And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mat 24:14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.
Mat 24:15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
Mat 24:16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
Mat 24:17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.
Mat 24:18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
Mat 24:19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.
Mat 24:20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
Mat 24:21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.
Mat 24:22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
What is my heart like in these last days?
I’m not going to create a massive dissertation on the time of trouble and the last days. Jesus has given us the information that we need to be prepared and ready to meet Him when He returns – meet Him with our salvation chosen over the pleasures of this world. I instead feel drawn to poor out my heart.
These times I live in are filling my heart with hope for the soon return of my Master, with the fear of the Lord, and with concern for the souls of others. I more and more want to only serve God. I grow so weary of this world and all it’s empty pleasures, yet they still draw me like a moth to a flame. Because of this, I must fall on my knees daily and consecrate my life to Jesus and doing His Will. I must ask for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and I must beg for the mercy of God.
PRESUMPTION! Oh, how I hate my presumptuous heart. So often I find myself glibly relying upon the mercy of the Lord and never giving it the wrenching heart change that His Mercy deserves.
God deserves a better man than I, and herein lies the beauty of the problem. He shall have that better man as soon as I submit my wretchedness to Him to change. I have to stop lying to myself and my God. I have to desire that change more than anything this lost and dying world has to offer. Then He can do His good work in me. Until then, my selfish will keeps His still small voice from having it’s influence.
FREE WILL! A beautiful gift in a sin free world, a stumbling block in a sinful one. A stumbling block of such overwhelming proportions that ONLY God can do the work in me necessary to turn that free will completely over to him. A free will that chooses the freedom that God offers, removes the shackles of sin, and follows Jesus wherever He leads… is a truly FREE will.
I believe that God can give me that sin free world here on earth. Sin free because I am completely covered by the Blood of the Lamb, and not by my own merits. My merits must increase as fruits of the Spirit, but they will never be anything I can claim to have produced on my own. Those fruits belong to Jesus. My crown of salvation belongs to Jesus. My life belongs to Jesus, for He paid the infinite price to purchase my life. He in fact paid that infinite price for every soul that has ever lived. Why do I take that beautiful free gift and butcher it on the altar of temporal wants and desires? Lord, take this burden from my heart!
SELFISH HEART! How utterly deceitful. I weary of the lies you constantly tell me. I tire of feeding your ravenous mouth, your bulging eyes, your hungry ears, and your crawling flesh. Leave me alone!
Lord, please have mercy on me. I give it all to You! You gave Your Beloved Son to save me from my sin; please save me from my sin! Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Make me detest sin as much as You do. I give You my mouth so that You may fill it with sweet and kind words instead of uncontrolled passion. I give you my eyes so that You may put before them the glories of Your creative power, the saving words of Your holy book, and the gifts You give that are all around me. I give You my ears so that You may fill them with lovely songs that please Your ears, not mine. I give you my flesh so that it may long for Your touch alone. Bring me into subjection Lord! Amen and amen.
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- Don’t Let Anyone Deceive You | Matthew 24:4-8 (commonmansbiblejourney.wordpress.com)
- Jesus is the Only Way (writeforacause.org)
- Flee to which mountains? (creationconcept.wordpress.com)
