"BEING ALERT"
PASSAGE: "The LORD said to Gideon, 'You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against Me that her own strength has saved her . . .' So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, 'Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.' 300 men lapped with their hands to their mouths . . .
"The LORD said to Gideon, 'With the 300 men that lapped I will save you . . .'" ~Judges 7:2-5-7
"Now, brothers, about times & 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 & safety,' destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, & they will not escape . . .
"So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert & self-controlled." ~I Thess. 5:1-3, 6
[all emphasis mine ~KW<><]
LESSON LEARNED: Spring! The signs & signals of spring are beginning to pop up all around us: the return of those lovely little song birds, the tips of daffodils & tulips are pushing themselves up through the cold earth, the 'gardening bug' starts to bite some of us . . . These are signs that we all recognize as the God-given cycle continues every year.
But do we look for other signs? Signs the Lord told us to look for?
Every generation since Jesus walked the earth has thought that they were in "The Last Days;" every generation has had to suffer through terrible times & watch sin & debauchery try to consume our culture. And we are no different. However . . .
This past Sunday, over lunch, a very dear & level-headed Christian friend of ours made the comment that (paraphrasing) it seems that we have never seen SO MUCH change for the worse happen SO QUICKLY in our life-times. He said that he had always thought that the Lord probably would not return in his life-time . . . now, he's not so sure. I agree.
Does this mean the Lord is returning today? . . . Tomorrow? That would be great, but probably not.
But let's be good Bereans (Acts 17:11) & take a look at being alert & ready . . .
In the true story of Gideon, he & a mere 300 men defeated the Midianites; the Lord gave him instructions to only choose men who "lapped w/their hands to their mouths." Have you ever read that & wondered why? It's because those men knew what it meant to be alert, to be ready & watchful of the enemy. Look at the pictures I've posted ~ if you have your face down in the water, your enemy can sneak up on you & kill you! But if you bring your hand up to your face, you can be scoping out your environment, you can be watching for the enemy w/your eyes on the horizon or watching the cliffs & your other hand on your sword! (Eph. 6:17)
So, now we live in such a vastly changing time. A time when people are 'falling asleep at the wheel,' when even in the midst of turmoil, they are shouting "Peace . . . safety!" Is the Lord coming within our lifetime? I can't answer that ~ & neither can you (Matt. 24:36, 44) ~ but I know He's 1 day closer today than He was yesterday!! And I also know that He said that He gave us 'signs' to look for (Matt. 24:25) . . . and it seems that a few of those signs are showing themselves as surely as spring is just around the corner.
Let's be alert & self-controlled, let's go about our business w/our eyes open & looking toward the horizon, let's make sure that our loved-ones hear the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ & are watching with us.
Maranatha ! !
Come & join Nancy at A Country Mom & I, if you are not already participating! Each Wednesday, we dig into the Word of God & share what we are leaning. All you have to do is share a passage you have read during your devotions, share the lesson you have learned from the Lord & then connect with others who are doing the same & comment on their blogs. Let's learn from the Lord & each other.
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
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