Today is The Great California Shake Out, a statewide program to help us all get prepared for the next, ‘big one’. Schools, business and homes across California will be practicing what to do and how to respond to a major shaking of the earth.
Just this morning I was reading Jesus’ words to his disciples when they asked for more details about his return to earth and the close of the age. He mentions earthquakes in three of the four gospels. He refers to them as the ‘beginning of the birth pains’.
I pondered that analogy for awhile...
Any woman who has had the privilege of bringing a child into the world through the miracle of childbirth can relate to that reference. Once those birth pains start, they won’t be stopping until it’s all over!
It’s an experience that will continue to move forward whether you feel ready or not and, though painful, will culminate in an unspeakable joy.
Those that have prepared for the birth experience feel a bit more equipped than those who haven’t. They know what to expect, how to respond.
It should be like that for those of us who call heaven our home.
Though, like the birth of our child, we may not know the exact day and hour, we have no excuse for not knowing the general timeframe of our Lord’s return. His Word to us is filled with the signs and indicators.
It’s like a Christian’s guide to “What To Expect When Your Expecting”.
Have we read the manual?
If not, it’s time to get it out. I think Jesus knew that when those birth pains began in the earth, there may be the potential for some of his followers to get anxious, fearful even, for he says, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet come.”
We are called to be ‘alert’, to ‘stay awake and pray’. And as we watch and pray, we do the work before us that he has allotted for us to do. We walk with uprightness of heart before our God and let the shaking come.
Just this morning I was reading Jesus’ words to his disciples when they asked for more details about his return to earth and the close of the age. He mentions earthquakes in three of the four gospels. He refers to them as the ‘beginning of the birth pains’.
I pondered that analogy for awhile...
Any woman who has had the privilege of bringing a child into the world through the miracle of childbirth can relate to that reference. Once those birth pains start, they won’t be stopping until it’s all over!
It’s an experience that will continue to move forward whether you feel ready or not and, though painful, will culminate in an unspeakable joy.
Those that have prepared for the birth experience feel a bit more equipped than those who haven’t. They know what to expect, how to respond.
It should be like that for those of us who call heaven our home.
Though, like the birth of our child, we may not know the exact day and hour, we have no excuse for not knowing the general timeframe of our Lord’s return. His Word to us is filled with the signs and indicators.
It’s like a Christian’s guide to “What To Expect When Your Expecting”.
Have we read the manual?
If not, it’s time to get it out. I think Jesus knew that when those birth pains began in the earth, there may be the potential for some of his followers to get anxious, fearful even, for he says, “See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet come.”
We are called to be ‘alert’, to ‘stay awake and pray’. And as we watch and pray, we do the work before us that he has allotted for us to do. We walk with uprightness of heart before our God and let the shaking come.
Hebrews 12 So since we are receiving an unshakeable kingdom, let us give thanks, and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and awe.
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