He Is Coming

John, 

To the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,”

   and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”;

   and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”

So shall it be! Amen.

Revelation 1:4-7 NIV

We may not know the day or the hour that our Savior is coming, but, we know he is coming. It is good to take a breath, remember we are part of his kingdom, and we are serving as his priests. This is a moment in eternity that our God and Father is Sovereign Lord over. He directs the hearts of kings, rulers, and even tyrants. His will is being accomplished. Not my will, his will. 

Lord, grant us the strength to continue in our faith, flourishing in your presence. Use us as light in the darkness of the world. Be gracious to those around us and open their hearts and minds to you. Praise be to you in us today!

WHO ME? EVANGELIST?: II Timothy 4:5

"But, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." 
II Timothy 4:5

Although my dad is the master of small talk (he once talked to a guy 20 minutes on the phone before realizing it was a wrong number) he was always intimidated by the thought of witnessing to someone. But God, being both amazing and humorous, still wanted to use him. I remember after he first gave his life to Christ, he would come home and in utter shock and tell mom how he ended up sharing with someone about Christ. Basically, the Holy Spirit would lead the other person to pretty much say, "What must I do to be saved?" Then my dad we have to tell them about the saving work of Jesus Christ. What would happen is that men who knew my father saw a change in his behavior and would ask him why he changed. He would tell them the truth. Christ was changing him. 

As normal people, not evangelists, sometimes we do the work of an evangelist however the Spirit of God opens the conversation. Don't be afraid. Let God work in you and someone will eventually ask why you live like you do. 

Father, in this world of darkness, living by faith in Christ, obedient to your commands, will make us stand in contrast to the world around us, in the world but definitely not of it. Help us to shine with your love, mercy, forgiveness and grace. Praise be to us in you today!