Be Ready...
All this week I’ve been sharing the theme of “Being Ready” on my IG and wanted to bring that into today’s Friday Journaling prompt.
You can find each days post here. I’ll share yesterdays post below because this will be a continuation from that:
Be ready…
The theme I’ve been sharing this week is something of a revival in my own heart, that might be the call of us all.
A wake up call.
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44
I’m speaking to my fellow believers in Jesus Christ here, but in the broad sense it is a call to the whole earth.
“And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Matthew 24:14
This world is troubled.
This world is growing cold.
This world is seeing evil.
This world is fading away.
Yet still… the gospel will be preached!! God will not prevent the spread of the gospel! That is powerful.
Do you realize that He loves this world (you and I and a few billion others) SO MUCH, He will make sure ALL nations hear of the hope we can have in Him… before it is too late.
So what is that HOPE I speak of? Let me share it very simply:
Jesus didn’t come to make salvation possible for those who “do their part,” He came to accomplish it and to give it freely to ALL who believe!
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV
It is not faith + works = salvation
It is: Faith = Salvation
It’s not a “have to”… It’s a “want to!”
The gospel isn’t what would Jesus do, now go do that…
The gospel is look what has Jesus done, now believe that!
And that is where the goodness of the Lord shines through. The story of the whole Bible is God’s redeeming love for us, through His Son. And then the fruit of that redeeming faith brings forth a relationship with Jesus that wants to be about His business.
This is an “oldie but goodie” photo of me on a bike in Paris, France on our 20th wedding anniversary. It was such an amazing trip back in 2009 and what started me off on a journey I had no idea was coming, with the retreats the Lord has called me to host in Europe and the U.S. God was changing me from the inside out.
Life has changed a LOT since those days. Even 10 years later (2019) feels like a lifetime ago. Some wonderful things have happened, some hard things have taken place for all of us, I’m sure. But the faithfulness of God has ALWAYS been right there in the middle, and I see this wake up call as a blessing.
God is waking His people up. An alarm is going off, reminding us what time is is…
So what is our calling in a time where many false prophets are telling us lies, much deceiving is going on, people are being lead astray, and lawlessness does abound?
That question brings me to Matthew 24, and the Olivet Discourse. I’ve been studying it all week. I think we learn so much from Jesus in this chapter about His heart for us and what we are to be doing and looking for as the days draw shorter.
Last weekend I also listened to a prophecy update called: “Behold He Comes” conference through Jack Hibbs’ Church. I’m not sure if you can get the conference online still, but here is the link to their church website.
Here’s where my heart wants to encourage you right now, because if you’re like me, you’re needing the truth of God’s Word.
So let’s remember these truths:
It’s not a time for believers to be scared (2 Timothy 1:7)
It’s not time to listen to eveyone’s voice and be lead astray (Matthew 24:4)
It’s not time to shrink from what we see going on. (Acts 4:31)
Here’s what it IS time for:
“Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.” Matthew 24:46
~ We must be about the Masters business. Following Christ means bearing witness to his faithfulness.
~ Share the truth (in love) of God’s Word. The world needs to hear the truth of the Gospel message. Know what you believe and share it!
~ We remember Jesus did it all. This is what so many people don’t understand. It is NOT about us and what we can do to have eternal life, it’s about the finished work of Christ and the free GIFT He gave all who believe through His death and resurrection. The work has been done by Christ’s sacrifice… Praise God!
~ We share our testimonies! God is so faithful and we need to have a spirit of readiness to share what He has done in our lives with others.
~ Which leads to the Awe of God in all of us. When you hear other’s share what God is doing in their lives, doesn’t it make you go WOW, God! I absolutely LOVE God stories!
Read (and sense) the awe and wonder of God, so beautifully written by David in Psalm 145:
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
How awesome is David’s Psalm here! Let us tell from one generation to the next of His wondrous works! Let us mediate on them.
Are we ready to do this?
So for this Friday Journaling Prompt, I’d like us all to journal (AND THEN SHARE WITH SOMEONE) one thing that we see God’s faithfulness in.
I’ll go first…
Isn’t this such a lovely photo on the shores of Lake Como? I shared on Wednesday how the Lord showed me in 2018 that I was stressing too much about getting it all “right” at our retreats and He reminded me that all I needed to do was “set the table” and He would take care of the rest. It was a moment on such clarity and faithfulness, I will never forget it. I share the whole story in my manuscript, but I encourage you to go read it here.
Look, our friends and family are searching for the meaning of life in everything but the Bible… but THIS IS IT! King David knew it, we know it… So let’s be ready to share the Good News!
Take time to share God’s faithfulness in your life with someone this weekend.
You can email me your God stories if you want to too, I’d love to hear them!
And spend some time meditating on the splendor and glory of God this weekend.
Hugs to all,
Laura McCollough