October 10

I don’t know much about solar energy, but I do know that it takes the sun to create it. The sun is converted to usable energy when the panels absorb the sunlight. No sunlight, no power. The sun is vital to our lives; it helps our food to grow, and it provides heat.

Like clockwork, the sun rises daily and on time. There is a period of darkness before the glory of the light is seen. We must fuel up while the light is shining because night will come again. What will happen when the sun no longer rises? Will you have enough oil to keep your lamp burning, or are you only bringing enough for the here and now? I can tell you that we are facing a coming of darkness, and it is here; and though we may fall sleep, we must have a tank full to light our way when Jesus appears to take us home. I prayed a prayer as a child, “if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord, my soul, to take.” That may have been enough to fuel me as a kid, but my knowledge has grown, and I, therefore, need more fuel to keep me alive. 

We must fill up while the sun is still shining, just like solar power, we need to absorb the light of Jesus so our oil tanks are full when he appears on that great and glorious day. We don’t want to buy more after he calls us; he will shut the door, and we will be left behind.

And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut. Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open to us.’ But he answered, ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Matthew 25:10-13

October 9

Bible truth alert! No cute story today.

Why did Jesus say, when speaking to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”, in Matthew 24? His disciples had asked him what the signs would be for the coming of the end of the age, and this was a part of his answer. You see, this answer could lead to some confusion because Jesus is speaking only to the Jews, not the Church. What does he mean by “this generation”? Many, many generations have passed since he spoke these words. The answer is in the term “generation.” It would be nice if the translators would use words that make things plane and not appear to be contradictory. When I looked up the word, here is what I found:  

From (a presumed derivative of) G1085; a generation; by implication an age (the period or the persons): - age, generation, nation, time. 

The Bible is not contradictory; the translators may be using words that we understand differently. If they had included the word “nation,” we would understand the text to mean the Jewish nation would not pass away until all these things take place. 

Why do some people think Christians will face tribulation? Because he also mentions “the elect,” which are the saved. If all the saved are ruptured, it can only mean those Jews who accept Jesus as Savior after the rapture of the Church. 

Forgive me for rambling this morning, but if I’m a little confused by some words in this chapter, I’m sure others are too. I’m just trying to clear up the muddy water. 

And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Matthew 24:22

Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Matthew 24:34

October 8

I had coffee with a friend yesterday. She and her husband live in a community outside of town; it’s a sprawling development that has attracted many businesses because of the sheer size and the excessive number of homes located there. The people that had occupied that area before the developers came in were there to get away from the city, but when this subdivision popped up, the city came out to them, and the rural country was eaten up. It’s a beautiful area with trails and other amenities that attract families, but the location is odd. My friend loves it there, and I don’t blame her; their home is beautiful. 

Speaking of developers, after having our coffee and chitchatting, her husband brought out Donald Trump! I know, it shocked me too! Here I am posing with him; unlike what we see on Twitter, he was reticent. All joking aside, we must all vote in this upcoming election, and hopefully, most of you will align yourself with the party that recognizes the value of all life, including life in the womb. Both parties are corrupt, but only one believes in life and freedom. No matter the result of this election, God is still on his throne, and Jesus is still in charge of the government, even if you don’t like it.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

October 7

It’s been a grueling process, but we are finally moving forward! I spent the entire day yesterday running all over Tampa, picking up permits, delivering blueprints, and recording a notice of commencement so we can start building duplexes. Richard has been clearing trees, installing a fence, and preparing the ground, among other things, for this project. We started this over a year ago, and we haven’t wasted a moment, but we must depend on others to fill in where our abilities end; such as architects and engineers, who don’t always work at our pace, and then there are the county employees, who could care less about us or our project, so they intentionally make it difficult. Not only that, but then COVID slowed the process by more than six months! But we made it! Now the fun begins! This process is much like our growth in Jesus. It starts in its simplest form of accepting Jesus, then as we grow, we must contend with the enemy throwing roadblocks in our path. There is a lot of clearing out of trees and underbrush to prepare the ground; then, we begin to build on the foundation of Jesus. When all is said and done, we will have created a magnificent mansion! Don’t give up when things get difficult; it’s all part of the process, and it will work out in the end. You are not alone in this life; you have the Holy Spirit as your companion; his guidance and wisdom is what will help you as you move forward; so keep building up your life in Jesus; it will be worth every challenge you face.

“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25

October 6

So, about that bird feeder, it’s just as I suspected, a maker of weeds! My perfectly manicured yard is now a weedy mess due to the birds spilling their food out of the feeder! I may have found a solution; we’ll see if it works; it’s a tray hanging under the feeder to catch any extra seed that’s dropped. 

For this same reason, the Pharisees got carried away with instituting rules, making it impossible to be righteous in the eyes of man. I’m sure they had good intentions, like me wanting to feed the birds, but the rules got out of hand, so Jesus came to straighten them out by teaching us what God had intended by the original rules. Jesus taught that when you love God and love people, the rest will fall into place, and the need for other regulations becomes unnecessary. 

If the birds didn’t spill their food, then it wouldn’t be necessary to have the tray below the feeder, and there would be no evil weeds growing among the intentionally planted shrubs. When you love Jesus, your mind changes, and it’s easy following God’s rules because everything falls into the place he had intended. 

If those birds don’t stop spilling all that seed onto the ground, I’m going to take away the trough, just as God will eventually remove his followers from the earth, then there will be no one to feed the world.

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

October 5

 

Any sin against the church and Jesus Christ is an offense that could damn someone to eternal hell; if two or more believers agree together, whatever they bind on earth, will also be bound in heaven. In my opinion, Plann** ******hood and child sex traf****ing fits the description. I know this is unconventional. We may not be gathered physically; however, I ask that you agree with me today that these two industries be stopped by God and sent to the eternal pit of hell and that the enemy be forced to release these children from his grip. Let’s work together within the spiritual world to stop this travesty against the children of today and the generations to come. Wouldn’t it be incredible if our simple agreement on this issue dissolved it from the earth? I would love to see the hand of God move quickly on these issues, and see all the people involved pay the price with their lives. 

If you agree with me on this, please indicate by commenting “agree.” I will then know that you have prayed and that we have an agreement in the spiritual world. I don’t know what this end will look like, or how quickly it will happen, but rest assured they will pay the price for their heinous acts against the children.

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Matthew 18:18-20

October 4

My brother gave away his daughter yesterday. In many cases, the family of the bride may not find anyone to be worthy of their precious jewel, but God blessed her with a man we have all grown to love as our own. We had to contend with the weather, so my sister and I prayed with the bride's uncle that the rain might go around us. God kept most of the rain at bay, but it sprinkled just enough to anoint the celebration with the presence of God and wash it clean for a beautiful new beginning. 

God gave away his precious son as a groomsman to us; we are the bride of Christ. We are adorning ourselves just like Esther when she was given beauty treatments for her wedding to the king. We are now awaiting his return from the Father’s house where he has gone to prepare a place for us and is adding on to the house so we will be comfortable there. I think we can all say that we are anxious for that day and are waiting at the gate to hear his call. 

In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3