I see ladybugs, fireflies and crickets as God’s toys of the insect world. He must have been smiling when He created them. Ladybugs have those pretty red polka-dotted wings. Lightning bugs have rear ends that light up! And cricket gentlemen pursue their lady friends by serenading them with their back wings rubbed together. I grew up believing that it was their back legs and that was a much funnier mental picture.
Those are the only “friendly bugs” that don’t intimidate me, the only ones I’d be willing to touch. So I didn’t panic on that first cold night of fall when I raised the garage door to take out the trash and so many crickets came hopping through. They must have felt the warmth coming from beneath the door.
And I had to think of that mad frenzy that must take them over. Winter is coming. A killing season for those left out in the cold. A short life span of only one year drives them to seek warmth and safety.
We’ve not been made aware of our own life spans or how long we have until Jesus returns. We do know He’s coming “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.” (1 Corinthians 15:52a) But we tend to put things off, delay telling our neighbor how Jesus has changed our life, ignore that damaged relationship with a family member. We don’t have a timeline to worry about, so we choose “tomorrow”.
Just like the crickets that make that frantic effort at the last minute to get into the warmth, so we would dash around trying to make up for lost time if we knew how little of it we have left. Why not take this day to begin to prepare for your long eternal life in this fleeting one?
1 Peter 1:13, Philippians 1:6
Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Showing posts with label Christ's return. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christ's return. Show all posts
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Wrapped Up in Royalty
I don’t watch the Academy Award shows any more. I don’t know the movies or even who most of the stars are. And I have to watch myself to keep that from being a point of pride, “It’s so worldly!” Bad as going the other direction and immersing myself so completely in it all that I’m obsessed with knowing each and every detail. I’ve been there too.
But, as I enjoy doing on occasion, I’m taking this one somewhere else.
Because you’d better believe that on Monday morning I’m on the internet looking at the dresses. And the hairdos. The sheer pageantry of it all. Why does that stuff appeal to us so much?
In 1981 I woke my sweet four-year-old daughter out of a sound sleep at about 5:00 in the morning to come and watch the wedding of a princess. I told her it would probably be her only chance to see in real life what she loved in fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, every little girl has the dream and moms (and grandmothers especially) support it with dresses, crowns and books.
Where does it come from, this fascination with royalty? Little boys love to play knight, or at least some game with swords and lots of noisy ceremony. Big boys go to the Xbox and do the same thing.
We all love the pomp and circumstance, the music, the complete spectacle. I believe that it comes from deep inside. The Bible supports it, in fact. In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells us “Psalm 2 speaks of Christ ruling ‘with an iron scepter’ and dashing the nations to pieces ‘like pottery’ (v. 9), a reference to the Messiah’s return, judgment, and perhaps his millennial reign. But once we enter the new heavens and New Earth, there’s no iron rule or dashing to pieces, for there’s no more rebellion, sin, or death. The vanquishing of sin doesn’t mean the end of Christ’s rule. It means the end of his contested rule and the beginning of his eternally uncontested rule, when he will delegate earthly rule to his co-heirs.”
My current pastors often refer to Christ as King Jesus and I love that. I’m not sure why more don’t! He will return and there will most definitely be pomp and circumstance and kingly rule. If we believe that, really believe it, we have much to be excited about! How can we not look to the sky and with John say, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).”
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
But, as I enjoy doing on occasion, I’m taking this one somewhere else.
Because you’d better believe that on Monday morning I’m on the internet looking at the dresses. And the hairdos. The sheer pageantry of it all. Why does that stuff appeal to us so much?
In 1981 I woke my sweet four-year-old daughter out of a sound sleep at about 5:00 in the morning to come and watch the wedding of a princess. I told her it would probably be her only chance to see in real life what she loved in fairy tales. Cinderella, Snow White, every little girl has the dream and moms (and grandmothers especially) support it with dresses, crowns and books.
Where does it come from, this fascination with royalty? Little boys love to play knight, or at least some game with swords and lots of noisy ceremony. Big boys go to the Xbox and do the same thing.
We all love the pomp and circumstance, the music, the complete spectacle. I believe that it comes from deep inside. The Bible supports it, in fact. In his book, “Heaven”, Randy Alcorn tells us “Psalm 2 speaks of Christ ruling ‘with an iron scepter’ and dashing the nations to pieces ‘like pottery’ (v. 9), a reference to the Messiah’s return, judgment, and perhaps his millennial reign. But once we enter the new heavens and New Earth, there’s no iron rule or dashing to pieces, for there’s no more rebellion, sin, or death. The vanquishing of sin doesn’t mean the end of Christ’s rule. It means the end of his contested rule and the beginning of his eternally uncontested rule, when he will delegate earthly rule to his co-heirs.”
My current pastors often refer to Christ as King Jesus and I love that. I’m not sure why more don’t! He will return and there will most definitely be pomp and circumstance and kingly rule. If we believe that, really believe it, we have much to be excited about! How can we not look to the sky and with John say, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20).”
Philippians 2:9-11
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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