... and is to come.
When we read a passage like this ...
Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
What comes to mind for you? For me, it's the simple question I ask myself; do I live like I really believe the Lord is returning? Is my theology matching my life, or do I seem to have a detachment from the reality that Scripture speaks?
But I am patient for His return say some!
Let's not mistake the farmers' patience with inactivity. The farmer worked ... and worked hard ... so that his crop would be fruitful. He had patience and trust in the Lord of the harvest. He let God work on the result, but certainly he put his hands to work.
I'm not a farmer say some!
Neither am I! So I will ask another question: Do we take more care preparing our home for a dinner party than we do preparing ourselves for the return of our Lord?
If I'm the only one that cringes slightly at that question, than perhaps this world is more prepared than I would have thought, but I'm guessing not. I'm guessing we get far more worked up about the casserole, the dirty floor, and place settings than prepare our hearts for His return.
If you haven't yet, I strongly suggest you read The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence (published in 1691). The mundane and worldly responsibilities are not separate for God, in fact God is in them all just as beautifully ... and we can be in presence with Him through them all. Brother Lawrence does a wonderful job of illustrating that here in this book.
So whatever your plans are for today ... I suggest we all take a moment to ponder the Lord's return. Perhaps not the children's Sunday School version, but the Isaiah version ...
And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”
He was ... is ... and is to come ...
His,
~Matthew
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