TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• But take heart; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33b ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Ah, morning. The sun is up! I actually watched it rise over the Atlantic this morning, thanks to my friend Tracey who FaceTime’d me so I could see it! The birds are singing! I’m on my third cup of coffee. And the toilet paper supply is replenished. It’s a good morning.
Yesterday… not so much. After I posted MGFL yesterday, I went to Costco. I needed to get a few things and wanted to get in / get out. A few things ended up being a buggy I could barely push, but that’s the norm. It was, after all, Costco. But while I was there, I stood in line to buy toilet paper.
I had such a mix of feelings about standing in line for toilet paper. On one hand, I was one of the few people in Costco who wasn’t wearing a mask. So I felt a little mask-shaming about that. (And FYI, starting Monday, masks are going to be required to shop there…) I also didn’t like standing in a line to be handed my allotted package of toilet paper. Seriously. They had an employee guarding the toilet paper and handing out the packages. I was reminded of my old school textbooks that showed pictures of people in communist countries lined up for supplies they needed. I understand the need to ration and limit quantities because of supply and demand, but that long-ago classroom lesson kind of hit me in a new way 30-some years after I learned it. I just never dreamed of a day when I would walk past some really expensive, unattended merchandise, but the item being protected would be toilet paper!
Anyway, I say all this because there’s a lesson here. No matter what happens… masks, toilet paper, restrictions, uncertainties, etc… it’s going to get worse.
I know, right? That’s not what you were expecting me to say. But I didn’t. Jesus did. He said, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matthew 24:6-8).
So we need to expect things to get worse. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22 that Christians will be hated because of Him and in John 16:33, He said that in this world, we will have trouble. I’d say we’re in trouble and you’d have to have a serious case of denial to think the Christian faith isn’t under attack.
It’s not exactly the best recruiting campaign for inviting people to church, is it? But all hope isn’t lost. It’s supposed to be this way. I am definitely not qualified to teach on end time prophecy and I’m not going to try. But I firmly believe this whole thing is God’s attempt to reach us before Jesus returns to rapture His church. I believe we are being shaken. He’s calling out for the world to seek Him, find Him, and accept the saving grace of Jesus Christ!
This is a reminder that He didn’t promise us a bed of roses here on earth. Instead, He’s offering streets of gold in heaven. This is temporary. But eternity is coming.
Fellow Believers, this is the time to be the church! We cannot let fear overwhelm our faith. We are being bombarded by fear-inducing news that is creating panic, discord, and anxiety. But I hold a Book that has all the answers because it points straight to Jesus Christ! He is the answer. And He is the hope! After telling the disciples that they would face trouble in this world, He didn’t leave us in despair because He also said, “But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33b).
So indeed, it’s going to get worse, but it’s a good morning anyway! My Savior has already won! I want everyone to know!
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for being the hope we can cling to even in all our troubles. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray for the world, to pray for revival, and to pray for this to be the wake-up call so many need! More trouble is coming, but Jesus lives!
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
