The Holy Bible
21 So
you see, just as death came into the world through a man, now the resurrection
from the dead has begun through another man. 22 Just as everyone dies
because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ will be given new
life. 23 But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was raised as
the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he
comes back.
(The New Living Translation – 1 Corinthians 15:21-23)
Thoughts:
Living in the part of the world where I live, we are
used to the idea of being prepared for hurricanes, should one become a threat
to our area. We have written plans on the type kits we should have prepared to
just take off with, should we hear of a threat, and we have our escape routes
all mapped out ahead of time. No doubt many of you have similar scenarios in
your respective areas. Many of us do well with these, and we are therefore
ready when the call comes, others sometimes die a horrible death because they
become trapped in their environment by the terrible storms, due to their lack
of readiness. I find it interesting that many non-Christians take these
preparation efforts so seriously, especially when they are basing their actions
on the weather man’s word, and on something that he/she has no control over.
However, when it comes to believing the Word of God, we are often told by these
non-Christians about the many fallacies they see in the book. Lord Jesus, oh
that they may realize in time, that the same God who steers the currents that
control hurricanes, winter storms or any other type of natural disaster, is the
same God that inspired the Word of God, and who stands firm on His Word and its
promised actions. Matthew Henry, in his commentary on these verses wrote: “There will be an order in the resurrection. Christ
himself has been the first-fruits; at his coming, his redeemed people will be
raised before others; at the last the wicked will rise also. Then will be the
end of this present state of things. Would we triumph in that solemn and
important season, we must now submit to his rule, accept his salvation, and
live to his glory.” So friends, I realize that we don’t care to think about
morbid things like the end of our life, but I want to remind you that the decisions
you make today will result in whom you will serve here on this earth, and with whom
you will spend eternity. As in the case of natural disasters, how prepared are
you for your eternal peace? If you feel a tugging in your heart to straighten
up your spiritual life, please use information in the Footnote as your guide
for help. One of these resources would love to pray with you and guide you into
a peace that surpasses all understanding, I especially would love to help!
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, my friends are I are
crazy about, and super concerned about tomorrow, next year and especially about
retirement. We become super excited about preparations and readiness for
hurricanes or other such disasters. Yet, unfortunately, we spend little time in
our readiness for eternity. I realize that there is so much hype about the
various ‘feel-good’ programs, that we are generally not anxious about
preparation for such things as death, but I thank You Lord for reminding us in
Your Word today about the reality of this life-event, and the good, bad, and
the ugly about what our outcome will be, based on our decisions today. Please
forgive me for my littleness in not sharing this enough with my lost loved
ones, in an effort to help them be as prepared for eternity as they are for all
other milestones in their lives. Please touch the hearts of those who are ready
(Christians) so that we might not only stay closer aligned with Your will for
our lives here on earth, but enabled to help others who have not yet prepared
themselves of this inevitable life event. Please tender the hearts of the non-believer
today dear Jesus, and encourage them to accept You as their Lord and Savior,
for without salvation, eternity with You is impossible. Lord, You are good and
Your mercies endure forever. I ask this all in Your precious and wonderful
name, believing that You will touch the lives of Your children (Christians) to
better prepare for this important resurrection day, AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: If you have been challenged to make a decision
today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching
pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com so that we
can pray with you and give you help and or encouragement as you begin, or
continue your walk with Jesus. Any words underlined above will indicate a link
to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on
the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County,
Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you
at Bible Fellowship Church, Sebring,
FL!
No comments:
Post a Comment