" Living without a long term perspective "
'It's going to rain,' and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, 'It's going to be hot,' and it is.
Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky.
How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time? (NIV)Everybody likes to be an expert in their own area.
The British seem to have an obsession with the weather, and enjoy finding ways of predicting what it will be.
The same was true for Jews in Jesus' day.
The signs of tomorrow's weather were easy to detect,
and brought satisfaction to the self-styled meteorological expert.
But Jesus turned to the religious experts and told them that they were play-actors.
They pretended to know God's mind and yet they totally failed to understand the significance of Jesus' arrival on earth,
and His ministry which would culminate in His death and resurrection -
even though it was all in their Bible (our Old Testament).
The implications were immense.
Not only did they fail to see the Messiah when He stood in front of them,
they had no idea of the consequences of rejecting the Saviour.
Less than 40 years after they crucified the Lamb of God, the Romans violently ransacked Jerusalem,
destroying the temple and removing the possibility of any further sacrifices.
Many Jews were scattered from their homeland and the dream of Israel has not been re-established to this day.
The temple has never been rebuilt; instead, another building now dominates the temple mount.
The long term perspective, for followers of Jesus,
is that He will return to judge the earth - a far more terrible prospect than even the destruction of Jerusalem.
But He will also gather all His own people for eternal safety and blessing.
The contrast of those destinies is extreme.
That is why it is essential not to reject Jesus now;
but to welcome Him in repentance and faith to be King over our lives.
And the most loving thing Christians can do is to help people to interpret the signs of the times
(and eternity) according to God's Word.
To leave our friends and colleagues in ignorance of what is clear to us from the Bible, should be unthinkable.
Prayer for the day : -
Dear Father.
Thank You for this reminder that You do not act without warning and that You always
give the opportunity for people to repent and turn to You.
However I know that many of my friends and colleagues only live for what they can see or imagine,
and not for what You have already revealed in Your Word.
So please help me to live with an eternal perspective, anticipating the return of Christ;
and give me the courage to explain why I live like that,
so that they too might seek after the grace and mercy of God through Jesus Christ.
In His Name. Amen.
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" The Courage to Go On "
So are you going to give in? Give up?
Wave the white flag of surrender?
Throw in the towel? Call it quits?
Are you going to lay down and let the Devil have his way with you?
David goes to his God and it’s in God’s presence where his spirit is revived.
He receives comfort and encouragement from his God.
Literally, in the Hebrew, he gets his strength back.
Weakened by his loss, he finds strength in his God.
Brethren, the Devil wants you to be all wrapped up in your troubles because he wants you to stay sorrowful.
He’s hoping that if you stay focused on your troubles long enough you’ll lose faith and hope.
You’ll be demoralized so that you can’t fight him, chase him, and recover everything he’s taken from you.
He’s hoping you’ll remain in the dumps and be depressed because he knows that the joy of the Lord is your strength, Nehemiah 8:10.
Brethren, when bad news comes, don’t let your bad news end with bad news.
Go to God in prayer.
You’ll find the comfort, courage, and strength you need.
Let God speak to you.
Let His words fill you with hope, peace, and rejoicing. '
May your bad news end with good news from the Lord !
That’s my prayer for you. May God bless you.
Dear God, When I am lonely and, Perhaps I feel despair.
Let not my ailing heart forget, That YOU hear every prayer.
Remind me that no matter what, I do or fail to do,
There still is hope for as long, As I have FAITH in YOU.
Let not my eyes be blinded by Some folly I commit.
But help me to regret my wrong, And to make up for it. Inspire me to put my fears,
Upon a hidden shelf, And in the future never to be sorry for myself.
Give me the restful sleep I need, Before another dawn,
And bless me in the morning with The Courage To Go On.
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