Left Behind...Should I Be Scared?

Sooooooo.... usually I talk to you guys about stuff like how to make it through tough times, encouraging, funny stories from my life experiences, and as of yesterday, monkey poop.

But today I have something very serious on my mind and because I love you, my blog family, I just had to share it with you. 

One day soon, Jesus is going to come back to earth, in the flesh, to take all of us who love Him to heaven. Not in a figurative sense, not in a "after we die" kind of way, but in a very literal, very real, very soon kind of way. In fact Jesus tells us in Matthew 24

Then, the Arrival of the Son of Man! It will fill the skies—no one will miss it. Unready people all over the world, outsiders to the splendor and power, will raise a huge lament as they watch the Son of Man blazing out of heaven. At that same moment, he’ll dispatch his angels with a trumpet-blast summons, pulling in God’s chosen from the four winds, from pole to pole...

 Also, and here is a nice surprise for all of us who have loved ones in heaven already: every person that loved Jesus and has died will be coming back with Him to get us:

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who have died, so that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever." - 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17 (NRSV)

You may be thinking, 'Rachel, why are you bringing this up? This is freaking me out!' 

Well, it should! Often as Christians we forget that there is a heaven that we should be longing for and a hell that we should be running from. In our church culture today, we can find many churches and pastors that preach on prosperity, self-confidence, encouraging us to be better people... but it is becoming more and more rare that we hear the message of the importance of being prepared for Christ's return and the very real possibility of being left behind or going to hell if we are not prepared for His return. 

There will be people who think that they are good people, maybe even call themselves Christians, that will be left behind. Jesus tells us more about this as we look deeper into Matthew 24: 

The Son of Man’s Arrival will be like that: Two men will be working in the field—one will be taken, one left behind; two women will be grinding at the mill—one will be taken, one left behind. So stay awake, alert. You have no idea what day your Master will show up. But you do know this: You know that if the homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would arrive, he would have been there with his dogs to prevent the break-in. Be vigilant just like that. You have no idea when the Son of Man is going to show up.

This tells us that those left behind were the ones not prepared for Jesus' return. No true followers of Christ will be left - if you truly love Jesus and have a relationship with Him, there is nothing to fear. This will be the happiest day of our lives! We will be re-united with our loved ones that have died, we will see our awesome, precious Savior face to face, we will touch Him and talk with Him, we will be one big happy family!

But this is also sobering - and that is a good thing. So, should we live in constant fear of missing the return of Christ? No, but we should always be awake and alert, making sure that our hearts and minds are in right standing with Our Savior. 

How Can I Know That I Won't Be Left Behind?

1. Allow the Holy Spirit to Convict You of Sin
Another false teaching of our culture today is that if something makes us feel bad, then that thing is bad and we shouldn't be made to feel bad... that is not true. The Holy Spirit is constantly speaking to us, warning us of the consequences of our sin... and sometimes, that makes us feel bad - or a better word for it is "convicted." Convicted means found guilty of an offense or crime. So, the Holy Spirit lets us know when we have sinned, helping us to know how to have a right relationship with Jesus.

2. Ask Jesus Often to Forgive You of Sin 
It's amazing how many people believe that God doesn't care about our sins, that we can sin all we want and God will automatically forgive us, even if we are not sorry about it and even if we are consciously making the decision to stay in our sins. The Bible tells us many things that convince us that our sins will keep us from having a right relationship with Christ and that we must ask the Lord to forgive us of our sins on an ongoing basis, but here are three examples:   

Romans 6:22-23 - "But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit, resulting in sanctification, and the outcome, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." 

Psalm 51:17 - "My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise."

1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

 These verses tell us that sin in our lives does indeed mean death - aka, not in right relationship with God - but that if we bow our hearts and allow ourselves to recognize our sin and we come to Him broken and contrite, admitting our sin, He will not only forgive us, but He will wipe our slates clean, making us completely pure and righteous. 

3. Run Away from Sin and Run Toward Christ Every Day
A moving body of water is alive, a sitting pool of water is stagnant and dead - and both types of water will be filled with something. Moving water is clear and refreshing, filled with living fish, frogs, oxygen, plantlife. Stagnant water is dark and murky, filled with slimy, gooey, nasty bacteria and decomposition, suffocating anything that happens to fall into it. The same can be said of our minds and hearts - we must always we moving towards Jesus, striving to be more like Him and the more we do that, the more alive we and those around us will be. But if we say a prayer and ask Jesus to come into our heart, then sit in our sins, continue in the same habits and choices and relationships as before we came to Christ, we will become darker and more lost than before we knew about Jesus.

4. Tell Everyone You Know About Jesus
This is so important - if the boat you were on was sinking and you knew where to find all the life jackets, wouldn't you tell everyone where they were? Look around you today - most of the people you see are sinking and they don't know it... the Holy Spirit is dealing with their hearts, but they need someone to reach out to them, love them, and tell them about the Life Jacket: Jesus.

So, there is no need to fear Jesus' return, but there is reason to be sober, alert, and prepared. I don't want to miss the greatest party in the universe!  I want a VIP, backstage pass! - and that's exactly what Jesus offers us! When Jesus returns, I want to see you there - hugging the loved ones that you miss so much, standing with me as we worship Him, walk and talk with Him, eat together and meet all of the great, epic heroes from the Bible - David, Moses, Peter, Paul, and more. It's going to be the best day ever, when Jesus takes us home.
  

Gold Mines and Coffee Beans

"And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”  -Zechariah 13:9


It occurs to me that things and people who endure hard times and tough situations increase in their value, both in reality and in perception... but while going through the storm, it's often hard to see the value that is building within us, isn't it?

A good friend of mine is a breast cancer survivor, and after a complete mastectomy and several rounds of chemo, she not only survived but she found that she now has more resolve and strength to take calculated risks, to step out and do some things that she never would have before that battle... and it's not just me that notices the amazing, unstoppable person she has become. 

I have quite a few life-sisters who are what our culture has named "single moms" - you know who you are, and so do I.. you work full time, long hours, you are both mom and dad, many with no help from anyone, having to fight and struggle for your child to get what he/she needs, putting your needs aside.... You show a strength and a zeal that reminds me of epic prize fighters like Rocky Balboa!! ..and I am not the only one that sees your true greatness.

The list of people I have encountered that have grown stronger and wiser and closer to Jesus through adversity goes on and on - many friends and acquaintances have lost homes, jobs, marriages - or experienced the deaths of spouses and children - some are living with constant pain, cancer, or terminal illness... 

I call heroes like these Gold Mines - because as trials and hard times come at them, instead of ripping them apart and destroying them, every explosive blast unearths treasure - painfully wrought, heart-breakingly rich treasure.

I recently read about the most expensive coffee in the world, Koi Luwak, and as a major coffee lover I had to find out more about it.  I found that it is in very short supply - just 500 lbs of it is harvested a year, with retail prices reaching US$700 per kilogram. It is rare and precious because it is harvested from the poop of a monkey that eats only the most ripe coffee beans and something about the beans going through the monkey's digestive system make the beans super delicious and aromatic and therefore extremely valuable.
  
Now, I like to think of myself as modern and hip... but really?? REALLY??

All kidding aside, it's pretty interesting that a regular, old coffee bean that just happened to be laying around on the jungle floor like all the other coffee beans can go from Dunkin Donuts to Nordstrom's by going through.. well,.... poop. Those coffee beans are Gold Mines!

I am so grateful that our God is not as fickle and trendsetting as today's coffee drinkers, but He does seem to have a similar affection for people who have gone through ugly, soul shattering tragedy and upheaval. Psalm 56:8 gives us a little insight into this:

"You keep track of all my sorrows.
    You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
    You have recorded each one in your book." 

God sees your pain, the trial that you are going through, and He is keeping a record - another words, He will never, ever forget the battles that you have endured. Taking it a step further, Psalm 34:15-18 reveals that God puts His love and affection into action, also:

"The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are attentive to their cry;

 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
    he delivers them from all their troubles. 

 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
    and saves those who are crushed in spirit."

 Though it is clear that in this life, God will allow us to go through immense suffering at times, it is also clear that our God sees us, hears us, delivers us, is close to us, and ultimately, He saves us.

Today, you may be going through the worst pain of your life - or maybe someone you love is... I can't tell you that God is going to stop your pain; there is no magic prayer that will send prosperity and miracles raining down from heaven to make all the sorrow go away. But I can tell you that this too shall pass, that He is holding you in His hand, and He will indeed hold you together - you will not be destroyed by this, if you will hold on to the One that is holding on to you.

In fact, each explosive hurt, every stab of pain, will reveal a Gold Mine, a treasure... a strength that is more than you ever thought possible, because Jesus is carrying you through.

Is Something Missing?

"God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us." Ephesians 3:14-20 (The Message)

Over my lifetime, there have been a few times when something that I cherish and love, a talent, a friendship, a ministry, a dream... has seemingly been allowed to vanish. Chances are you have experienced this too: a job that was promising dries up, a marriage that you counted on evaporates, the plan you had for your future fizzles, the ministry that you've always wanted to be a part of that finally falls into your lap... just as quickly leaps out of your reach again.

The loss of a dream is like a death... hands that were full are now empty and grasping, and if we don't understand the way our God works, we will be overcome with grief. The Bible tells us that God's calling on you (the dreams and gifts He has placed within you) is without repentance - that means it is forever. So, how does that fit in with the fact that every once in awhile, God allows something we love, that He has grown in us, to go missing?

This past Thanksgiving weekend we did something we never do: We took an impromptu road trip, packed up the kids, and headed out to Sea World in Orlando.  It turned out to be an awesome, fun-filled adventure.

So many little things turned our two day trip into a string of big memories that we will never forget... but there was one moment during this trip when our hearts stopped with fear and our worst nightmare came rushing up into our faces.

We had just asked a kind stranger to take this family pic of us outside of the Shamu Stadium, the busiest little spot in the theme park. Sara Rose was having such a hard time being still for the photo, super excited to go see Shamu.  After the pic, we returned the favor for another family, all of us thinking that the other had Sara Rose in their arms.  Warren took the pics, returned the camera to the rightful owner, and we turned to see our boys looking back at us... and no Sara Rose in sight. 

The four of us turned in circles, scanning the area and seeing nothing, calling out her name. Whenever we made eye contact with each other, we could see the gut wrenching horror that we each felt mirrored in the other's eyes.... I can still hear the pounding of my heart in my ears and the clenching fist of dread wrapping around my chest.

... and then there she was.  Skipping through a sea of knees, hands filled with flowers, huge gooey smile on her face. There she was.

I have never seen such a wonderful sight in all of my life! We all took turns hugging her and holding her, laughing... and yes, I cried a little.

The loss of a dream can be a lot like those moments when we thought we had lost Sara Rose: fear, loss, worry, our imaginations unfolding the next few hours, days, and years as endless, hopeless, and horrible.

BUT WAIT!!!! - This is where you must keep in mind something that will change the way you look at those moments in your life, for the rest of your life: At one point in history, for three days to be exact, it seemed to the whole world that Jesus was dead, too... and he was.  Jesus was indeed dead, the dreams of all the world dashed and stolen, our future seemingly destroyed, all our hope taken away.

In fact, this was not the first time we had been robbed - remember Adam and Eve in the garden? What plans, what dreams, what a future, all of us were going to rule the world with God, walk with the animals and hang out with Jesus every night - God had hooked us up! And then after one bite of that apple..... poof! All dreams gone. Future destroyed... right?

WRONG! Jesus won it all back when the stone rolled away on the third day - He conquered death and insured our future, our destiny, once and for all.

Our God loves new beginnings and broken things. The thing that seems to vanish, the precious dream that is gone - that is just the moment where God comes in and starts a new work!! Just as Sara Rose came running back up to us out of nowhere, God's dreams and future for you will come upon you again - He will never leave your hands empty as long as you keep them open, ready for new dreams to fill them.

I don't know what dream, friendship, ministry, or future has been taken or is missing from your life, but know this: It is not the end, it is another beginning. God will give it back to you, only this time, you will have learned some valuable lessons and skills, be better equipped to recognize the gift and walk in it, and keep those hands open, be ready for God to grow that dream beyond what you are able to hold.