Psalm 14:1 NASB "The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds; There is no one who does good."
"Be prepared, and keep your lamps lit. You are also to be like people who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door for him when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will prepare himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and he will come up and serve them. Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. You too, be ready; because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think He will.”
Peter said, “Lord, are You telling this parable to us, or to everyone else as well?” And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will take a long time to come,’ and he begins to beat the other slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect, and at an hour that he does not know, and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accordance with his will, will receive many blows, but the one who did not know it, and committed acts deserving of a beating, will receive only a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.
“I have come to cast fire upon the earth; and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
And He was also saying to the crowds, “Whenever you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘A shower is coming,’ and so it turns out. And whenever you feel a south wind blowing, you say, ‘It will be a hot day,’ and it turns out that way. You hypocrites! You know how to analyze the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not know how to analyze this present time?
“And why do you not even judge by yourselves what is right? For when you are going with your accuser to appear before the magistrate, on the way, make an effort to settle with him, so that he does not drag you before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. I tell you, you will not get out of there until you have paid up the very last lepton.” Luke 12:35-59 NASB
While a few have taken to social media in attempts to stir up debate...much like in Jesus's days with the Jewish Leaders...such things are not to be had among God's people.
Jesus said to speak the truth...His Truth because He is the Truth. To speak that which enlightens the Spiritual eyes of the blind and declares the wonderful things that God has done in the lives of those who walk with Jesus.
We indeed live in days where the fool lives.
We indeed live in days where foolishness prevails. Where indeed Jesus's words ring true. For indeed "Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
We read in Paul's writings of how people would be in the last days that lead up to the return of Jesus Christ.
2 Timothy 3:1-7 NASB "But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, slanderers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness although they have denied its power; avoid such people as these. For among them are those who slip into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
We read also this truth : "and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:32 NASB
My Dear Reader,
Please know the truth. The truth is indeed a person. The Person of Jesus Christ. What He spoke about, a few thousand years ago, YOU ARE LIVING TODAY.
You, my Friend, are living in that time that Jesus spoke of. Of that time when people are more concerned about themselves and their feelings than they are about what's right before a Holy God.
We are, like Timothy, encouraged to hold fast to what we who are in Christ have been taught concerning faith and trust in Christ Jesus alone for salvation.
We are encouraged to remember those who have indeed lived and died in the faith. To be thinking about that next moment when we could be standing before Christ to give an account of all that we have done in our bodies for Jesus.
My Dear Reader...life is more than possessions or entertainment or rights and privileges. It's more than seeking peace and security. Life for the Believing is to show a dying world the way to salvation.
In a few days we who are Christians will celebrate the risen Christ of God, Jesus.
In a few days we will see one of two Sundays where many Churches swell to the breaking point with Church attendance.
We will see, sadly, thousands try to appease their conscience concerning living the other 363 days that they honestly didn't care to set foot in a Church. 363 because Christmas, much like Easter is the other day that the ranks of Churches swell.
You cannot come to Christ twice a year and expect to apply salve to your guilt.
You cannot come to Christ twice a year and say that's your relationship with Jesus.
Christianity is a daily, hourly, minute by minute, second by second relationship with Jesus.
We live in a world that both interestingly enough refuses to acknowledge the one true God who CAN solve the world's problems and yet seeks someone to lead them in solving all their problems.
They refuse to acknowledge God's truth about mankind and the sin of mankind.
People, daily, in many countries, live out this division Jesus speaks of. They come to Christ and their families disown them, some seek to put them to death.
You don't read of those stories in the mainstream media because the god of this world is not wanting it heard.
You come to Jesus for salvation and indeed life will be different. It indeed may involve conflicts with others. May indeed mean a separation from family and friends. Jesus Himself said that if they hated Him, which they did to the point of killing Him, they would hate you too.
But the benefits of a peace you cannot express or explain do come with coming to Christ for salvation. The unexplainable about God is explained, as much as our limited minds can grasp. The joy inexpressible that comes, people without Christ just cannot understand. Paul wrote that the natural man can't understand the things of God because they are foreign to him. Until you take that step of faith to turn your life over to Jesus to be saved by Him, you won't understand what a difference life can and will be.
We are in those last days before Jesus returns. We who are in Christ should be living as though He were approaching the door of that visitation. Making the most of every single opportunity to share our faith with others.
We really do want others to be experiencing what we do in Christ Jesus.
Is what you are so attached to in this life that much more important than the truth of it costing you in the next life? If you die without the free gift of salvation in Christ Jesus alone, you will spend it in torment at first in Hell, until the Final Judgment of God where Hell is cast into the Lake of Fire. You will needlessly pay for your sins for all eternity. Jesus's free gift of salvation is a guaranteed pardon from all sin. He died to take yours from you and He put your sin on Himself. He in turn gave you His righteousness. For those who are saved when God the Father looks upon them He only sees the righteousness of Jesus, He doesn't see their sin. You only need to come to Jesus, admit you are a sinner in need of salvation. Believe in your heart that Christ died for your sins, that He arose 3 days later having taken your place, confess with your mouth that He is Lord and you will be saved. Turn from the sins you have been living in to find that freedom in Christ Jesus.
1 Corinthians 15:3-5 NASB "For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve."
Romans 10:9-10 NASB "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
My Dear Reader...you cannot possibly live a good enough life to escape the sentence of punishment in Hell for your sins.
May today be a new day in Christ for you.
May you who are in Christ live today as if today were the day you are to meet Him face-to-face without regret.
Millions every day don't think that this may be the day that they may die...and then they do. No second chances to come to Jesus for salvation. Once you breathe your last that's it.
May indeed you find yourself in a Bible believing Bible preaching Church this Sunday. May it be true that it's your beginning of a true relationship with Jesus and not just one of two times you give Jesus the time of day out of guilt concerning the other 363 days.
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