When Will Christ Return?

36 “No one knows when that day or hour will come. Even the angels in heaven and the Son don’t know. Only the Father knows. 37 “When the Son of Man comes again, it will be exactly like the days of Noah. 38 In the days before the flood, people were eating, drinking, and getting married until the day that Noah went into the ship. 39 They were not aware of what was happening until the flood came and swept all of them away. That is how it will be when the Son of Man comes again. Matthew 24:36-39 (ESV)

Time to open our eyes and pay attention to what is happening around us locally and globally. I do believe that we cannot and should not attempt to predict the return of Jesus, but I also believe that we cannot ignore, fain ignorance, to the signs and struggles happening around the world right now. Jesus did not give us a date but He did tell us what to look for so open your eyes and see.

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen? What will be the sign that you are coming again, and when will the world come to an end?”

4 Jesus answered them, “Be careful not to let anyone deceive you. 5 Many will come using my name. They will say, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many people.

6 “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Don’t be alarmed! These things must happen, but they don’t mean that the end has come. 7 Nation will fight against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All of these are only the beginning pains of the end.

9 “Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me. 10 Then many will lose faith. They will betray and hate each other. 11 Many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 And because there will be more and more lawlessness, most people’s love will grow cold. 13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved.

14 “This Good News about the kingdom will be spread throughout the world as a testimony to all nations. Then the end will come.

15 “The prophet Daniel said that the disgusting thing that will cause destruction will stand in the holy place. When you see this (let the reader take note), 16 those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. 17 Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. 18 Those who are in the field should not turn back to get their coats.

19 “How horrible it will be for the women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days. 20 Pray that it will not be winter or a day of rest—a holy day, when you flee. 21 There will be a lot of misery at that time, a kind of misery that has not happened from the beginning of the world until now and will certainly never happen again. 22 If God does not reduce the number of those days, no one will be saved. But those days will be reduced because of those whom God has chosen.

23 “At that time don’t believe anyone who tells you, ‘Here is the Messiah!’ or ‘There he is!’ 24 False messiahs and false prophets will appear. They will work spectacular, miraculous signs and do wonderful things to deceive, if possible, even those whom God has chosen. 25 Listen! I’ve told you this before it happens. 26 So if someone tells you, ‘He’s in the desert!’ don’t go out looking for him. And don’t believe anyone who says, ‘He’s in a secret place!’ 27 The Son of Man will come again just as lightning flashes from east to west. 28 Vultures will gather wherever there is a dead body.

29 “Immediately after the misery of those days, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken.

30 “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. All the people on earth will cry in agony when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with power and great glory. 31 He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and from every direction under the sky, they will gather those whom God has chosen.

32 “Learn from the story of the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and it sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the door.

34 “I can guarantee this truth: This generation will not disappear until all these things take place. 35 The earth and the heavens will disappear, but my words will never disappear. ~ Matthew 24:3-35 (ESV)

Take heed my brothers and sisters, these are the very Words of our Lord and Savior!

Loving Father of all created things, please surround us with Your protection, Your peace and Your love. Give us Father your wisdom in our daily ministries. Show us how to reach the lost for Your kingdom before it becomes too late. Allow us Lord to be that mighty introduction to You that changes hearts and lives for all eternity. We know that one of Satan’s biggest lies to us is that we have no worth and no value and that You do not truly love us. Use us Abba to be Your love to the world so they might see through this lie. The second greatest lie Satan uses against us Father is that we have plenty of time. Please give us a since of urgency that we are doing Your work to save others lives, its not about me I know who I belong to, its about those poor souls that have not found their way to You Father that we need to be enthusiastic to reach. We ask these things in the name above all names, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen <><

Is “I AM” In Control Of You?

6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, 7 rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

8 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ~ Colossians 2:6-8 NKJV

When we were saved by Jesus Christ, when He made us a part of His first fruit, "I AM" the very Spirit of the Creator came to reside in our heart. Christ is now the center of our lives creating movement in us for Him. Our every thought, every action all our virtues are produced from a renewed and redeemed mind, a new heart, born from and commissioned by the very presence of "I AM" We begin to start this transformation into a new being, one formed in the image of Christ. We think like Christ, we believe like Christ, be become more and more like Christ with every breath we take.

The questions we now must research: What are the paramount beliefs of Christianity that when I embrace them within my mind and heart? What is it that Christ has changed in me that causes me to authentically make central changes in my life, in the life of the church and in the community? What is the unifying truth that all Christians embrace?

Do you believe enough to take Christ truths deep into your heart? Do you believe enough to live it out in your life, strengthened and empowered by “I AM” the very presence of the Creator in your life? <>< Amen.

Love Is...

1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. 11 When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. 12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

13 So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. ~ 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (ESV)

Love mentioned 684 times in the ESV, 442 times in KJV, 484 times in NASB and 686 times in the NIV. I would say that it is safe to assume that this is an important concept. As a matter of fact Jesus tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:36-40

With this much emphasis on love in God’s Word why do we find it so hard to love? We often find it difficult to love ourselves much less someone else. In order to love we must be willing to forgive, to look past the ugliness of our self and others. How was Jesus so readily able to love? Jesus knew before the disciples even opened their mouth what they were thinking and what they were going to say and still loved them. Jesus knew Peter would doubt when he walked on the water with Him but still loved him and reached out to save him. Jesus knew Peter was going to deny Him yet afterward Jesus went looking for Peter, (John 21). Jesus entire mission here on this earth was to teach us about love, to teach us how to love and we ignore it.

There is an exercise that I was taught many years ago, reread 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 slowly, but this time replace the word “love” with your name. Kind of stings some does it not? Now read it again this time replace “love” with “Jesus” makes more sense that way. If we are truly seeking to be “Christ like” then we should be seeking to love unconditionally. This does not mean we should accept ones sin, or condone sin, but to love the sinner while rejecting the sin. I am sure that Jesus did not love it when Peter denied Him but still loved Peter.

Pray 1 Corinthian 13:4-8 asking God to instill in you the traits that Jesus so elegantly displayed all the way to and through the cross. Another saying that I have come to cherish, “God Loves You And So Do I!” Amen <><

Whose Heart Shines Through You?

17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:17-20 (ESV)

In our life in Christ, we all have a tendency to rebuild what Christ tears down. We hand things over to Him knowing that He will take our yoke and then turn right around and pick it up again. We forget that when we give ourselves totally to Christ, He gives Himself totally to us. This does not mean that we will have easy lives, living in luxury it does not mean that all our problems will go away. It means that Christ is there to walk with us, to carry us when needed through the trial and tribulations of life. When we give ourselves to Jesus He transforms our heart, He takes away our greed and replaces it with purity, and He replaces our aggrieved hearts with His peace. In Christ, our minds are no longer limited with temporal thoughts; our meditations focused on the timelessness of God and life with Him.

15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. ~ 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 (ESV)

We have the mind of Christ! We have a piece of God residing within us in the form of the Holy Spirit! The creator of all that we know and the things we do not see residing within us! Ponder this for a moment… God chose to give us a portion of Himself that we might live in His Light. Jesus died, buried, rose from the grave, ascended into Heaven and sent His Spirit to change our hearts and minds. So why is it that it seems that we are worlds apart from the eternal thinking of Christ? Why do we not love and He loves? Why do we continue to live as if this world is all there is? Why are we not living for Christ and the Kingdom of God?

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. ~ 2 Corinthians 3:12-16 (ESV)

Are we being transformed by the full glory of Christ into His image? Are we turning to Christ in all we do? Do we seek His wisdom, love, and guidance in every aspect of our lives? Are we like a hockey puck on the ice, bouncing from one circumstance to the next with no real plan or are we purposely and actively seeking Christ? We must remove the veil from our hearts, allow the Holy Spirit that is God, sent by God to lead us, transform us, and empower us to live as He lived and to love as He loves! Amen. <><

Do You Need Rest?

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ~ Matthew 11:29 (ESV)

Examining Jesus heart is not an easy thing to do, it causes one who is authentically seeking to be like Jesus to cringe as you begin to truly understand what Jesus heart looks like. When you first understand that Jesus heart was pure, that there is genuinely no sin within Him, as Peter phrased it, “but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:19 (ESV) We begin to understand that our heart is not always inline with that of Christ

Further examination reveals that there is peacefulness in the heart of our Savior. As Jesus watched the disciples, fearful in the stormy seas Jesus was at peace as He calmly walked out to them on the water. As the disciples worried over what to feed the multitude Jesus thanked God for the opportunity to show God’s power and love. When being arrested in the garden, Peter drew his sword to fight while Jesus reached out His hand in love to heal. Without sin in His heart, there was no need for retribution. Jesus always kept His eye on the prize, never wavering or questioning His purpose and always peace in His heart.

Unlike many of us Jesus, focus was on His task, not aimlessly wandering through life, His objective to save the world from our sin. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” John 3:17 (ESV)

Most importantly and what we must consider is that Christ heart is spiritual. The intimate relationship Jesus shares with God the Father is the consummate quality that all Christ followers should aspire too. When He returned to Nazareth, the town where Jesus lived as a child. Jesus entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as He was accustomed to. When the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him to read, Jesus unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

After reading this Jesus returned the scroll to the attendant, sat down and with all watching and listening to Him, Jesus said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:21 (ESV) Jesus acknowledging that God’s Spirit was with Him and in Him. Luke 4:16 we read that Jesus was accustomed to going to worship. Luke 4:4 we find that Jesus new Scripture from memory and from Luke 5:16 we know that Jesus often withdrew to desolate places to pray.

Jesus time with God in prayer guided His actions and thoughts, “So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father dies, that the Son does likewise.” John 5:19 (ESV) Jesus then informs us, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me.” John 5:30 (ESV). Be assured that the heart of Jesus is unwavering and spiritual, connected in an intimate relationship with God the Father. Amen. <><