“Therefore comfort another with these words.”
I was asleep, sitting up in a chair, yet asleep nonetheless, when all of a sudden, car lights from the neighbor’s drive shined through my front window, awaking me.
- Suddenly, I was awake.
- Without Delay, I was alert.
- While I was Resting, and before I knew what was about to occur.
- While I was surrounded by the darkness, the light overtook me.
Have you ever pondered just exactly what the Lord’s second coming will be like to the sleeping world?
Have you ever wondered where you will be OR what you will be doing, when Jesus comes?
Maybe you, like me, have thought about that day.
The Bible is clear.
“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 16 NASB)
- Can you see in your mind what will occur on that day?
- Can you just imagine the Lord Himself descending from heaven?
- Can you hear the shout, the voice, the trumpet of God?
- Can you see the graves opening & those saints who have already died, arising from the dead to new life through the power of God?
“Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.”
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 17 NASB)
Yesterday, our church parking lot was still covered by the remaining snow and ice from a recent storm; thus, prompting our pastor to have us meet for church online. Therefore, I decided to also attend church in-person & drove to a neighboring church down the street. As I stood next to my sister and her husband, surrounded by other church attenders, a sudden and powerful and emotional thought overtook me—
“Lord, these believers here in this building, surrounding me on all sides, are my family, my brothers and sisters in Christ, all because of You.”
Then, because of the early hour, yesterday, I received the immense pleasure to attend another church with my best friend and her precious family: her husband, daughter, sister, mother, and brother-in-law, along with friends I had met before in the past. While worshipping God, again, I was overwhelmed by another thought—
“Lord, even these believers, standing in a building across town, are my family, Your church.” & Lord, across the nation and around the globe: men, women, boys, and girls who have accepted You as their Savior, are my family, my brothers and sisters-in-Christ—Your church.”
We do not know when the day will come when Jesus will descend to earth.
- Truly, we do not!
We do not know when the Lord will return to earth to gather His church.
- Most-Definitely, we are not given what is God’s alone to know!
“Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 4: 18 NASB)
For my entire life, I have heard certain words, a statement, maybe you too—“Today could be the day when Jesus returns.” Thus, we are commanded to be ready, to be prepared to meet our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer, & our King of kings.
We have been encouraged to ask ourselves—“Are you ready?”
The Bible is clear.
“Now as to the times and the epochs, [the time period]
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 1-3 NASB)
brethren, [Jesus’ Church here on earth]
you have no need of anything to be written to you.
For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
While they are saying, “Peace and safety!”
then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child,
and they will not escape.”
The Lord is speaking of us in this passage—His Church—brethren.
In this passage, the Lord is speaking to every single person alive—“then destruction will come upon them suddenly. . . .”
This month, in just a few, brief days, my daughter will celebrate her birthday. I remember so well the night she was born. I was sick with bronchitis, and after a day of teaching students, I was trying to rest on the living room couch. According to the doctor, our baby was due in two weeks, in February. As I coughed deeply that wintery night, never did I dream, never did I expect that we would be racing through to the hospital that night, but we did. The good news was that we were packed, we were ready to go. The great news was that our daughter was born that night, suddenly making her presence known after months of being cocooned inside my body.
The Bible is clear.
“While they are saying, “Peace and safety!”
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians 5: 3-6 NASB)
then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child,
and they will not escape.
But you, brethren, [Christian brothers and sisters]
are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
for you are all sons of light and sons of day.
We are not of night nor of darkness;
so then let us not sleep as others do,
but let us be alert and sober.”
[Let us live self-controlled lives, faithfully focused upon Jesus, our 1st Love.]
- As we go about our week, as we go about our today—Are we giving our all to the Lord?
- As we walk throughout our days, as we live out our hours—Are we honoring Jesus?
God’s Love is Amazing!
God allows us to become part of His Will, part of His plan!
- Are we giving sacrificially of our time, our skills, our talents, of our resources?
OR
- BROTHERS & SISTERS IN CHRIST—Are we focused—more—upon what we desire, what we want, & what we want to do with our day?
May we surrender to our Father’s Will this day!
Father God,
Open our eyes. Help us see the world of people as You see them. Help us love others as you love them. Help us not be self-focused, self-absorbed, living without self-control. Show us, LORD, where we can serve others and be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Father, as I write my prayer, Zach Williams sings a melody in my ears prompting me to pause, to listen to his melody—“Less Like Me.”
LORD, please lead me to be more like Jesus today and so much less like me.
Father God, thank You for the gift of Jesus. Yes, thank You—for making me ready for that great and wonderful day when Jesus returns. I know that You did not just save me from the total separation of hell, but God, You have saved me to eternity in heaven with You.
So today, I ask You—Please help me be ready to testify, to witness, to engage in a Gospel conversation with another today about from Whom my HOPE comes. Yes, Father—Please give me an opportunity today, to show & to tell others about Your Amazing Love!
In the sweet name of Jesus, I pray, Amen.