left behind

‘But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, 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 Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner 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 unexpected hour. (Matthew 24:36-44, NRSV)

Two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left… But which do you want to be?

Given the context of the passage and the reference to the flood; I would say you want to be the taken… but this is not about the rapture. This is about being aware of the surroundings and living as the disciple that God created you to be.

Because did those around Noah really have no clue that something was going on? I mean they saw Noah and his sons building this huge thing in the middle of no where. And they had no clue? They saw the signs, they just did not know how to read them.

They were not ready for the Son of Man to come. Are you?

Do you see the signs around you?

Are you living as the disciple He created you to be?

Or are you more concerned with yourself and getting what you deserve to be concerned with His creation?

He is coming like a thief in the night….

Are you ready?

no distinction…

For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, ‘No one who believes in him will be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ But not all have obeyed the good news; for Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’ So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ. But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have; for ‘Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.’ (Romans 10:10-18, NRSV)

Everyone is a pretty wide throw…

We can not say that anyone is withheld when the Bible tells us that everyone who calls on His name will be saved!

We are not the judge of who is in and who is out. We are the ones to proclaim Him through our actions and our words. We are to be the living body of Christ in the world.

It is not our job to say who is in and who is out, but to share His love and grace and mercy with all.

We are all sinners and fall short of His glory. And we will not be doing what we ought to be doing when He returns, but He will shake His head (after the palm to forehead) and say we are forgiven…

So judge not and hold no prejudice and make no distinction, because God said, “All are welcome here!”

faith

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3, NRSV)

By faith our ancestors received approval. Not by the actions they did. They were approved by the faith they had.

And faith is knowing that what we hope for, will be, and what we can not see still exists.

The image that always comes to mind for me when I hear this is from the song by DC Talk Mind’s Eye. The song is about what I see in my mind, and might not see in real life. But part of the song talks about the wind. Have you ever seen the wind? You can see the effects that the wind has. You can see the leaves move, and the trees sway. You can feel the wind. But you can not see the wind.

So it is with God, and what we believe. We can see the effects that He has in our lives and feel His presence. But yet we can see Him, in the faces of those who share our faith, our hope, our conviction.

So cling to your faith, and know that it is the assurance for what we hope for, the conviction of things unseen!

thankful

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures. Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you suppose that it is for nothing that the scripture says, ‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:1-10, NRSV)

How many times do you look at what someone else has and say to yourself, “I wish I had that.”

We covet what we see others have. We think if we only had what they had, we would be truly happy.

If only I lived in their house, and had their family. and drive their car, and had their phone, then my life would be great and everything would be wonderful…

But the old saying is that the grass is always green on the other side of the fence, means that someone is looking at your life and saying about you what you are saying about them…

You see, God has blessed each of us in a way that shows His love for us.

We need to be thankful for all that He has given us and stop comparing our lives with that of someone else. They are not us and we are not them, so we will not be the same…

List out on this day of Thanksgiving what you have in your life to be thankful for. I bet you will surprised how long the list is…

Chozen…

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; this is the pledge of our inheritance towards redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:3-14, NRSV)

“just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved”

I had to read it again, and again, and again…

It said that He chose us in Christ, before He created the world to be His! He claimed us as His children, because He wanted to and because of what the Beloved gave us!

You have been claimed by God before, make that long before, you were known to this world!

He loved you so much that He knew you before the creation of everything and chose you to be His.

Rest assured that He will be with you always and walk with you through everything, because you are His and He chose you!

Remember that you are chosen!

temple…

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Do not deceive yourselves. If you think that you are wise in this age, you should become fools so that you may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, ‘He catches the wise in their craftiness’, and again, ‘The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.’ So let no one boast about human leaders. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all belong to you, and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God. (1 Corinthians 3:10-23, NRSV)

So we are freed by grace to live in the love of God; does that give us free reign to do whatever we want?

Paul said to the Romans that we can not sin more to get more grace. Yes we are free to live in the love of God, but everything we do and every where we go has God going with us…

Think over your actions of the past 24 hours…

Now over the last 60 minutes…

Now the last 5 minutes…

Do you want Jesus to be doing that with you?

We are to honor God with all of our actions. Every word we say and every thing we do.

We are God’s and He dwells within us, so honor Him!

reap what you sew

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. (Galatians 6:1-10, NRSV)

Do not deceive yourself, for God will not be mocked!

How many times do we do something thinking, “No one is seeing me do this…” “No one will know I did this!”

The only problem is, God knows everything and sees everything. Everything we do is known to and by God, even the inner most desire and reasons we do things that we ourselves may not bring to the for front of our thoughts.

God knows what we are sewing and will only allow us to reap what we ourselves are doing/planting.

So make sure your desires are in check and yo are living for God and following His plan.

Sew what He has given you to sew! and your reaping will be bountiful!

Truly I tell you…

When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [[ Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.’]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing. And the people stood by, watching; but the leaders scoffed at him, saying, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Messiah of God, his chosen one!’ The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, and saying, ‘If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!’ There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’ One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’ (Luke 23:33-43, NRSV)

I will be the first to say that I are not an English major. However, I know that the placement of a comma is important.

Like in the phrase, “Let’s eat grandma!” Without the comma, it could be a very bad situation for grandma! The phrase is “Let’s eat, grandma!” We are telling grandma we want to eat, not that we want to eat grandma.

It is the same with our text today. Where does the comma goes changes everything.

You see in the original text there was no punctuation. So the comma was added later by a committee. So where does it actually go?

Did Jesus say to the thief, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” Or did Jesus say, “Truly I tell you today, you will be with me in paradise.”

Is it something that happens today, or is it something that Jesus told him today?

You see we want to say it is the first. That today will be the time that Jesus is in paradise with the thief. However, there is a little theological issue here. According to the Apostles Creed where does Jesus go from the cross?

“He was crucified by Pontius Pilot, died and was buried. He descended into hell.”

So if the thief is with Him, they are together in hell. But Jesus told Him they would be together in Paradise! So what is it?

It is like many things with Jesus, not a clear straight forward answer. Or as my Jazz Studies professor always said, “Yes.” It is not either or, it is both and. The comma is saying that today the thief will be with Jesus in Paradise, and Jesus is telling him today, because He has someplace to go before He gets to Paradise, but the thief will know nothing of it.

You see the earlier statement of Jesus from the cross is the big one. Father forgive them!

Jesus is asking God to forgive us! To forgive us from all of the evil we have done. All of the things that led us to nail Him to that cross. And that is immediate! That is now!

Eternity is not something we wait on, it is something we are actively participating in right here, right now!

And that is what Jesus defines with the thief! You are forgiven, and it starts now! Welcome to paradise! For you are living in me, so even in death, and even in hell, you are with me, and that my friend is paradise. To be with the living God.

So live in eternity here and now and grasp hold of the life that God has for you!