Across the street from my apartment is a pawn shop that has a touchy alarm system. After being awoken nightly and watching the police pull in, point their flashlight in the showroom and then pull away for the last six weeks, I called to complain. The manager reluctantly came to the phone, explained there was nothing they could do about it and hung up on me!
I thought to myself the alarm system is necessary in the event of a real intruder but will the police take their time arriving because of their previous experiences?
Last night it went off again and this time it planted a nightmare in me.
The nightmare went like this - My husband, Steve and I were in the car. Steve was anxiously driving while there were thousands of people running alongside the road going in the same direction. An acquaintance of ours saw us, made eye contact with us and then ran around the front of our car and got caught in the wheel well and was spun out behind us. Steve and I were shocked and looked into each other's eyes in disbelief. I woke up immediately and thought to myself that I would be able to recover from the tragedy because I knew she made the mistake and choice to run in front of the car but I knew Steve would not be able to shake it off and would harbor an overwhelming guilt.
To me, the nightmare represents the concern I have for the Kingdom of God. This is such a complex post, but to unravel how I am led this morning, I would like to explore three parts.
First, has the church become accustom to hearing about end times so much they do not feel anxious when they hear signs of Jesus' imminent return?
Second, how many people are making dangerous choices right in front of us concerning their soul's salvation?
Third, many of us need to recover from survivor's guilt. How can we protect our hearts and our own salvation from being affected by what is thrust on us through no choice of our own?
I am not heartless, in fact, just the opposite. I just believe the Lord provides opportunities for intercessory acts and it is through His leading that we make the most headway. We lose more chances at making a real difference by forcing our way ahead of Him. Instead, we pat ourselves on the back at how good we are at "standing in the gap" for lost souls. Are we really?
We must prayerfully consider our direction and be convinced He places our feet where they should go as we follow Him.
1 comment:
to answer your first question, yes.
For 29 years I've been told we're in the last days. It has very little effect on my psyche.
Other things alarm me, but that statement falls on numb ears.
but, maybe that's the point. That we would become so accustomed to it that we would not even consider that the time had come.
Post a Comment