Maranatha

Friends I simply COULD NOT sleep last night. I tossed and turned and PRAYED. To be quite honest I saw America coming to end, as we know it. I saw fires, chaos, and destruction…Quite literally I saw darkness encroach the borders of this once great nation. Literally the image I saw were boats of trespassers hitting our borders. Most of it seemed to be in a spiritual sense.

Then my thoughts turned. I wept and prayed for Saeed. I thought about him sitting there in a dark, dirty prison cell. I thought about his flesh being beaten; to the point that he is internally bleeding and on the brink of death. I prayed for strength for him and deliverance from this hellhole…EVEN though I know he may be the only light there.

Then my thoughts turned to North Korea…I can’t and don’t even want to describe the thought that I had. Lets just say that I couldn’t quit praying.

I prayed for all of my brothers and sisters around the world locked up in chains for the gospel. Their flesh may be bound but their spirits are free!!!

Then my thoughts landed right back here in America. I thought of the many people that I come into contact with everyday…I prayed for the LORD to EMBOLDEN the church to spread the good news. We are not here for OUR good pleasure…we are here for His. Friends please lay down anything that entangles, strangles, and distracts you from the weight of eternity. We need a revival to once again fall upon the believers in this nation. We need to be living with eternal perspective. We do not belong to this world. We are just passing through. I believe most of you can attest to how quickly your life is flowing by. Our days are but a handbreadth…Get busy He is coming soon…Maranatha!! Come Lord Jesus COME!!

God is GOOD

In the past year or so in my walk with Christ I have sat and wondered, “What is my purpose in this life Lord?” He could have just taken me as soon as I surrendered my life to him, yet He didn’t. Here I am, still existing on the earth. God answered this question for me though. He spoke in that still small voice and said, “Show people that I am GOOD. They have believed a lie, that I am not good.” My mind trailed back to the scene in the garden, there Adam and Eve stood…Perfect!!! The deceiver slithered up, looking for a way into their minds and hearts. He posed a question…DID GOD REALLY SAY?  Doubt crept into Eves mind. She even answered him adding to what God said, making stricter stipulations for herself…and so, the sin of unbelief was given birth to.  Then I thought about the Israelites being brought out of Egypt. God had heard their cries and He was delivering them, He even did so by showing them great signs and wonders and yet the people had an unbelieving heart. They doubted Gods goodness….

You see, I am under the conclusion that there is NO human being on this earth that really does not really believe in God. He has written eternity on our hearts and given us creation to very easily see that we were created (Romans 1), and so why aren’t people just flocking to Him in droves? Unbelief!!!  It is not unbelief that He exist but rather unbelief that He is good. Even the Devil and demons Believe in God…but they are not following and hate His goodness. The heart that has been touched by the truth and goodness of God is one that is transformed by what He did for us. What kind of God is pleased to crush His Son in order to redeem our souls so that we can spend eternity with HIM???? A  GOOD one!!

Okay so we’ve established that God is GOOD. Why are we still on the earth... what’s the point?  God has given us a message of GOOD news. He has made us ambassadors (representatives; high ranking officials). We are representatives of GOD, we are Kings and Queens passing through a foreign land longing for our kingdom to come, pilgrims on a journey home!!! As I sat on that for a bit, I thought of what an ambassador does. They go to foreign lands and they are face for whatever country they are representing. So, God has called me to me an ambassador in what should be an ever-increasing foreign land to me and has asked me to be a WORKER of reconciliation. With that image in my head, I think of myself as a sojourners passing through a foreign land longing for my kingdom and my KING. I imagine coming into contact with people on my journey home. I tell them stories of my kingdom and I overflow with love for my King. As they sit and listen they become thirsty for the goodness of this KING…they have never known a King like this one. They long to go with me to this land…then they ask me about their passage…and I tell them of the greatest act of love I know. A sacrifice that has changed me from the inside out. A KING that built a bridge across the great divide that NO ONE but HE could cross.

HE beckons for ALL to come.... every land, every tribe, and every nation. He beckons them to himself. He has sent me with invitations to His banqueting table...saying come and eat, be filled, you need no money I have payed for it ALL!! I imagine looking into their eyes as I tell how He crafted the lands that we journey through and is making a home for us even now. What would it be like to look into the eyes of a person who truly BELIEVED that God was GOOD!! Imagine the marvel and awe, childlike even. I imagine myself telling them how His enemy stole the land and lied to His children telling them that He was not good. Clouding their pure hearts with lies and deception. Then I tell that ONE day this King would return to reclaim what is rightfully HIS. All they have to do is believe...faith of a mustard seed...

So my prayer as I sojourn through this strange land waiting for HIM, is that people would taste and see through my life, that God is GOOD!!!! That many would cross the bridge of Christ into the land that I so long for…this is not our home. I long for MY KING who is GOOD and rules with mercy and grace. I long for His GOODNESS. COME TASTE AND SEE THAT THE LORD IS GOOD. Come and  enjoy him forever!!!