Word-Filled Wednesday ~#32~ You Asked For a Sign . . .

PASSAGE: "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came Him privately. 'Tell us,' they said, '. . . what will be the sign of Your coming & of the end of the age?'

"Jesus answered: 'Watch out that no one deceives you . . . because of Me. At that time many will turn away from the faith & will betray & hate each other, & many false prophets will appear & deceive many people . . .false Christs & false prophets . . . deceive even the elect - if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time.'"
~Selected verses from Matt. 24:3-25

"[B]e prepared in season & out of season . . . For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit they own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth & turn aside to myths . . . But the Lord stood at my side & gave me strength . . . "
~2 Tim. 4:2-4, 17(a)

"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come . . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him."
~Matt. 24:42, 44

LESSON LEARNED: I really enjoy living in a state where we experience all 4 seasons. Every season has it's goods & bads; plus every season has it's signs that it is approaching. Spring is a season of new plant & animal life, blooming flowers & beautiful green; Summer's temperatures rise to it's full height (which we are experiencing right now!), flowers & bushes become lush & full, gardens begin to produce; as Fall approaches the cicadas sing, temperatures start to fall & the green leaves of Summer turn into blazes of Autumn color; Winter brings the big sleep of growth & the beauty of deep, fluffy snows. We recognize these signs as signs of seasonal change.

There are other signs, too: signs that you are beginning to feel ill, signs that you are falling in love, signs that warn us of road work ahead . . . & signs that the Lord's return may just be closer than we thought.

Watching the news & even simply looking around us, tells us the Lord's word is always true. We see unrest in key places of the world, the brazen behavior of our culture that causes our children to lose their childhood earlier & earlier every day, the loss of the relevance of Jesus as Savior in the lives of so many of our young people . . .

Signs.

These signs tell us that it's time to be brave. It's time to stand firm in our beliefs. It's time to know that you know & be prepared to share so that souls may be saved. Don't be embarrassed to share your faith (if they say 'no' they aren't saying it to you, but to God), we are responsible to plant the seeds of faith. If you see a 'sign' that someone is searching or shows an interest, plant your seeds & let the Lord cause them to be nurtured & grow.

You asked for a sign? Make sure you see it.

Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><