Hurry Up

 

I was about eight years old and it was Christmas Eve.  My dad’s brother, Uncle Grayson, had stopped by to visit us with his wife and kids.  But I was in bed waiting for Santa to come, and here Uncle Gray was, hanging around when Santa was expected momentarily.  What if Santa came by our house, and he saw all of those people sitting in our living room?  He would probably leave, and I would miss out on his visit.  Those were the thoughts of my eight-year-old mind.  I couldn’t wait for Santa to come!  Hey, are we as adults that excited about the second coming of Jesus Christ?  Are we anxiously waiting for Him to come?  Jesus DID say that He was coming back, and that we should be prepared.  But are we?  Are we really watching for His coming?  Jesus said in Revelation 22:20, “He (Jesus) which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly.”  And then the old apostle John finished the verse with, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”  John was excited for Jesus to come back again, and he thought that it would be very soon.  But that was two thousand years ago!  Hey, Jesus really is going to come again, and quickly!  Are you excited to see Him?  I certainly am!  Can you say with me, “Hurry up Jesus; we can’t wait to see you!”?  I hope you can.

Choices

 

I am trimming down a bit (trying to) and was in Lowe’s when a gnawing in the pit of my stomach hit me.  And at the checkout counter there were candy bars and other sweets to fill my empty stomach.  But a protein bar on the top row caught my eye.  It was chewy with peanuts and chocolate, and it would be a better choice than the sugars on the shelves below.  So I got it and semi-enjoyed the snack.  Two days later, I was in Costco and found a box of 42 chewy protein bars, so I bought them to keep available for when the munchies hit me.  The box was $11.49.  Not a bad price.  But then I began to think.  That protein bar at Lowe’s was $3.88 for one protein bar.  And at Costco $11.49÷42=27¢ each.  And $3.88÷$0.27=14.37 or a whopping 1,437% markup!  Not a bad profit margin for Lowe’s!  Hey, when you’re hungry, you take drastic measures.  Esau did just such a thing in Genesis 25.  Esau sold his birthright to his twin brother Jacob for a bowl of lentils!  And what a bargain that was!  Hey, don’t make poor choices today.  Think before you act.  Make choices that would please the good Lord, and you’ll be glad that you did.

Adoption

Two of my five grandchildren are adopted.  I am so glad that there were two mothers who chose adoption over abortion, and because of their brave decision, I have two lovely grandchildren.  I was present in the courtroom when each of those adoptions were final.  They were both emotional moments.  But as I recall those adoptions, I noticed that the children paid nothing.  The parents paid the lawyer’s fees, home inspections, court costs … everything, but the children paid nothing.  Hey, that’s how I got into God’s forever family.  God paid for my redemption with the sacrifice of His dear Son on the cross of Calvary.  A tremendous price was paid for my freedom from sin.  But I paid nothing.  Nada.  Zip.  Nil.  EVERYTHING was paid by my heavenly Father.  Paul said in Gal 4:4&5, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”  By me accepting God’s offered salvation, I became a child of God … for free!  But, just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as free salvation.  I may get a “free lunch”, but someone has to pay for it in order for it to be free for me.  And my salvation is free to me, but it was paid for with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  And that free gift of salvation is offered to you as well.  Hey, won’t you accept the free gift of salvation?  If you have any questions, message me.  Do it right now.

Scary Movies

 

Why do le like scary movies?!  Some of the commercials on TV about a scary movie actually scare me.  No, just the commercial scares me!  I think that the reason people like scary movies is that the “scare” is not real.  If you are actually being chased by a rabid dog, that’s real and that’s scary.  But if someone on TV is being chased by a rabid dog, you know that it’s on TV, and it’s not real.  You get the thrill of the scare without the danger of a real rabid dog bite.  Hey, Peter said in I Peter 5:8, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”  Satan is real, and Satan is lurking around the next corner to pounce upon you, chew you up, and to spit you out.  But Jesus has bought you as His dear child and Jesus has Satan on a short leash!  Satan may roar and scare you, But Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe is standing right there with you.  Don’t be afraid!  Satan’s roar isn’t real - at least not to you, a child of the King!  Don’t be afraid!  Stand safely with God!