“For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” Matthew 24:27
Monday night is $5 BURGER NIGHT at several restaurants in the area. As we headed out, dark clouds and thunder reminded us to take rain gear. Arriving, the place was packed, and the only available seating was in the bar area. It seemed the revelers had been there a while, as they were loud and jovial. We got our burgers, the thunder roared, lights went out and the revelers howled! What happened next was chaos!
Among the noise and growing darkness, battery powered lights were brought in. I watched the computer screen on the cash register with interest, “surely there was some kind of back up power,” I thought. But no! Blank screens matched the faces of confused wait staff, who stood not knowing what to do. Since most would pay with Credit Card, and no bills could be generated, the revelers howled some more. I paid the estimated bill with cash and we exited the darkness.
There are generally 2 reactions to unexpected events… cheer or fear. Matthew 24 is mostly written in red ink, meaning that Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, is speaking. His message is a coming “great distress, unequaled since the beginning off the world!” He is speaking of His future return in Judgment, the time with the game clock of life… will stop!
The Boy Scouts have the motto… “Be Prepared!” If you have ever experienced a natural disaster, like a hurricane or tornado, you can appreciate the head’s up. Knowing what kind of things happened in the past helps to pre-gather supplies. But what does one do with the ‘End of Days?’ Thankfully, God has already told us. His Word tells us to put our eyes and hearts on His Son!”
Everyday life brings choices and consequences. We can choose to live like there is no tomorrow. Or live like tomorrow is our last. The choice, God infers, is ultimately our own… cheer or fear! We CAN look at our lives to see what we’ve done and read God’s Word to know how our life stacks up against HIS standards. Knowing our failure at perfection, we CAN choose to take His free offer of Grace and live HIS way… building on HIS-story! OR… we can simply party on!
The King is coming and His Judgment will be final. But because of His love and grace, it need not be fatal! We can ‘Be Prepared,’ if we choose to be. It is not even hard! All I have to do is to take each next step with Him in mind! Doing so brings no fear for me. But It is MY choice.
I hear thunder!
