Tag: seasons

21.d. “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

 

 

 

Romans 13:11  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  

Matthew 16:3   And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

 Matthew 24:42-44    Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.  But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3    Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you.  For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.  While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

 Revelation 22:12   “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

 Revelation 22:20   He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!

 Matthew 25:5-7   As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept.

 Mark 13:35-37   Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—  lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”

 1 Corinthians 15:34  Wake up from your drunken stupor, as is right, and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame.

 1 Corinthians 7:29-31   This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short.

 2 Peter 3:13-15   But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.  Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.

Because we know the danger of the times and we anticipate the soon return of Jesus, we should be all the more energetic and committed to a right walk with God instead of a sleep-walk with God.  People talk in their sleep, walk in their sleep, hear things in their sleep, and even think in their sleep (dreaming). We can do many religious or things that seem right in our own eyes and still be asleep toward God, it is important for every Christian to make sure they are truly awake and active in their life before God. (Guzik)

It is a very dangerous state of mind to be in, seemingly being awake.  People who see you might even think you are awake.  You do things that would give the appearance that you are awake.  You say things that sound like you are awake. But in all truth and reality, you are asleep in and to things of God.  When we sleep we are resting our bodies and mind. While we sleep we are not aware of things that happen or that have happened.  We can wake to find a severe storm has come and gone in the night.  How many times have you heard, “I slept right through it”?  “Didn’t hear a thing.”  We may even say that it was a good night’s sleep.  We may say that we slept like a baby.  Though our mortal minds and bodies need sleep and rest, our spiritual should never be in that state.  From the morning to evening our spiritual awareness should never be found asleep.  “Study God’s Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night…”, “but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law, he meditates day and night.” “I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.” 

What are the signs of being asleep?  Neglect, complacency, paying little to no attention, disregard, ignore, set aside, lazy, self-worth, self-reliance, pride, contentment, carelessness, self-contentment.  When we are asleep to things of God and the Word of God we become more and more spiritually unaware.  What we do, what we say, and what we think looks like those who, for all practical application, are in a comma concerning things of God and His Word.  Though our fleshly bodies and minds need sleep our spiritual lives do not and should not ever be in the state of sleep.  Jesus gave warnings about being found asleep when He returns. Paul gave warnings about being found asleep and gave encouraging words to stand fast, remain true, every grown in our knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ, keeping our eyes focused on Jesus, continually be looking and anticipating Christ’s return.  The day is coming.  Jesus is returning. Will He find you asleep?

Sufficient in ourselves?

“Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,”

Genesis 41:15  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.”

2 Kings 6:27     And he said, “If the LORD will not help you, how shall I help you?

Daniel 2:18-23     and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.  Then the mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision of the night. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven.  Daniel answered and said: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, to whom belong wisdom and might.  He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;  he reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.  To you, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise, for you have given me wisdom and might, and have now made known to me what we asked of you, for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

Daniel 2:28-30    but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:  To you, O king, as you lay in bed came thoughts of what would be after this, and he who reveals mysteries made known to you what is to be.  But as for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because of any wisdom that I have more than all the living, but in order that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that you may know the thoughts of your mind.

Acts 3:12    And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk?

Acts 14:14-15     “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.

As a christian believer how many times a day do we think our accomplishments are the work of our strength, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding?  How many times do we look at the work of our hands and proudly claim it as such.  Are these not given to us by God?  Are they not given to us so that God is glorified and honored?

Me, myself, and I are always under the surface of our sinful nature trying to be first for praise, first for credit, first for acknowledgment.  We must be aware of this.

Placing Him first is a daily choice of the heart and mind.  It is a moment by moment choice.  Placing God first is a direct result of a desire to do so.  We would be hard pressed to keep Him first apart from daily seeking Him, needing to be fed by Him, wanting to honor and glorify Him, desiring to hear His whispers, and seeking to follow and obey Him.

It is not so much about reading His word every day (though this is always a good thing to do) but the want, need, desire to do so that will keep (me, myself and I) at bay.  “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.”.  “How precious to me are your thoughts, O God!  “O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.”  “My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.”  “my soul thirsts for you like a parched land”  “ My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.”  “my soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning”

Handiwork of God

Psalms 74:16  Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun. You have fixed all the boundaries of the earth; you have made summer and winter.

Psalms 136:7  to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;  the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;  the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Genesis 1:3  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.  And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.  God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

Genesis 1:14  And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,  and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.  And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.  And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,  to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

Psalms 136:3  Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who spread out the earth above the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;   to him who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;   the sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;   the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

“The heavens declare the glory of God.”  There is so much we take for granted.  We see the sun come up every day and as well the moon and stars, yet we forget the awesome power of God who spoke them into existence.  In Romans it says that  “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”  We chase after so much and so easily turn a blind eye toward the handiwork of God.  I recently heard a man speaking from back in 1975 on the expanse of the galaxies and how many stars are estimated.  We seem to be able to see more and more with the latest technology which shows the expanse of God’s creation.  This same man said it appears as though we are being allowed to come out of a designed permitted ignorance.  There have been so many new discoveries in the last 25 years about the universe we live in.  These discoveries, though new to us, have been there since creation.  It seems as though God is allowing mankind to see more of His creation.  Don’t get lost in the science and discoveries.  Keep grounded in knowing God is the creator of all there is.  Commit to humbly serving, honoring, following and obeying Him.

God our Heavenly Father

“ O LORD, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures.  Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.  There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.  These all look to you, to give them their food in due season.  When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.”

Psalms 65:12  The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Psalms 104:10  You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;  they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst.  Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches.  From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

Job 38:28  “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Isaiah 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.  “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.  Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”

Isaiah 61:10  I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.  For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations.

Acts 14:17    Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

How many times do you hear  someone reference “Mother Nature” in the course of a year concerning weather?  I hear “Mother Nature sure has been good to us” and “Mother Nature sure seems to be angry” or a host of other references to her without thought of God.  It is common to not hear reference God in things of nature.   It is also common to not hear reference to God in things of everyday life which shows the condition of man’s heart.  How many times have you heard someone talking about God outside of church or home?  God is not to be set aside for special occasions or needs.  He is to be praised, honored, worshipped, obeyed, glorified, and set in a place of awe and reverence in our heart and mind continually.   God is our heavenly Father and creator of all there is.  What kind of children neglect their father or pay no attention to his council and wisdom?  What kind of children allow life to get so busy that they consider their father only on fathers day and their birthday?  What kind of love would you say these children have for their father?  Wouldn’t you say they were ungrateful, negligent, self-seeking, and just plain bad children.  How much more BAD is it for us to neglect God in our everyday life?  Commit to spend time in His word.  Seek to know and love, honor and obey Him more.  Keep Him alive in your heart, mind and soul.  Praise Him!!!