Follow the Signs

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk 

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us,  when what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray (Matthew 24:1-4)

In these times of distress, when your devotion and obedience are put to the greatest test, you must let Scripture guide and comfort you. Never let the faithlessness of others determine what you do. Turn to the Scriptures and allow them to reorient you to God and His activity (taken from Experiencing God Everyday by Richard Blackaby).

It is of the utmost importance Christians learn to read news headlines through the lens of Scripture and stop looking for signs. The signs are already with us and all that is left, is for us to be ready for the coming of the Lord. Yes, we still go to work, educate ourselves and our children and strive to occupy our time well, while we wait. But, it should be with a consciousness of eternity looming larger on the horizon every day. 

I don't know when or exactly how time will transition to eternity but,  the Bible tells us what the signs are. Let us watch, pray, and be ready.

This Means Me

Sometimes we have difficulty appropriating Scriptures in the Bible as our own because they are addressed to Israel. Even the promise we hear so often from 2 Chronicles 7: 14, If my people who are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray ..." was originally God's response to King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple. So how can we claim this as a promise extending to all people?

Let's think beyond our adoption and engrafting into spiritual Israel through Jesus for a moment. Look at 2 Chronicles 6: 32-33 

“In the future, foreigners who do not belong to your people Israel will hear of you. They will come from distant lands when they hear of your great name and your strong hand and your powerful arm. And when they pray toward this Temple, 

 then hear from heaven where you live, and grant what they ask of you. In this way, all the people of the earth will come to know and fear you, just as your own people Israel do." That's us!

So you see, we can pray from a place of complete confidence knowing God has promised to hear us. Now, make sure you read all of 2 Chronicles 7 and then, let's put the Word to the test.

He's Coming!

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk

Fear swirls about us clouding judgement and threatening to destroy inner peace. As a healthcare professional I know only too well the theat of COVID-19 gaining a foothold should not be underestimated.  But, fear is a choice and so is faith.

What are the spiritual take aways from the past few months? The Bible is being fulfilled right before our very eyes. God does not have to do a spectacular miracle to create a situation so we can say, " aha, there's the hand of God." No, it's in the mundane and often unexpected that we see the prophecies of Matthew 24 and onwards coming to pass. 

Famines, floods, incessant wars, pestilence (Coronavirus, locusts, and the like) and the resulting "mens/people's heart failing because of fear" are as Biblical as it gets.

We don't know if it will be a nuclear explosion that will cause the sun to turn into blood, and if it will be that fallout which will result in people gnawing their tongues in pain. But, everything is lined up and all is leading to the second coming of Christ. Let's not rationalize or overthink the events of our time. 

Read the Bible, all of Matthew then Revelation. Line up what you read with global news headlines, and then see how comfortable you can be calling everything one grand coincidence. 

Christ says that when we see all these things we should look up for our redemption is at hand (closer now than when we first believed).

Maranatha!

It's Okay to be Nice

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
How do we respond to strangers, religious people, when they knock on our door?
Are we rude, condescending, judgemental,  or just cold and unfriendly?
If we are right and the person knocking is wrong, aren't they just as in need of being shown the right way? Saying I'm a Christian and slamming the door does nothing to advance the cause of Christ. It sounds trite,  but if we are to be different, we must learn how to disagree in a godly manner so we don't become known for being just plain disagreeable.
If we are believers, we should be the first to be kind, offer a smile, and share the love of Christ. For all we know, the person knocking may desperately need to know the work of redemption is already done,  and that Jesus is the one and only Savior of the the world.