October 12, 2011

10-12-11 Wednesday, 4:24 am Springfield, 61 degrees, beautiful night sky with full moon creating silver lining behind thunder clouds. Occasional lightning.

I have awakened very early again with much to do and no reason to try to get more sleep. Following this quiet time I will head to the gym and continue pressing on to the Feb 5 marathon. Last night our life group had a great meeting, using “Weird” as the material. Steve Groeschel does an excellent job on the video, teaching about time and priorities. I had planned to go work out after the group meeting, but I realized that this would not be the best use of the 9:00 – 10:30 pm time slot. So I headed home and worked with Audrey around the house and garage.

I Thes 5:4-28

Paul continues teaching about the rapture, the return of Jesus to take His followers to heaven. Even as Paul uses the “thief in the night” metaphor, he tells the Thessalonians “But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; for you are all children of light and children of the day … so then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober… (Verses 4-6)

The Biblical teaching about the rapture of the church at the end of time is a mystery. On the national news this week was a reference to Harold Camping who predicted that Jesus would return on Pentecost, May 21, 2011, and the world would end on October 21, 2011. Even though the May 21 prediction did not materialize, the news media has again picked up on the October 21 prediction.

Paul’s instructions to the believers in Thessalonica instruct them to be ready, reminds them that they are children of the light, and he does not give them a specific date! Down through history people have wanted to know the specific date, and all such predictions have been wrong. The best approach is to recognize that Jesus promised He would return, to be always mindful of his soon coming, and to follow biblical instructions on how to live each day – such as Paul’s practical instructions in this chapter, summarized in verse 11 “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.”

Guide me Holy Lord as I live with the expectancy of Your return. Guard me from forgetting it, and from obsessing over exactly when it will be. If You do not return for 1000 years, help me to live today, this year, this decade shaped by your promises and led by your Spirit to accomplish your will during the brief days I have to live this one short life.