Tag: wake up

Are You Ready?

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parablesLeave a comment
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 “Jenny, time to get ready. We’ll be leaving soon.”

The seven-year-old looked up at her mother. “Okay, mom.” And then she went back to reading the book she held.

Mom left the room to make her own preparations. The room was quiet. Jenny kept reading.

Ten minutes later, Rodney, her older brother, poked his head into her room. “Jenny, didn’t you hear? We will be leaving soon. You need to get ready.”

“I am,” she replied without looking up.

“No, you’re not.” Rodney pointed at her. “You haven’t changed your clothes or put on your socks and shoes. You’re not ready.”

“I have my travel bag packed. It will just take a second to change clothes.” Jenny muttered. “I have time.”

Shaking his head, Rodney left to make his own preparations.

Minutes later Jenny’s little sister came into the room. Going to her bed, she pulled her shoes out from under it and began to put them on.  “Jenny,” she said. “Mommy says be ready. Why aren’t you getting dressed?”

“Just a minute. I’m almost finished with this chapter. Then I’ll get dressed.” Jenny continued reading, and didn’t notice when her sister left the room.

From time to time her mother’s voice would softly drift into the room. “Jenny, are you ready?” Each time, Jenny pushed it to the side. She would get ready, just not at this moment. She really wanted to get to the end of the chapter. Finally, she got to the last page and closed the book. This had been one of the longest chapters she had ever read.

Just as she put the book down, her mother came into the room. “I’m leaving now. I see you are not ready. You will have to stay here with dad.”

“Wait!” Jenny called out. “I want to go with you!”

“But you’re not ready.”

“It will only take a minute. You didn’t give me enough time.”

“Sorry, you had as much time as the others. You chose to wait. You chose to do something else instead of what I asked you. It’s too late now.” Mother smiled sadly, and then left the room.

Jenny sat on her bed, devastated. Why did her mother appear so suddenly and tell her it was too late? All she needed was a few more minutes. It wasn’t fair.

Have you ever thought about God’s longsuffering? About how He gives us a long, long time to respond to Him? He has been calling people to Him for centuries. He’s been warning us for two thousand years to be ready for His return, but since He hasn’t returned yet, some people may think He has forgotten us. We may think it will be centuries more before He comes.  We may take for granted that when He comes, we will have time to put on our shoes and go with Him.

He has warned us numerous times to be ready at all times. What does that mean in our day-to-day lives? At one point early in my life, I thought it meant to have no future plans. His return was imminent so why work for a future that wouldn’t happen? But then, when he didn’t return, I was forced to consider my future. I went to college, began a career, got married, had kids – and slowly my focus was less on Jesus and more on my life. If He had returned in those years, would I have been prepared?

I feel burdened that God’s people are sleepwalking though life. They may go to church, participate in a Bible study, give to the needy, and love their families. They may profess to love God and want to be with Him forever. But their lives show a different story. They continue to live by the world’s standards, follow their own dreams and goals, and get offended easily by the behavior of other people. They compromise what the Bible says to make their lives easier and more pleasant. They pray and seek Him – until they are distracted. And then they go about their lives keeping Him in their peripheral vision – enough to know He’s there but their time and focus is on themselves – their wants, desires, goals, dreams, chores, plans, family, hobbies, entertainment, friendships…. They don’t reject Him. They just kind of put Him to the side. Like I did in my earlier years.

How does the Bible describe what being awake looks like?

According to Romans 13:11-14, we are to cast off the works of darkness. This includes not just the more obvious ones like immorality and drunkenness, but also the ones we tend to justify such as dishonesty (white lies), quarreling and jealousy. We are also to put on the armor of Light. This means to “wear” Jesus everywhere we go. We let His light shine into every situation, guiding our actions and reactions and bringing hope to others. And we are to make no provision to gratify the desires of our flesh but instead our focus should be on spiritual matters.

One day Jesus will come just like He said He would. And it will feel “suddenly” just like He warned. Are we ready if He comes this year? This month? This day? This hour? What if He’s here in our next breath?

Will He find us awake and prepared? Will He find us using our talents for Him? Will He find us treating each other well? Will He find our hearts totally devoted to Him and our lives revolving around Him?

Or will He find us distracted and sleepy, easily deceived by the enemy, neglecting our talents, and focused more on ourselves and on the world than on Him?

God is waking up His people. Let us respond quickly and eagerly. Let us encourage those still sleeping to wake up. He loves us and gave up everything for us. Let us do no less than to love Him fervently and put Him first in every part of our lives, replacing procrastination with wholeheartedly obedience to His Word.

Let us put down our books and get dressed before it’s too late.

Scriptures:

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him. ’Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. ’But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:1-13

 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34-36

 “‘I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you.  Revelation 3:1b-3

 “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. Revelation 3:15-16

(“Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”) Revelation 16:15

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Romans 13:11-14

Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. Colossians 3:1-2

The Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 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, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants and eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know and will cut him in pieces and put him with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 24:36-51

Open Your Eyes – Love is Love

On By LindaIn Open Your EyesLeave a comment
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Love is love.

This popular claim sounds nice, but how accurate is it?  I might marry my friend because I love him, but I wouldn’t marry a candy bar because I love chocolate. I love my puppy is not the same as I love my job. 

My guess is that the word love is limited to the love between two people. And not just any love, such as the love between a parent and child. Based on when and how it is used, people who use this have defined love as the intimate relationship, usually but not always, between two adults. This includes straight, gay, trans, and other types of people-people relationships. It doesn’t matter who the love partner is because love is love.

Is that Biblical? I did a quick search of the New Testament and found many verses about love. Most of them connected love to God in some way. But none said “love is love” or suggested a person could have an intimate relationship with just anyone.

The true definition of love is connected to God because God is love (1 John 4:16).

Therefore He’s the only one who can define what intimate love is and isn’t. According to His Word, intimate love is to be between a man and a woman who are married (1 Cor 7:2). This life-long relationship (Gen 2:24) is to be honored by everyone (Heb 13:4), and all sex outside of it is to be avoided (1Cor 6:18). Jesus confirmed this when He said that a man is to hold fast to his wife (Mark 10:6-8). Man and woman. Period. Anything outside of this leads to death (Prov 14:12).

Love is love? Not for those who call themselves Christians. Unbelievers can say and do whatever they want, but when we accepted Jesus, we accepted His Lordship over us. That means doing and seeing things His way regardless of what the rest of the world says or does, or even what seems right to us (Proverbs 14:12).

Many Christians are sitting on the fence. They hear what God says, but don’t see how loving anyone could be wrong regardless of who it is.  They seem to be more concerned about offending other people than offending God. Or maybe they agree with God for their own relationships but don’t want to impose that on other Christians or warn nonbelievers because everyone has a right to what they believe. Therefore they accept and support those who love differently or give a different interpretation of God’s Word. They have bought into the love is love idea.

I believe God is shaking the world right now (Haggai 2:6-7; Amos 9:8-10; Hebrews 12:25-27).  It’s time to wake up and open our eyes. It’s time to get off the fence. Will we follow the Creator or the created? We can’t have both God’s approval and man’s approval. We can’t love both God and the world (1 John 2:15-16). Compromise is not a choice. As Christians, we must obey God over man (Acts 5:29). We must walk in His ways. But do we? Will we?

1 John 4:16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

Genesis 2:24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 

1 Corinthians 7:2 But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

Hebrews 13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

Mark 10:6-8 But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

1 John 2:15-16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life – is not from the father but is from the world.

Acts 5:29 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”

1 John 2:17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Haggai 2:6-7 For thus says the LORD of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts.

Amos 9:8-10  Behold, the eyes of the LORD GOD are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from the surface of the ground, except that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob,” declares the LORD. For behold, I will command, and shake the house of Israel among all the nations as one shakes a sieve, but no pebble shall fall to the earth.  All the sinners of my people will die by the sword – all those who say, “Disaster will never draw near or confront us.”

Hebrews 12:25-27  See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns us from heaven. At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken – that is, things that have been made – in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.

Open Your Eyes – Truth

On By LindaIn Open Your EyesLeave a comment
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Truth is important. I think we can all agree with that. We need the truth about the world in order to thrive. Believing what is not true may spoil our plans or lead us down a wrong path that may end badly, even to our deaths.

You would think truth would be a unifying force. Something we all have in common. However, it is not. I don’t think it ever has been. What divides us is how we view truth. We all use the word ‘truth’ but we are not all talking about the same thing. That becomes clear as we hear about their truth, our truth, or the truth. What’s the difference? Truth is truth, right?

Nope.

Cambridge Dictionary and other online sites define truth as:

  • that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality (the truth or objective truth)
  • that which is thought to be true by most people (our truth or general truth)
  • that which is based on someone’s personal situation or feelings (my truth or subjective truth)

All three meanings are valid and used every day. There are times when objective truth has to top the others – such as fire is hot. But there are many times when subjective truth can be used to make decisions– such as the pool is too cold to swim in.

Over the decades that I have been alive, I have watched as subjective truth slowly replaced more and more objective truth. For many in our country today, there is no objective truth. Everyone’s truth is as valid as any other truth. The root of many disagreements is when subjective truth is pushed as objective truth.

It’s time for Christians to wake up. It’s time for us to open our eyes to remember who we are and whose we are. It’s time to see what’s going on around us and to compare it to what God says.

  • Jesus said He was the truth. (John 14:6). Not a truth but the truth.
  • In John 17:17, Jesus prayed that the Father would “Sanctify them by the truth; your words are truth.” The Bible contains God’s words, i.e. truth.
  • Jesus told His disciples that His Spirit would lead them into all truth. (John 16:13a). All truth. There is no objective truth outside of God’s truth.

I don’t speak to non-Christians. They must do what they feel they must do. God alone will judge them by His standards for them.

I speak to those who call themselves Christians. We are not free to believe whatever we want. We are to believe and live the truth as God has given it to us. We are to stand up for the truth (2 Cor 13:8) as well as speak the truth to each other (Eph 4:25).

Speaking the truth got the prophets stoned and killed. Standing for the truth got the early disciples ridiculed, ostracized, rejected, persecuted, and even killed. What will it cost us? Are we willing to walk as those of centuries ago did? Or do we prefer to walk the path of least resistance with our eyes closed?

It’s time for us to choose. God or the world?

Let’s pray that God opens our eyes to the truth as revealed in His Word, and that He gives us the strength to walk in it – in a world where to speak it out can cost us everything.

John 8:32  Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 16:13a However, when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth,

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your words are truth.

Zech 8:16-17 These are the things you must do: speak truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace; do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these things I hate, declares the Lord.

2 Cor 13:8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

Eph 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each of one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

1 Cor 13:6 Loves does not delight in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Open Your Eyes – Tolerance

On By LindaIn Open Your EyesLeave a comment
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Tolerance has changed over the 60-something years I’ve lived. Not the definition, but what it is we are to tolerate and how to do it.

When I was a teen back in the 60s and 70s, tolerance meant accepting those whose skin color was different than your own. That meant not discriminating against those from different ethnicities.

During my adult years as I was raising my children, tolerance meant accepting someone’s sexual orientation or religious views. That meant not discriminating against someone whose sexual preference was different or someone who didn’t believe the same things I did about the Bible, Jesus, or the denomination I preferred.

Today, tolerance means to not only not-discriminate against, but to promote. It seems to mean not only to let everyone do and believe whatever they want without correcting them, changing them, or judging them, but also to celebrate and support them in every way I can. That means using the language they want me to use, seeing them the way they want to be seen, and letting them act, go, do whatever they believe they need to. If I don’t play their game, if I don’t want them teaching their views as truth to my children, I’m being intolerant. I’m expected to deny my own beliefs for the sake of theirs.

If I don’t support their beliefs, I’m being intolerant. Yet, If they don’t support my beliefs, they are not being intolerant. This in itself should cause us to question what’s going on.

To be wise about tolerance, we need to know what Jesus taught us about it.

Here are two examples I’ve heard people point to as proof He was a man of tolerance.

He ate with sinners.  Did he do so because he tolerated their lifestyle choices? No, he did so to lead them to the Father, to share the gospel. (Matt 9:11, Luke 5:31)

He defended the woman caught in adultery by telling those who were ready to stone her that the one without sin was to cast the first stone.  He was defending her from hypocritical judgment. We know He didn’t tolerate her lifestyle because He told her to “sin no more”. (John 8:1)

Jesus did not come to show us how to accept everyone as they are. He came to get people to repent, to turn back to God.  (Matt 4:17) He came to restore our relationship with the Father which requires conforming to His will. In other words, we can’t do things our way and expect Him to support us.

Here are some of the things He did not tolerate while lived here on Earth.

Sin. (Matt 4:1-11, Matt 5:21-30 Luke 13:1-5)

Religious leaders’ hypocrisy  (Matt 23:27-28)

Those who claim to follow Him but aren’t doing the Father’s will (Matt 7:21)

Those who refuse to listen to the words of those He sends (Matt 10:14-15, Mark 6:11, Luke 9:5)

Those who choose not to follow Him (Matt 16:24-26, John 12:25-26)

Disbelief in Him (John 3:18,8:24, 14:6)

Those who don’t put him above all else (Matt 8:22, Luke 9:59-60)

Leading others astray (Matt 18:6-7, Mark 9:42-48, Luke 17:1-2)

Hypocritical judging (Matt 7:3-5)

Mistreatment of God’s house (Matt 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17, John 2:13-16)

Lust (Matt 5:28-29)

According to the words of Jesus, love and tolerance are not the same things. We can love without tolerating behaviors that are wrong according to the Bible. We can care about people but not join them in their sin. In fact, we are told to expose it for what it is. (5:11) We are told to correct those who persist in sin (1 Tim 5:20, 2 Tim 2:25, James 5:19-20 Gal 6:1), and avoid those who distort the gospel (Gal 1:6-9). We are to stand out from the world, not become part of it. (Rom 12:2)

The world has many ways to justify its many truths based on human thinking, human logic, human desires, and human understanding. God does not think like a human. (Isaiah 55:8)

I exhort everyone who claims to be a Christian, to open your eyes to what’s really going on. Pray for the strength to get through these days without being deceived into believing the lies that surround us every day.

Look at who and what the world tolerates, compare it to what Jesus did and did not tolerate, and then choose who you will follow.

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  Eph 5:13-27

‘…to whom I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me’.  Acts 26:17b-18

Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. Mark 13:33

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man. Luke 21:36

Open Your Eyes

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables, My ThoughtsLeave a comment

My granddaughter loves riding lessons, and I love watching her as she directs her horse to walk, trot, turn, and back up. She’s not really in charge, but she doesn’t know that. She interacts with the volunteers who lead the horse and walk by her side, but since she’s the one with the reins in her hands, she believes she’s in control.

One day she had fallen asleep on the way to the stables.  It was a heavy sleep, and she resisted my efforts to wake her up when we got there. I carried her into the stable, hoping the greetings from the people and the neighing of the horses would help wake her. But although a small smile would escape her lips from time to time, she refused to open her eyes.

I set her on the ground and led her around to each horse and then to the donkeys. Not even their loud braying convinced her to open her eyes.

The instructors suggested they put her on the horse anyway and let Frankie do her “horse magic”.  I handed my granddaughter to the experts and went to stand by the fence. I could hear them talking to her, coaxing her, teasing her, and distracting her through questions – all while they helped her mount and walk their warm up laps. Still, those little eyes remained closed. And they remained closed for half of the lesson, totally dependent of what her instructor and the volunteers told her.

A month ago, the Lord told me things were going to get rough and that many were not prepared. They were not listening. He asked me to pray that they would wake up, open their eyes, get into the position He assigned them, and strengthen themselves by praying.

I suspected that the election results were going to cause some problems no matter who won. What I didn’t see coming was a post like the one that popped up on my social media feed a few days ago. My heart is still grieving over it.

It’s been reposted numerous times, but I’m not sure if I’m allowed to post it here. So I’ll just say, the poster accused Christians of questioning the faith of those who “didn’t want to support a man who represents the opposite of everything Jesus taught”. 

First, my heart aches for those who are hurt by the questions of others. Pain is real no matter the cause.

Second, what are some examples of how Trump represents the opposite to everything Jesus taught? Which teachings are being referenced? And which teachings are being ignored? Jesus believed and followed the Old Testament. Is that included in “his teachings?” Vague accusations are a common tactic of the enemy.

And third, why are we not allowed to question what we see? Where is the dialogue? How can we understand when the door is slammed shut as soon as we ask? Do we not get to have our own opinions?

I have watched both political sides now for four years. I have watched full debates, rallies, hearings, and commentaries. I have listened to both liberal and conservative media. And I have prayed a lot.

What I have seen is a clear difference between the sides. Although there is a bias on the right side, there are outright lies and projections on the left towards the right.

The people in charge of the left have their narratives and I can understand why they say and do what they do. But I can’t understand how regular people, especially Christians, can believe what they say. It’s like people are walking around with their eyes closed, totally dependent on what the media is telling them. Things like…

There’s nothing wrong with Biden, except when it became too evident to hide it anymore. 

Listen to the science, except in the case of gender and in unborn children.

My body, my choice, except when it comes to vaccines.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion, except for white men and Christians/conservatives.

The contradictions are clearly there. Why do people not see them? What if it’s because they are riding life with their eyes closed, totally dependent on what they are being told? They may be holding the reins, but being in control is just an illusion. They are limited to where those in charge lead them.

This also goes for those on the right who blindly follow what they are being told.

Regardless of which side we are one, we need to know that this not a political issue and it’s not a social issue.

It’s a spiritual issue.

There is an enemy who is neither blue nor red. Invisible, yet firmly in control of many.

We all need to wake up to what’s really going on in our country. We all need to open our eyes to the evil that is trying to destroy us and the God who is trying to warn us. We all need to find our place in Jesus again. And we all need to pray. We need to be strong to face what’s coming. Because I’m pretty sure the rough times are not over.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  Mark 14:37-38

Remember, then, what you received and heard. Keep it, and repent. If you will not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come against you. Revelation 3:3

But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:34

But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. Ezekiel 33:6

When You Pull Me Closer, I Come to Life

On By LindaIn allegories, analogies, and parables1 Comment

The words from one of TobyMac’s songs floated through her mind… “When you pull me closer, I come to life…”

“That is so true,” she thought.  “Spiritually, I’m easily lulled to sleep. But when God calls me, my spirit jumps and I do come alive.” Even though she could sometimes get into His presence through her own efforts, she knew ultimately she was totally dependent on God. Especially when she was as tired as she was now.

 

Later that day, as she gazed at her newborn granddaughter sleeping in her nursery bed, those words returned.  Turning to look at her daughter sitting in the chair next to her, she said, “It’s just like Ryn.”

“What is?” her daughter answered distractedly.

“That song… ‘when you pull me closer, I come to life’… that we heard earlier today. It’s just like Ryn. She lays sleeping in her bed but when you call her, she wakes up. And she’s totally dependent on you going to her because she can’t come to you. It’s the same with God. We are totally dependent on Him to come to us because we aren’t capable of going to Him. And when He calls us, we wake up. We come alive.”

“Yeah, OK,” mumbled her daughter, obviously impressed with her insight.

But that didn’t bother her. She had already turned back to the sleeping infant, enjoying her smallest moves and sounds – while God lovingly enjoyed all three of them.

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