It was impolite to ask a man how much money he had or to volunteer how much you had. The latter was usually either a brag or a complaint, and nobody wanted to listen to it. Money was no yard-stick of a man’s worth.”
–Elmer Kelton (The Good Old Boys)
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.”
–Revelation 22:12(NKJV)
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Are you keeping your eyes open and on the skies? Are you looking upward, ready for His coming? Is the prayer, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” on your lips? He’s coming, and I will repeat, He’s coming.
I read a story from Jack Graham, where he tells of a group of children who have been told that Jesus is coming soon. They were so intent upon the words that they continually went to the windows of the house, smudging the glass, looking upward for His appearing. Graham then related it to the life of Christians, “The windows of every Christian’s home should be smudged and dirty because of our passionate expectation of Christ’s soon return. So live your life with an eye on the sky waiting for that glorious day!”
“My heart can sing when I pause to remember,
A heartache here is but a stepping stone,
Along a trail that’s winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.”
–Stuart Hamblen
That should be our song of praise. We should be like Paul and Silas when in the dungeon, not to despair but to sing. No matter what comes our way the Lord is with us. The obstacles of life help us gain strength, help us grow. And the troubles of this world–the terror, the sickness, the death, the suffering are to remind us that this is not our final home.
“The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they’re borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile.”
I have always wondered why folks are in such a hurry to gain wealth. I figure that there are three times when all people are equal: at birth, at death, and at the cross. Read Ecclesiates, “And how does a wise man die? As the fool!” (2:16, NKJV) You could replace wise with wealthy–all face death, all will be buried, all will return to dust. It isn’t wrong to want wealth, but to spend your life seeking it rather than seeking what the Lord wants from you is truly vanity.
“This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it’s released, it’s destined for the skies.
But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I’ll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.”
In the midst of your life do you have joy? Despite the difficulties there should be joy in your heart. One of the ways to nurture joy and letting it mature into its fullness in your life is to look upward. We are told to “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” Let there be smudges on your window panes as you look through them upward looking for the Lord. Be passionate about His coming, don’t live in the mully-grubs of the world.
——————————
Are you keeping your eyes open and on the skies? Are you looking upward, ready for His coming? Is the prayer, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” on your lips? He’s coming, and I will repeat, He’s coming.
I read a story from Jack Graham, where he tells of a group of children who have been told that Jesus is coming soon. They were so intent upon the words that they continually went to the windows of the house, smudging the glass, looking upward for His appearing. Graham then related it to the life of Christians, “The windows of every Christian’s home should be smudged and dirty because of our passionate expectation of Christ’s soon return. So live your life with an eye on the sky waiting for that glorious day!”
“My heart can sing when I pause to remember,
A heartache here is but a stepping stone,
Along a trail that’s winding always upward,
This troubled world is not my final home.”
–Stuart Hamblen
That should be our song of praise. We should be like Paul and Silas when in the dungeon, not to despair but to sing. No matter what comes our way the Lord is with us. The obstacles of life help us gain strength, help us grow. And the troubles of this world–the terror, the sickness, the death, the suffering are to remind us that this is not our final home.
“The things of earth will dim and lose their value
If we recall they’re borrowed for awhile;
And things of earth that cause the heart to tremble,
Remembered there will only bring a smile.”
I have always wondered why folks are in such a hurry to gain wealth. I figure that there are three times when all people are equal: at birth, at death, and at the cross. Read Ecclesiates, “And how does a wise man die? As the fool!” (2:16, NKJV) You could replace wise with wealthy–all face death, all will be buried, all will return to dust. It isn’t wrong to want wealth, but to spend your life seeking it rather than seeking what the Lord wants from you is truly vanity.
“This weary world with all its toil and struggle
May take its toll of misery and strife;
The soul of man is like a waiting falcon;
When it’s released, it’s destined for the skies.
But until then my heart will go on singing,
Until then with joy I’ll carry on,
Until the day my eyes behold the city,
Until the day God calls me home.”
In the midst of your life do you have joy? Despite the difficulties there should be joy in your heart. One of the ways to nurture joy and letting it mature into its fullness in your life is to look upward. We are told to “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” Let there be smudges on your window panes as you look through them upward looking for the Lord. Be passionate about His coming, don’t live in the mully-grubs of the world.