In The Middle

“Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, Here I am, stuck in the middle with you.”

Some may call it wishy-washy. Some can call it indecisive. Some call it straddling a fence. I find it fascinating that the more and more divided this nation gets accused of being, the more I want to stand in the middle and wait. Yes, I said wait. “For what?” You may ask. That's easy…. I'll wait for those who are on the right and the left to get tired of all the yelling, the screaming, the kneeling, the standing, the flag waving and the flag burning. I’ll wait for those who have blue stripes on their bumper sticker and for the BLM’s, the conservative or liberal, Democrat or Republican. I'll wait.  I'll wait for the yankees as well as the southern. Yes, I'll even wait for Red Raiders and the Longhorns.

I, and many like me, will sit on the fence and wait. We will try not to overreact when someone wants to take something down or out, or add to or replace it.  We will try not to get our feelings hurt when we or friends of ours on either side gets labeled a  _____lover or ____hater. 

Sometimes it takes a lot of trying to figure out that what's been done in the past or present isn't going to work or never worked in the first place. Daddy would say about wild livestock, “When they get thirsty enough from all that runnin and carryin on...They'll come to the water.”

And when those on the left and on the right, or in the north or south, or wherever the divide is, get tired of “runnin around and carryin on” and are ready, they will look around the smoke, banners, flags, picket signs, tweets, and online post. When they look past their group of the likeminded to gauge and see how far out they've gone, what do you think they'll see? Hopefully, they'll see us. They’ll see those who chose to stay in the middle; the ones who were quiet when everything was getting blown out of proportion. They’ll see the ones who were told that we were either “part of the solution or part of the problem”, or that were told “you have to stand for something or you fall for anything.” When they look this way, I hope and pray that they'll see us waving them to come back and pointing to the one who can show us how to bind the divided, Love the unloved, and Heal the wounds that are centuries old. I hope they see us pointing to the ONE AND ONLY WAY to completely stop hate, racism, sin. I hope and pray they see us pointing to the cross. Pointing to the empty tomb. Pointing to Jesus!

“But whatever was to my profit, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.

What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:7-14

Grace & Peace

Blan

It’s NOT the end of the world!

So I try not to do this a lot but it has comes to my attention that there are too many posts about the end times again.  I feel like it is my responsibility to enlighten the situation.  If I may be so bold, allow me to correct some of the things that are being said. Yes there are wildfires, yes we had an eclipse, yes we're having floods and hurricanes most likely we will probably have a very cold winter this year too. But none of that… I repeat none! Is a true sign that the Lord is coming. Please do yourself some good and instead of reading two verses about destruction and deciding that it the end of the world. Go back and read the verses before them and the after them. It will help you get a better understanding of what’s being said. 

Jesus said himself "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.  "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.  But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44 (NIV)

 So for all of you out there who are reading 3 Bible verses and putting 2 and 2 together to get 6.

STOP IT!

 You are only confusing people and that's not helping! Please remember it’s called the Good News FOR A REASON!

 If the Angels don't know when the Lord's going to come again where do you think you're going to find it?  Here is the truth of the matter a lot of Christians will try to look at these "signs” and use them as an excuse to throw up their hands and quit.  Just sit back and wait for the Lord to come and not do anything!  "Oh well we've got fires, we’ve got hurricanes, we've got floods.  That means the Lord's coming.  That means I don't have to do anything because everything is going to be destroyed soon, so I'm just going to sit back and wait for the Lord to come to take me with him, Oh and tell all the non-believers ‘I told you so’".

That is a sorry, horrible, attitude to have!

In the letter to Thessalonians, there were a group of people were doing THIS VERY THING!

 Paul tells of Thessalonians Christians you are not supposed to be sitting around waiting for the Lord to come you're supposed to be out doing good! This is what he says 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NIV)

 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you,  for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.  So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.  He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

I don't know when Jesus is coming and neither does anyone else! So don't drink the end of the world kool-aid.  I can tell you this.  I sure do look forward to it.  I look forward to being in heaven with my Lord and Savior.  I look forward to being in heaven with all my Christian family and friends.

But the one thing we should not do is sit around and wait for it to happen. Instead, we need to: 1. Be working, helping those who lost everything, supporting those who are in need. Showing whose disciples we are. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  John 13:34-35 (NIV)

2. Sharing the gospel at all times so that when Jesus does come. It will have been worth the wait. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.  2 Peter 3:9-10 (NIV)

The point of the matter is this. The Lord wants all to be saved.... When he does come he shouldn’t find us sitting but he should find us working!