Thoughts for reflection . . . (Ready?)

Is my life in an ever increasing state of readiness for the Lord's second coming? Do I believe in His imminent return? Or do I push the event into the undefined future and remain unaffected by it's impact?

Jesus' words to His disciples in reference to His return was, 'be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.' and 'take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.'
[Matt24.44, Mark13.33]

Nearly two thousand years later those same words equally apply to us and can be considered with even greater urgency as we near the conclusion of the age.

The level of my expectation of the Lord's return will have a direct influence on the focus of my preparation and my life now. The final verses of Scripture have the Lord declaring, 'surely I come quickly', and our heart cry in return should be as in those verses, 'Even so, come Lord Jesus.'
[Rev22.20]

But am I ready if He should come now? Is there a diligence about my life that refects such a cry of desire to see the Lord? 'Holiness becometh Thine house, O Lord', says the Psalmist. Is my life separated and unspotted from this world? Will the Lord find me about His business as a faithful servant when He comes? Is there an urgency in my heart to share the words of life to those around me, knowing that the time is short and I may be the only voice for God that they may hear?
[Ps93.5, Matt24.44-46, 2Tim4.2, Acts20.26-27]

The prophet Malachi declared, 'who may abide the day of His coming?' His appearing will be glorious and a rejoicing to His children, yet the Scripture says the righteous will scarcely be saved and Jesus said, 'when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?
[Mal3.2, Titus2.13, 1Pet4.18, Luke18.8]

The condition of readiness in my life will be known by a daily closer abiding in the Lord, a progressive level of holiness in all my ways, and my loins being girded about and my light burning.
[1John3.3, 1John2.28, 2Pet3.14, Heb12.14, Luke12.35]

May my spiritual senses not be dulled and numbed by the world around me, but may I be awake, alert and getting my house in order, that when He appears there may be no regret.

- sent from Palm T|T3

Thoughts for reflection . . . (Trials)

What is my reaction to trials and difficulties in my life? How do I handle them? Do I submit passively to those times and find myself crushed beneath their weight? Do I rise up in complaint, or self pity? Do doubts and questions arise in my heart?

The Scripture declares in a number of places that entering the kingdom of heaven will be through much tribulation, that in this world we will have tribulation and all that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. The life of a believer is not one of guaranteed ease in this world.
[Acts14.22, John16.33, 2Tim3.12]

Yet in the midst of trials and difficulties, God has furnished us with many promises that enable us to not be overcome in those times of hardness. All around may be darkness but Light is available to us.
[Rom8.35-39, John12.46, Ps18.28, 97.11]

Jesus said that 'he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness but will have the Light of life'. We therefore need to be following Jesus and His example in the midst of the darkness of trial and suffering we may be encountering.
[John8.12, 1Pet2.21]

In all of the Lord's sufferings and rejection by man He never complained, never shrunk back, but moved forward through those times with resolve and purpose. He had the absolute assurance of the presence of God the Father with Him. He knew He was never alone, and saw ahead to the final outcome.
[1Pet2.21-23, John8.29, 16.32, Heb12.2-3, John12.32]

When times are hard our focus and perspective will determine how we are affected by those circumstances. Our eyes must be on Jesus, our strength must be drawn from Him. Our hope must be in His Word and His faithfulness.
[Heb12.2, Ps18.1-2, 27.1, Hab3.17-19, Phil4.11-13 Ps119.81,114, Ps89.8, Deut7.9, 1Cor10.13]

God knows our frame, He remembers we are but dust. He does not expect us to just endure, survive and exist in our own strength but calls us to find Him our all in all, and by Him overcome. He is the source of endless strength, the well that never runs dry, the Hope that never disappoints.
[Ps103.14-16, Is26.4, Ps9.10, Rom5.3-5]

May I continually turn my eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. Then the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

- sent from Palm T|T3

Thoughts for reflection . . . (Fear God)

How much of the fear of God is present in my life?

The Scriptures describe the fear of the Lord as the beginning of wisdom and knowledge. True wisdom in the heart of man finds it's origins in the fear of the Lord. The presence or absence, and the degree of the fear of the Lord in my life will be revealed by how I live. Do I highly esteem God, greatly revere Him and honour Him, walking humbly before Him? Do I tremble at His Word, esteeming that same Word more than my necessary food?
[Ps111.10, Prov1.7, 9.10, Prov8.13, Mic6.8, Is66.2, Job23.12]

The Proverbs declare that by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil, and the fear of the Lord is to hate evil. What is my attitude to the evil around me that can be found in the media, entertainment world and society in which I live? Do I tolerate it? or shun it and exclude it from my life?
[Prov8.13, 16.6]

The working out of the Christian's life, a life lived out of love for God, must be in the context of fearing God: We are to be perfecting holiness in the fear of God, submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God, and through grace serving God acceptably in reverance and godly fear.
[Phil2.12, 2Cor7.1, Eph5.21, Heb12.28]

The fear of the Lord is a serious matter. For those who walk in this fear, it is a fountain of life and there are abundant promises.
[Prov14.27]

As I walk in the fear of God:
- the Lord's secret is with me
- great goodness is laid up for me
- the Lord's eye is upon me
- the angel of the Lord camps around me
- I will have no want/need
- God will be a banner to me
- His salvation is near to me
- His mercy is toward me, as high as the heavens above the earth
- the Lord pities (has compassion on) me
- the Lord will bless me, fulfil my desire and takes pleasure in me.
- my days will be prolonged
- I will have strong confidence and assurance
[Ps25.14, Ps31.19, Ps33.18, Ps34.7, Ps34.9, Ps60.4
Ps85.9, Ps103.11, Ps103.13
Ps115.13, Ps145.19, Ps147.11, Prov10.27, 14.26]

May my heart be united to fear the name of the Lord, and be ever learning what it means to fear Him
[Ps86.11, Ps34.11-14]

- sent from Palm T|T3

Thoughts for reflection . . . (Satisfied)

How satisfied am I with where I am in my walk with the Lord, and how does that reflect in what I am doing with my life each day?

Do I get disillusioned with my own shortcomings, weaknesses and failures and thus stop where I am, or have I become tired of the journey and content to settle with where I find myself?

The Psalmist declared in Ps17.15, 'I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.'

How important is it to me to be Christlike in all my ways? Christlikeness is not just words and deeds conforming to a pattern that we see in Scripture, it is a life yielded to God that results in His divine life flowing through us, bearing fruit that shapes our whole being.
[Gal5.22-25]

Our life in Christ is a journey with a destination of a promised land. A 'land' where Christ will present us to Himself holy and without blemish. Where we are to be found in peace, without spot and blameless, clothed in a righteousness that is not our own but from Himself.
[Eph5.25-27, 2Pet3.13-15, Phil3.8-10]

Such a promised land awaits, but we can become satisfied with life in the wilderness, staying with the familiar but far short of where we are called to be. Until the day when we see the Lord, we should be careful not to settle where we are, but be seeking God with great diligence, to run the spiritual race with focus, and never stop at where we have thus attained but press forward to what is ahead.
[2Pet1.5-12, 1Cor9.24-27, Phil3.13-14]

2Pet1.4 indicates that the provision of the exceeding great and precious promises God has given us, is so that we might be partakers of the divine nature.

May I make full use of the promises that God has given me to see His life transform me, changing me day by day, so that I can echo the Psalmist: that I will be satisfied when I awake with likeness of Christ my Saviour.

- sent from Palm T|T3