay and grow. Get rid of them before they take root and completely consume our lives; destroying us in the process. It is a daily responsibility to keep the weeds from our lives. Every day examine your life to see if there is anything that needs to be removed.
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5).
We spend sometimes hours trimming shrubs and bushes and removing weeds from our yard; only to have to do it all over again in just a short period of time. How long has it been since the weeds have been removed from your life? Let's get busy getting rid of the sins in our lives. Don't ignore them. They will only grow deeper roots and entangle your whole life. Get rid of them now while there is still time.
