Are You Ready?

“Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son —except the Father only. As the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark. They didn’t know until the flood came and swept them all away. So this is the way the coming of the Son of Man will be: Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and one left. Therefore be alert, since you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:36-44)

Now I know for my friends that live in an area that snow is abundant may be wondering about this paragraph, but for those who love snow and live in a snow starved area then this paragraph will make perfect sense.  This morning I am sitting at the desk in my bedroom, beside the window, looking out from time to time to see if the snow has arrived that the weathermen are predicting.  I love snow and I love to see big snow falls.  My niece who lives near Greenville, NC is suppose to get between 6 and 12 inches of snow and yet we are not suppose to get very much here in the middle of the state.  I wish we would get 12 or more inches because I love the beauty of the snow as it lays on the ground.  Schools are letting out early; businesses, churches, and charities are canceling events.  There is a level of anticipation that gets to the point of people staring out the window waiting to see when that first flake falls.

As I sit here and think about the anticipation of the snow to arrive, I have to ask myself, do we have those same anticipation for the return of Christ.  The Bible promises that our Lord and Savior will return to call His children home.  Yet we continue to live as if that is something so far-fetched and in the future that we ignore the fact that He could return at this very minute.  The Bible warns as well as cautions us to be alert and prepared for that moment when the Lord will return!  Are we ready?  Are we prepared and anticipating this return?  Today let us prepare our lives for His return!  

Family

This past Monday I traveled with my family down to Raleigh to meet my niece's family for lunch and to spend the afternoon together.  As we arrived, there was a lot of excitement in that we had not seen each other since Christmas.  What a wonderful afternoon we had as we laughed and spent time together.

We also have another family and that is the family of God.  I often wonder if we have the same excitement when we gather together as followers of Christ to enjoy each other's company.  We are one with each other because we are made a part of the family of God by the blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.  The Word of God tells us that we are to love one another as Christ has loved us and people will know that we are followers of Christ by our love.  The old campsite song: We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord... holds true in our walk of faith with each other.

So this week as we attend Emanuel or your own church please let the love of Christ flow through us and let us enjoy being a part of the family - the Family of God!

Being Deliberate

Today I am sitting in the Hampton Inn in Hickory, NC doing something I have desired to do for about a year, and that is to get away once a month to a secluded location to spend time in prayer and the Scripture in order to draw closer to the Lord. I am trusting God to help me accomplish this goal each month in 2014. 

Not to make this week's post a diary, but I awoke this morning and jumped right into a time of prayer and Bible Study.  I had forgotten how wonderful it is to spend those special moments pondering over Scripture in a deliberate and intentional way of seeking God's plan and direction for my life.  I began the morning with a study of the Gospel of John and immediately I was drawn to the fact that the Lord created me and knows me better than I know myself; and if I believe this fact then it would only be right and proper to seek Him for direction and leadership in my life.  How about you? Our Lord created each one of us and knows us better than we know ourselves - should we not seek Him for all the things we are dealing with in life?  

The second point that came so strong to me this morning came from the 5th verse of chapter 1 where we read in the Scriptures, "That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it" (HCSB).  As I read this verse a powerful thought came to my heart: It is through and by the light of Jesus we find our way in a world of darkness. Jesus is the light to guide our paths and if He is our Lord and Savior, He is there to guide us along the pathways of life.

Now the day has just begun, but I have learned a valuable lesson, I need to be deliberate it taking time each day to sit down in solitude and focus on the Word of God and what He is teaching me through the Holy Spirit!  So I challenge all of us - Seek the Lord daily and be deliberate about it and I promise our lives will never be the same.