It could be tonight!

In life we may experience a host of special nights such as prom night, your wedding night, and the night before you start your first job.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who has spent hours or even days anticipating and preparing for a special night of some kind.

Many may anxiously await a special night so much so that they neglect their “here and now.” I’m reminded of the parable of the foolish rich ruler in Luke 12:13-21. In the story a very wealthy man runs out of room for his riches and decides to build bigger barns to store his crop.

He then decides that he no longer needs to toil but could now take his ease and rest, eat drink and be merry for many years. Further in the story we find that the rich young man had neglected to make some other important decisions.  In Luke 12:20 it reads, “But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then for whom will those things be which you have provided?”

And just like that his night took a turn for the worse. Is there anyone out there preparing for a special night, neglecting the night your soul will be required? Saving and putting back is a good thing. It is also favorable to be a good steward over your possessions. However, we are foolish like the man in the parable if we busy ourselves preparing and storing up goods with no regard for the state of our spirituality.

Mark 8:36 says, “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul?” Mark 8:37 says, “Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” These two verses let us know there should be nothing taking precedence over the state of our soul. So as we go on day-to-day, working, gathering, and storing, we must remember to work on our soul salvation, gather knowledge of God’s word and call on our lives, and store the love of God in our hearts.

Give God your life today. It does not matter what you have saved up; at the end of the day when you leave this earthly realm, your possessions will be left for another and there will be nothing you can do about it.  Don’t delay because you never know when your soul will be required; it could be tonight.

Think about it!

Words Don't Hurt?

Have you ever heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones?” Or “I’m rubber; you are glue.  Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you?” These are classic sayings, but I don’t really think they are 100% true. Words are very important and powerful. Proverbs 18:21 says, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.”

I recently studied the story of Jonah and the whale. Initially I thought the main lesson I would learn from the story would be a refresher course on the fact that Jonah was given this assignment from God.  Instead of obeying, he chose to run from his calling.

In Jonah 1:2 The Lord told Jonah, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before me.” Instead of obeying God, Jonah hightailed it to Joppa away from the presence of the Lord. He got on a boat and paid for a ride to Tarshish. On the way the Lord sent a great wind causing a sea storm. The mariners became afraid and immediately felt their new passenger was the cause of their sudden troubles.

All the while Jonah is silent. He is later found sleeping in the lower parts of the ship. This great man of God held his peace and would not have spoken of the circumstances if he had not been questioned by the captain of the ship. His silence could have cost the mariners their lives.

In verse 12 Jonah says to the men, “Pick me up and throw me into the sea; then the sea will become calm for you for I know that his great tempest is because of me.” After hesitating momentarily the men realized they needed to heed these words and comply if they wanted to live.

Everyone should be pretty familiar with the story of Jonah’s plight after being thrown from the ship. He was ingested by a whale and remained in the belly of that whale for three days. It is what Jonah did next that I really want to focus on. Once he was regurgitated by the whale, he ran to Nineveh as the Lord had instructed and spoke these words, “Yet forty days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Upon hearing these words the people of Nineveh believed! Because Jonah obeyed God, his words had saved the lives of the people on the ship and in an entire city!

Can we now see how important it is to witness to people and share the gospel of Jesus Christ on a daily basis? Sometimes what you say and share with others could change their lives forever or even save their lives. In this sense his words were powerful. They helped, not hurt!

Think about it!

Plan on it!

I am a planner! There have been times that I have found it difficult to function at events or services because the planning wasn’t to my specifications. I would say that I can be organized to a fault and I’m sure my family would agree. Sometimes I drive them nuts because I want some circumstances at my house to be “just so.”

Because I have so many things going on at one time, it serves me well to be a multi-tasker. I’m sure I’m not the only one. Everyone plans. Even if you don’t “over plan” like I do sometimes, I’ll bet - if you stop and think about your day-to-day life - you’ll realize you plan more than you might think.

Each night you go to bed with plans to get up the next morning and take care of things, to go to work, to cook dinner, etc. You may plan to finish some pending tasks at work or  to attend evening bible study. Whether you know it or not, you plan for things daily as well as throughout your day.

But while we are generally planning, are we planning for the future? I mean are we planning for our divinely destined future not just retirement. Too often we may take for granted that of all the things we plan for, we will come to regret not planning for our eternal future now.

Matthew 25:1-13 tells the story of the ten virgins. Five were considered wise because they were prepared for the coming of the bridegroom. The other five were foolish because they were not prepared properly; and while they were off trying to get prepared, the bridegroom came.  When they returned, the door was closed and they weren’t allowed to enter. Matthew 25:13 says, “Watch therefore, for you know not the day nor the hour when the Son of Man is coming.”

It doesn’t matter how well you plan; tomorrow is not guaranteed. Tragedy strikes every day. Do you think those runners in Boston planned on being involved in an explosion that day? Do you think people get in their cars and plan on dying in fatal car crashes, of course not!

Hebrews 3:15 says, “Today if you hear His voice do not harden your hearts as in rebellion.” Hear this, the word of the Lord is His voice; He is calling you right now through this very article. Give you heart and life to Christ today. Though we can’t plan His return, we know that His return is sure and we can prepare. Yesterday is gone; tomorrow is not promised; life is short and Jesus is soon to come. So plan on it!

Think about it!

Did you get what you paid for?

I am a budget shopper. I’m not really ashamed to admit that some have even called me “cheap.” I consider myself to be frugal. I’m not an extreme “couponer” by any stretch of the imagination, but I highly value a good deal! Two-for-one and buy one, get one free are signs I love to see while shopping. I have friends and family members who love to shop. They can spend hours searching for what they want or need and they don’t mind paying what I call “a pretty penny.”

Recently I decided to change laundry detergent. I realized that the detergent I had been using for some time was not really getting my clothes clean the way I wanted. It wasn’t leaving the clothes smelling fresh like I desired. I had heard that a particular detergent was “the best” so I went to the store to get some. Once I arrived the frugalness in me rose when I saw the price of the quote, unquote best detergent. For a few moments I scanned the shelves wondering if any of the other cheaper detergents would do the job I had heard this brand would do. Ultimately I purchased the detergent I had heard so much about. Once I used it, I realized why they say, “You get what you pay for.” The detergent did not disappoint; it made my clothes smell and feel much cleaner than the other brand had and I was very pleased with my decision to switch.

This made me think. When it comes to getting what you pay for spiritually, the scripture says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” What would we do if we were repaid with death every time we sinned? I venture to say there wouldn’t be many alive to read this article, including me. In addition to that we must recognize a price has been paid for our souls. Romans 3:23-26, tells us in detail how Jesus paid the price with His life, to ensure that we can afford the grace of His salvation.

Your life is a hefty price to pay for someone else’s; don’t you think? But this is what Jesus did. He not only paid for our sins with His life but also offers us life through the blood He shed. Now I wonder; did Jesus get what He paid for? Are you living your life in constant thanks and tribute to Him for His pricey sacrifice? Many would say we could never repay Jesus for what He did for us and this is true in the literal sense. But spiritually Jesus paid the price for our right to live sin-free. If we strive to live as He ordained, we are in turn repaying Him.  Just like we desire to get the most for our money, doesn’t Jesus deserve to “get what He paid for?”

Think about it!