Warning From Jesus

What does being ready mean to you? Are you ready for an emergency? Are you ready for the storms of life? Are you ready for a job promotion? Have you ever been surprised by something unexpected? How did you react? Are you ready for Jesus to return?

I learned the Boys Scouts motto, be prepared, when I was a boy. Our Scoutmaster taught us that it meant planning ahead, getting things ready, having the right provisions and tools on hand. He taught us that unexpected things can happen at any moment of any day.

It is unfortunate that many who call themselves Christians are not ready. They go about their lives like everyone else in the world. They make the same mistake the person who only cursorily believes there is God, thinking they have time to make a full commitment. They think they can stand with mostly on the side of the world and make that quick jump over to Jesus’ side at the last moment.

Jesus warns us to be ready. He says that He will return when we do not expect it. That means He could return at any moment on any day. For us to be ready, we must be doing what is pleasing to Him at all times. But how many times do we go about doing what we want rather than what He wants? I suspect we do it far more often than we will admit to ourselves.

I often think about Jesus’ warning. Most often after I’ve done something I know I shouldn’t. It doesn’t matter how big or small that something is. I am quickly thankful Jesus did not return in that moment and I quickly ask Him to forgive me. The better way is to resist the temptation and do the right thing. That is hard sometimes. Yet, Jesus tells us to be ready.

I pray we all know Jesus can return at any time. I pray we seek to do what is pleasing to God. I pray each one of us remember Jesus’ warning and take it to heart. Jesus will return. He can return at any time. Do what is pleasing to God. Remember Jesus’ warning. Do what is right.

Luke 12:39-40 “But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

Treasure In Heaven

What fears do you struggle with? Do you fear not having enough money? Do you fear losing your possessions? Do you desire to have a bigger house, better furniture, and decorations for all seasons? Is that your treasure? Do you not know you have a far better treasure?

Our culture tells us to get the best money can buy. Therefore, we struggle to make more money to buy more stuff. We fear being out of style. We fear not feeling like we are part of the in crowd. We fear being left out. We fear being embarrassed about what we don’t have.

Jesus tells us not to fear. He says that the Father has given us the kingdom. Can you imagine that?! The kingdom of God is ours! We have been given something far better than anything in this world and anything we can imagine. Hollywood cannot begin to project what it will be like. Yet, we don’t focus on that. We focus on this earth.

If we were to sell everything we have and give it away so as to acquire the kingdom of God, it would be like selling the smallest doll house and purchasing the largest mansion. Perhaps that is not even a good comparison. But Jesus isn’t really asking us to sell everything. He is using hyperbole to drive home the point that we are focus on the treasure of heaven rather than on our possessions here on earth.

I pray we all stop focusing on our earthly possessions. I pray we know we have been given the kingdom of God. I pray each one of us focus our attention on the treasure we have in heaven. Do not focus on earthly possessions. You have the kingdom of God. Focus on your treasure in heaven.

Luke 12:32-34 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Nomads

What are you looking forward to? What are you striving for that may take many years to accomplish? Are you living in temporary mode or permanent mode? Do you know you have an inheritance waiting for you? Are you looking forward to it?

We look forward to many things. We may look forward to a wedding, birth of a child, purchasing a new house, starting a new job, or retirement. We work hard to achieve those things and maintaining them. Not that those things aren’t important, but they are temporary.

We see in today’s passage that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob all looked forward to the city of God. They lived in tents, seeking the permanent city God has created for us. Notice that they lived in tents. Our misconception may be that living in tents was how everyone lived. That was not the case. There were cities with homes, palaces, buildings housing businesses, and walls around those cities. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived as nomads who were waiting for God to fulfill his promises.

Today, we live in homes. We spend a ton of money on them. We plant flower beds, remodel them, and decorate them. Why? It is our instinct that is searching for the perfect home that only God can provide. We don’t need to live in tents as Abraham did. We do need to change our mindset of thinking our homes are permanent. Our attitude should be that everything in this world is temporary. There is only one permanent city, and that is the city of God.

I pray we realize everything on this earth is temporary. I pray we seek the city of God. I pray each one of us will put our faith into action and change our attitude to constantly be looking forward to God fulfilling his promise. Know we are living in the temporary. Seek the city of God. Put your faith into action. Change your attitude. Look forward to God fulfilling his promise.

Hebrews 11:9-10 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

Step Out In Faith

How quickly are you likely to head out on a trip, if a friend asks you to go? Will you just pack a bag and go? What if you don’t want to go? Will you tell them? Or will you find a reason that sounds legitimate? Would you go if God told you to go? Or would you argue?

Any time we decide to go on a trip, we take time to plan. Even if we decide on short notice, we plan on what we will pack, the route we will take, and how long we will stay. Taking a trip, whether across the state or out of the country, requires a little planning on our part.

Abraham was told by God to pack his things and move out. Abraham didn’t even know where he was going. All he knew was that God would lead him. He was going to be leaving the only land he had ever known. He and Sarah were leaving his family. He was heading into the unknown with his household possessions and some livestock.

God calls us to go into the unknown as well. He might not call us to go to a foreign land, but he calls us to go to places we don’t know and to do things we haven’t been trained for. Few have been trained to comfort a person who is grieving the loss of a loved one. Few have been trained to tell others about Jesus. Noone has all the answers to the questions they will face.

But take note of the most important thing Abraham had—faith. Just as Abraham took off on faith, we can go places and do things by faith. When we trust that God will provide for the trip or the conversation, we can do what God calls us to do. God may not provide what we need until the very moment we need it, but he will provide.

I pray we all decide to answer God’s call. I pray we step out in faith, trusting God to provide. I pray each one of us know we have inheritance waiting for us that God has already provided. Answer God’s call. Step out in faith. Trust God to provide. Know that he already has.

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance, and he set out, not knowing where he was going.

Doubt and Faith

Do you believe in things you cannot see? Do you find it hard to believe in something if you have no proof? Do you trust in someone you have never met? Do you trust they have your best interest at heart? How does your belief and trust affect your hope?

Believing and trusting in someone we have never met can be challenging. Yet, we do. Think not? Despite our many complaints, we believe our government, which includes lawmakers we have never met, will pass appropriate laws, even if we don’t agree with every law or budget.

We also trust people we do not know to stock the shelves of the local grocery store, cook our meals in a restaurant, and even drive the same highways we drive. Take a moment to think about the many situations in which we trust people we don’t know to do the right thing. If we are willing to trust them, fallible people, why are we unwilling to trust God?

The writer of Hebrews writes about faith. Faith is the combination of belief and trust. Notice that faith assures us of our hope. This hope is a belief in the promises of God. This means we trust God will fulfill his promises. We cannot see God and cannot always see how he is fulfilling his promises. Yet, our faith tells us he is doing so, even if we cannot see it.

We are provided several examples of people whose faith was commended by God. Each of them likely had doubts at some point during their lives, but they returned to their faith. We may experience doubts at times as well. It is natural to have doubts. However, just like the examples we see, we are to return to our faith, believing and trusting that God is in control and working for our good.

I pray we all realize we trust people we do not know. I pray we believe in and trust God. I pray each one of us acknowledge our doubts and return to our faith in God. Believe God is at work. Trust that God is in control. Know you will have doubts. Return to your faith in God.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Cleanse Yourselves

Are you tired of hearing people crying out about oppressions? Are you tired of seeking justice for those who have had offenses committed against them? What are you doing about it? Are you sticking your head in the sand? Will you do something more than that?

God has instructed us to rescue those being oppressed. He has told us to seek justice. How are we to start? First, we are to cleanse ourselves. We must rid ourselves of our negative attitude toward those who are oppressed and being wronged. We are to rid ourselves of evil.

Notice that God provides the steps to make ourselves clean. Stop doing evil things. Learn to do good things. Seek justice for not only ourselves but others. Rescue the oppressed, even if not physically but by supporting efforts to remove oppression. Defend the orphan, which may mean supporting organizations who provide homes for them. Help the widows by visiting them and supporting them, ensuring they are being properly cared for.

Think about those instructions a few minutes. If we were to do those things that God instructs us to do, the world would start moving in the right direction. We would see things start to change for the better. If we were to stop doing evil things and stop putting up with others doing evil things by correcting their behavior, the world would be a dramatically different place.

I pray we all stop doing evil. I pray we cleanse ourselves of our evil thoughts and ways. I pray each one of us will do good, seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and care for widows. Stop doing evil. Cleanse yourself. Look for opportunities to do good in many different ways.

Isaiah 1:16-17

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; 

remove your evil deeds 

from before my eyes; 

cease to do evil; 

learn to do good; 

seek justice; 

rescue the oppressed; 

defend the orphan; 

plead for the widow.

Foolish Endeavors

At what point will you stop pursuing the riches of this earth? Will it be when you retire? Will it be when you breathe your last breath? Or will you be making financial decisions right to the end? When will you decide to make God your top priority? When will following him be first?

Let’s not kid ourselves. We all need to work and make money to provide for ourselves and our families. It is the world we live in. God knows that. Yet, it is not the working to provide for our families that is the problem. It is the pursuit of worldly wealth. That draws us away from God.

Let’s also not fool ourselves into thinking that just because we do not have millions of dollars that we aren’t like those who have it. We can allow ourselves to get caught up in the worship of money. It may be striving to put as much as we possibly can into a retirement fund. It may be investing in the stock market. It may be hording stuff. It may be being stingy about giving to others. There are numerous ways for us to worship money or possessions.

Jesus tells the parable about the rich man who had and abundant crop and his desire to store it all up so he could relax and live the good life without working. But this man had evidently did not have a good relationship with God nor was he attempting to follow God’s commands. In the parable, God tells the rich man he is a fool and that his life was expiring that night. The man was in deep trouble, even though he was rich, because he put his faith in the riches of this world.

We can be just like this rich fool. When we put money and possessions ahead of our relationship with God and our desire to follow him, we fall into the same trap. We may say none of us are guaranteed tomorrow, but we don’t live that way when comes to our relationship with God. If we did, we would make prayer a priority. We would make reading his Word a priority. We would seek to know him with our entire heart and mind. We would treat everyone as Jesus did.

I pray we all make God our top priority. I pray we make praying to him and reading his Word a priority. I pray each one of us will seek God with our entire heart and follow his guidance for our lives. Make God your top priority. Spend time praying. Spend time reading God’s Word. Seek God with your whole heart.

Luke 12:20-21 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

This Ain’t Nothing

How important is money to you? How important is property to you? How much of your parents’ stuff do you want to grab hold of when they pass from this life? Have you made money and possessions your idol? Have they overtaken your desire to serve God?

It seems like everyone is seeking to make more money. I know that’s not quite true, but far too many in this world are chasing the almighty dollar. There have been family fights over the possessions of a lost loved one. Yet, all of this will fade away. We can’t hold onto it forever.

I was watching a music video by Craig Morgan entitled This Ain’t Nothing just yesterday and there is this amazing line in it. The song tells the story of a reporter going to interview an old man whose house had been destroyed by a tornado. He proceeds to tell the reporter about the loss of his dad, his brother, his wife, and his own left hand. At one point he says, “There’s things that matter, and there’s things that don’t.” Another line states, “And this ain’t nothing money can’t replace.” The point being that possessions don’t matter.

Jesus telling the person who came to Him in today’s passage the same thing. Let the world’s concerns about possessions be decided by the world. Rather than worry about that, spend time in praise, worship, and thankfulness to God. All that we have will eventually go away. Our eternal life spent with God will never go away. Rather than focusing on the temporary, focus on the eternal.

I know, that is easier said than done. But I have learned that we all can refocus our minds a little at a time. It was not until I went on a missionary trip to Romania in 2004 that this point hit me square between the eyes. Since then, I have slowly been able to loosen my grip on possessions. Still, I am on occasion caught up in it again. I must continually remind myself that possessions are not what matters. What matters is my relationship with Jesus. It’s a continual battle worthy of all our efforts.

I pray we all realize that money and possessions are not what’s really important. I pray we continually remind ourselves of that. I pray each one of us will focus our efforts on our relationship with Jesus. Stop focusing on possessions. Focus on Jesus. Build your relationship with Him.

Luke 12:13-14 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.”  But he said to him, “Friend, who set me to be a judge or arbitrator over you?”

Love Never Ends

What does love mean to you? Is it the emotional, affectionate love that brings couples together? Is it the love that you feel for a family member? Is it the camaraderie feeling you have with friends? Have you considered that love is more than these?

We talk of puppy love, love at first sight, and love for one another. Many of those are based on attraction, whether physical, emotional, or intellectual. We often do not consider love being any more than that. But should we?

When Jesus talks about love, He often uses the word that we define as unconditional love. He speaks of loving our enemies. He tells us that we are to love one another. We are to talk to one another with love. He does not speak of an emotional love but a love that is committed regardless of the circumstances.

The Apostle Paul writes to the church in Corinth about love in 1 Corinthians 13. He says that love is the greatest of faith, hope, and love. But he also says that love never ends. How are we to interpret that? First, God’s love for us never ends. It is his love for us that was the genesis of him sending his Son to be our Savior.

When Paul says love never ends, he is also encouraging us to have the same love for God and for one another that God has for us. That means that everything we do should be done with love. Our love is to be demonstrated in our speech, our behavior, and our actions. When it is, we show everyone around us the love of God.

I pray we all know that God always loves us. I pray we respond to God with the same kind of love. I pray each one of us loves one another with the love of Jesus Christ. God loves you. Love God with your whole heart. Love as Jesus loves. Love one another. Show your love with actions.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.

Eliminate Faults

What are your faults? What are things you do that you know you shouldn’t do? Have you identified them? Do you want to rid yourself of them? Have you worked on eliminating them? Have you been successful? Have you asked for help? Are you willing to ask for help?

Identifying our faults can be difficult. Often, we are told about them by someone else. Imagine a baseball player who is the best player on his high school team. When he gets to college, the coach identifies things he needs to work on. He is shocked. He was always the best player.

Just like the baseball player who cannot see their faults, we struggle to ours. When someone else points them out to us, we may be shocked and may even be defensive. Even if we identify our faults on our own, we may not want to or have the discipline to eliminate them without help. Yet, we often do not want to ask for help, which means we continue to struggle with them.

The Apostle Paul tells the church in Colossae to eliminate earthly desires, which are faults from a Godly perspective. We typically cannot eliminate them without help. The help we need is God’s. We need the Holy Spirit to change us. Yet, we must first decide that we want to rid ourselves of them. If we continue to enjoy indulging ourselves in those earthly pleasures, we will not give them up. So, we need to understand the pain they are causing us, desire to change, and ask for the Holy Spirit to change us.

I pray we identify our faults, even if we must ask someone else to do so. I pray we desire to eliminate our faults. I pray each one of us will ask the Holy Spirit to change us. Identify your faults. Identify your desires. Be willing to eliminate your faults. Ask the Holy Spirit to help.

Colossians 3:5-6 Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient.