One of the writing jobs I was recently given was a radio spot for JoyShop Ministries. I watched a DVD of the JoyShop and was truly inspired by Anita Keaggy's testimony. In it she says that the thief steals our life through unbelief, busyness, distractions and fear. Two quotes she said that went right alongside Stephen Jenks' teaching on time were: 1) “How many of you are busy? We are all very busy people, and I want you to know the enemy uses this the most in America. He keeps us so stinkin’ busy we think we don’t have time to spend with God.” and 2) “If you don’t think you have time for prayer and Bible study, Satan is winning the war.”So, yesterday morning, I asked the Lord to show Joshua and I what passage He wanted us to see, and this is what we read before either of us had breakfast:
Matthew 24:23-51
The Arrival of the Son of Man 23-25"If anyone tries to flag you down, calling out, 'Here's the Messiah!' or points, 'There he is!' don't fall for it. Fake Messiahs and lying preachers are going to pop up everywhere. Their impressive credentials and dazzling performances will pull the wool over the eyes of even those who ought to know better. But I've given you fair warning.
26-28"So if they say, 'Run to the country and see him arrive!' or, 'Quick, get downtown, see him come!' don't give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
29"Following those hard times, Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, Stars fall out of the sky, cosmic powers tremble.
30-31"Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
32-35"Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you'll know he's at the door. Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.
36"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
37-39"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.
39-44"The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.
45-47"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won't be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.
48-51"But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing th
e help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering."
26-28"So if they say, 'Run to the country and see him arrive!' or, 'Quick, get downtown, see him come!' don't give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds.
29"Following those hard times, Sun will fade out, moon cloud over, Stars fall out of the sky, cosmic powers tremble.
30-31"Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he'll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God's chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole.
32-35"Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer's just around the corner. So it is with you: When you see all these things, you'll know he's at the door. Don't take this lightly. I'm not just saying this for some future generation, but for all of you. This age continues until all these things take place. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won't wear out.
36"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.
37-39"The Arrival of the Son of Man will take place in times like Noah's. Before the great flood everyone was carrying on as usual, having a good time right up to the day Noah boarded the ark. They knew nothing—until the flood hit and swept everything away.
39-44"The Son of Man's Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.
45-47"Who here qualifies for the job of overseeing the kitchen? A person the Master can depend on to feed the workers on time each day. Someone the Master can drop in on unannounced and always find him doing his job. A God-blessed man or woman, I tell you. It won't be long before the Master will put this person in charge of the whole operation.
48-51"But if that person only looks out for himself, and the minute the Master is away does what he pleases—abusing th
e help and throwing drunken parties for his friends—the Master is going to show up when he least expects it and make hash of him. He'll end up in the dump with the hypocrites, out in the cold shivering, teeth chattering."I saw new revelation in this passage that I've probably read dozens of times before (at least). I've always pictured the trumpet sounding and all of God's chosen having to run to Him. While I know this sounds goofy, I've thought to myself several times, what if I can't make the journey? What if I miss the sound? Re-reading this passage with a hunger to seek Him, I saw that NO ONE will miss it, that God dispatches angels and PULLS in His chosen, and that if it's up to us to get there, we've missed the boat. I also saw the part about not taking it lightly and living like He's coming back today. Would I say that to my husband if I thought Jesus were coming back that minute? Would I get up quicker at night with Joshua if I thought God might appear that very moment? I think we all take for granted the times that we are in. I know I've b
ecome more lax about my quiet time with God since having the baby. But, like Twila Paris' song reminds us, we need to "Watch and Pray...until we see Him coming...no one knows the hour or the day."
ecome more lax about my quiet time with God since having the baby. But, like Twila Paris' song reminds us, we need to "Watch and Pray...until we see Him coming...no one knows the hour or the day."A cute Joshua story to round out this post: The night before last, Shawn and I were talking in bed and I was holding the baby in between us. All the sudden Joshua started to laugh so hard that he snorted. It was SO cute and SO funny that I couldn't stop laughing. What a ham!
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing this, Val! Anita Keagy is amazing. I have never been to one of her JoyShops, but I had the honor of having her to my home one day and got to hear her entire story and how the Lord is using her ministry. Needless to say, I was in tears.
Can't we be thankful that God chooses to pull us up to be with him? Which of us would be ready or make that decision on our own to go? Again, thanks for the encouragement.
I found, for myself, that it has only gotten harder to have quiet time the more mobile Jude has gotten, but the Lord is showing me that my times with him will look different as a mother. For example, he will use that sweet book you gave us to give my son and I time together to meet with Him. I believe God gives enormous grace to mothers of young ones. He HAS to! Don't we have the greatest job ever, even though it can be extremely demanding at times? How we love our little boys!!!
Love ya!
Julie
Post a Comment