In This Issue

• THAT DAY AND HOUR NO ONE KNOWS
• "SEIZE THE MOMENT"
• GIVE ME THE TRUTH
• UPCOMING GOSPEL MEETING SCHEDULE
• MORE INFORMATION...

THAT DAY AND HOUR NO ONE KNOWS

Several times, Jesus had indicated that the time was not far away when the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed with not one stone left upon another, and the city itself would be leveled to the ground. His disciples asked Him when the destruction would take place, and how they could know it was about to happen. In their minds, they made no distinction between the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world. As Jesus answered their questions, He placed most of the emphasis on the question they intentionally asked -- the one about the times and signs of the impending doom of Jerusalem. Everything He said in Matt. 24 down to verse 34 was clearly with that destruction in mind, and all His predictions were fulfilled within the next 40 years, culminating in 70 A.D. with the complete downfall of the city, the temple, and the entire Jewish economy.

But this writer is persuaded that in Matt. 24:36, Jesus turns His attention to a question the disciples had asked unwittingly -- of His second coming and the end of the world. Of that day and hour, there would be no forewarning signs. "But of that day and hour no one knows, no not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect Him" (Matt. 24:36-44).

Thus begins Jesus' warnings about a judgment even more far-reaching than the one His disciples had intentionally asked about. Their question involved the destruction of one great city and the downfall of one nation. But after dealing with the signs regarding THAT destruction -- signs that would enable those who heeded His words to escape the city and be spared -- He went on to tell them of a future judgment involving people of all nations, like the world-wide flood in the days of Noah.

Of this future judgment, there would be no forewarning signs. Life would be going on as usual, with feasting and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, working in the fields and factories, etc. These are CONDITIONS that will be observable when Christ returns, but they are certainly NOT SIGNS that indicate its nearness. We cannot say, "Someone is having a feast, so I know the second coming of Christ is near," or "Someone is getting married, so I know the second coming of Christ is near." Fact is, no one will know when the time has arrived until Jesus suddenly appears. It behooves us to stay ready.

--CRJ

"SEIZE THE MOMENT"

I READ THIS VERY SLOWLY.....SUGGEST THAT YOU DO TOO, IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND...................

Pay attention, you Type A's (yes, that's me, too)

I have a friend who lives by a three-word philosophy: "Seize the moment." Just possibly, she may be the wisest woman on this planet.

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word "refrigeration" mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched Jeopardy! on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said, "How about going to lunch in a half hour?" She would gasp and stammer, "I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain." And my personal favorite: "It's Monday." She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect:

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Stevie toilet-trained.

We'll entertain-when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of "I'm going to," "I plan on" and "Someday, when things are settled down a bit."

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my hips with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round
Or listened to the rain lapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.

Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?

Ever told your child, We'll do it tomorrow
And in your haste, not see his sorrow?

Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die?
Just call to say "Hi"?

You'd better slow down. Don't dance so fast.
Time is short. The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift....Thrown away...

Life is not a race. Take it slower.
Hear the music before the song is over.

--author unknown (submitted by Michael Palm)

GIVE ME THE TRUTH

If you are my friend, if you are concerned about my soul, give me the Truth. Do not flatter me. Do not praise virtues while remaining silent about my vices. Do not fear the Truth will offend me. Do not treasure our friendship, our friendly relations, above my salvation. Do not think by ignoring my sins, you can help me. Do not think that being blind to my sins will make you charitable. However I may react to it, whatever may be my attitude toward you after you have done it, GIVE ME THE TRUTH!

For the Truth, and ONLY the Truth, can make me free from the shackles of sin, strengthen me in the pathway of righteousness and lead me into the joys of Heaven. If I am wavering, weak, lukewarm, indifferent, neglectful; if I have been overtaken in a trespass; if I have been drawn into the pleasures of the world; if I have left my first love; if I have been led astray by error, or if I have done none of these things, but simply need to grow in knowledge and then be edified, GIVE ME THE TRUTH!

--Bill Crews

True prayer is a way of life, not just a case of emergency

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