Wake Up!

“The family stopped at a roadside motel for the night, and early the next morning Mom was getting things organized in the car trunk. Still groggy, she stepped back into what she thought was her room, saw a sleeping man she presumed to be her husband, and yelled, “Get out of bed!” Upon closer examination she realized that this was not her room or her husband, and as she quickly left the room she heard him exclaim, “Boy, this is some wake-up service!”*

Abrupt and forceful wake-up calls are rarely pleasant but sometimes very necessary. In the book of Revelation, the Risen Lord had a wake-up call for the church in Sardis. This group of believers in Asia Minor had a reputation for being alive. But it was just a facade. Jesus looked past the outward props and declared that they were really dead inside (Rev. 3:1). Apparently they hadn’t completely flat-lined yet because he told them to “Wake up!” from their spiritual slumber. There was yet time to strengthen the vital signs that remained (Rev. 3:2).

How had this church come to this life-threatening situation? They had forgotten what they had been taught about true spiritual life. They had grown lax in applying the truth in their lives. So the remedy would be to remember and repent (Rev. 3:3). They couldn’t keep doing what they had been doing and expect to live. Changes had to be made or judgment would come.

Thankfully, the group had one good thing going for them. There were still some disciples who hadn’t traveled with the majority down the path of forgetfulness and sin (Rev. 3:4). Hopefully the influence of these faithful ones would lead the rest in a resurgence of life. Even though they were on life support, there was yet time to be overcomers and be truly alive (Rev. 3:5).

Do I need a wake-up call? “The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11–12)

God loves you!

Mike

*preaching.com

Recognizing Real Treasure

“One of the largest known amber nuggets in the world, valued at around €1 million, has been found in the home of an elderly woman in Romania. The woman, who found the 3.5-kilogram (7.7 lb) stone in the bed of a stream in Colti, a village in the southeast of the Eastern European country, used it as a simple doorstop for decades without anyone realizing its value…Members of the owner’s family reported that the old lady was the victim of a break-in in which only a few pieces of gold jewelry of little value were stolen, while the amber nugget was completely ignored. “In their frantic search for valuables, they overlooked the real treasure that was there before their eyes,” they said.”*

It’s so easy to overlook what is truly precious in life. The apostle Paul highlights this in his letter to the Philippian church. In 3:1-7, he lists several things that were precious to him at one point in his life. But after becoming a disciple of Christ, such things didn’t carry so much value anymore. He describes the upheaval of his value system this way: “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:8–11).

Christ and His church were viewed as a doorstop by Saul of Tarsus. Paul the apostle viewed them as a priceless possession. How do we value them? Do our lives reflect our assessment?

God loves you!

Mike

*https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-09-03/elderly-romanian-woman-used-amber-nugget-worth-over-1-million-as-a-doorstop-for-decades.html

Where Did The Time Go?

“The life expectancy for the average woman in the United States is 81 years and 2 months. For men, it’s 76 years and 5 months. These are the most recent estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just subtract your current age from those numbers for a rough estimate of how many years you have left.”*

How many years left? Sobering thought, isn’t it? Especially for those who are closer to the end than the beginning. Do you remember when you were younger? How you couldn’t wait to get older? Years seemed to slowly drag by when you wanted to be old enough to drive, to get married, to get a good paying job, etc.. But now that you are older, the yearly pace seems to have picked up. A minute is still sixty seconds long. But you could swear time goes by much quicker. The years past on your timeline now outnumber the years left. Where did the time go?

As we contemplate these things, remember that we are more than a statistic. If you are a believer, you know that the passage of time is not as important as how you pass the time you have left. Like Moses, we should number our days, not so much to determine how many we have left but to use them to learn to live wisely before God (Psalm 90:12). Rather than being concerned with how many opportunities we have left, we should make the most of every opportunity we have been given (Ephesians 5:15-16; Colossians 4:5). Even when it appears that statistically we have time left, we don’t boast about tomorrow because we don’t know what tomorrow may bring (Proverbs 27:1).

Don’t live in the past or the future. Live in the present. A Christian isn’t limited by their earthly timeline. “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17).

God loves you!

Mike

*flowingdata.com

That's Crazy!

““So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.” While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind! Your great learning is driving you mad.” But Paul said, “I am not out of my mind, most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth”” (Acts 26:22–25).

The apostle Paul has been given an opportunity to tell his story before King Agrippa. He talks of his background as a Pharisee, including his strong opposition to the followers of Jesus. He then relates his incredible encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. When he gets to the point of mentioning the resurrection of Christ, the Roman governor Festus has heard enough. In essence, he says, “Paul, you're crazy!” The phrase “out of your mind” is from a Greek word that is the root of our English words “mania” or “maniac.” When critics resort to questioning our sanity, it shouldn’t surprise us. They did the same thing to the Lord. His own family thought He had “lost His senses” (Mark 3:21). Fellow Jews in John 8 claimed He had a demon (John 8:48,52). A couple of chapters later in John 10, some added insanity to the list (John 10:19).

To many in the time of Jesus and Paul, the talk of crucified and resurrected Messiah were beyond sane belief. It remains true today. “To a worldly, materialistic mind, it seems insane to risk so much to gain what seems to be so little. But as you follow Christ, you soon discover that one’s most prized possessions cannot compare to even the smallest eternal reward” (Life Application Study Bible).

God loves you!

Mike