There has been a good bit of joking and humor about today being the end of the world.  Of course we know that today is not the day, because the Bible tells us that no one knows the time, but God the Father!  Whenever anyone becomes crazy enough to think that they have figured out the timing of the coming of the Lord, it generates some press, a lot of conversation and more than it’s fair share of good-humored fun.

There Is Going To Be A Day!  What concerns me is not that there are people out there trying to predict an unpredictable day.  Not that people are having fun with the fact that today is not the day, but the lack of appreciation for the reality that there is going to be a day!

Read The Bible!  The Bible is full of references that speak of our Lord’s return and here are just a few:

Matthew 16:27 says “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”  This makes it clear that Jesus is coming in God’s glory and he will not be by himself, but accompanied by angels.  He is coming for the purpose of rewarding each person for what they have done – the life they have lived!  The question we need to be concerned with is:  “Are we ready?”

Matthew 24:30  “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.  They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”  We don’t know when Jesus is coming, but we know that when he comes that all the nations of the earth will mourn, but why?  Men, women, boys and girls will mourn because they did not take seriously the truth of his return and when he returns, many will not be ready.  The question is not when will Jesus  return, but will I be ready?

Matthew 24: 36-39  “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.   As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.   For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.  That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”   We would like to know when Jesus is coming, but the Bible makes it clear that no one knows the day or the hour!  If the angels and Jesus do not know the day or hour, then you can bank on the fact that man does not know!  This Scripture gives us a hint of what the day will be like – people will be living their normal everyday lives and not expecting anything.  The question that we need to answer is not what will that day be like, but are we ready?

Matthew 24:42  “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”  We need to live everyday just like it might be the day for the return of Jesus, because any day could be the day.  I am not a perfect person, but I honestly do try to live my life serving Jesus by serving others because I believe that any day could be the day.  I don’t know what day Jesus is coming, I just know that I want him to find me faithful on whatever day it is!  Remember the question:  Will you be ready?

2 Peter 3:8-10 “ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:  With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.  The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,  as some understand slowness.  He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.   The heavens will disappear with a roar;  The elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”   God lives and operates on a very different time schedule than we do.  God promised that He would return and He will keep His promise.  I believe the main reason that He has not returned already is because He is patient with us and does not want us to perish.  God is giving us time to figure it out and opportunity to get our hearts and lives right, but He will not give us forever.  The day is going to come like a thief in the night and the judgement of God will be swift and fierce!  This is why this question is the most important question of your life:  Are you ready?

Revelation 22:12  “Behold, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”  Pretty much says it all – doesn’t it?  The important question:  ARE YOU READY?

Watch this video through to the end!  A good message that we all need to think about!  We sometimes focus on the imperfections of others and miss them for the special gift that they are!  Hope this helps you enjoy the gifts that God has put all around you!

When we first began the ministry of Grace Place we had a single Mom come in with her two children.  She didn’t get much for herself, she was mainly interested in taking care of her children’s needs, as is most parents that come in.  When she was finished shopping she went downstairs and sat in the fellowship hall, where we had prepared a light lunch and where some of our volunteers were taking time to enjoy fellowship with many of our Grace Place Store shoppers.

This lady got her and her children something to eat and after eating, she just continued to hang around.  She sat there and talked with a lot of our volunteers.  It was almost like she just enjoyed having another adult to have a conversation with.

A little later, one of our volunteers that was up helping shoppers in the store came downstairs and saw that this single Mom was still there.  They began a conversation and our volunteer discovered that the single Mom had not gotten anything for herself.  Our volunteer began to ask questions and discovered that the single Mom had a lot of different needs.

She needed jeans for a lady, but was getting by with jeans for a man.  She needed a winter coat, but was getting by with her ex-husbands old jacket.  She needed things that she did not even realize that she needed and before anyone knew it – everyone was all back upstairs helping to take care of this single Mom’s needs.

The volunteers were bringing her clothes to try on and managed put together several outfits, that would eventually include shoes and some accessories.  The single Mom later described it this way by saying:  “Thank you for helping me to feel like a girl again!”  “I have girl clothes and some of them are actually pink!”  “This grace has changed my life!”

Now jump ahead about five months!  Grace Place opens for it’s big 2nd Saturday of the month sale, which is always a big day for shoppers.  The single Mom that shopped here five months ago and experienced grace that changed her life, walks in and begins to volunteer by going into the kitchen and preparing a pizza that she had brought from home.  She tells the Pastor – “The pizza will be ready in about 10 minutes!”  “I hope it’s okay, I just thought someone might be hungry and like a little something extra to eat!”

The pizza goes fast as a group of kids tear into it like ants on a piece of peppermint candy, and it was gone in the blink of an eye.  She tells the Pastor:  “I am going to run and get a few sub sandwiches to cut up, in case anyone else comes in and is hungry.”  She gets them, cuts them up, puts them on plates and begins to serve them.

The Pastor sits back and sees the vision that God gave him months ago take another big step at becoming a reality!  This single Mom does not have a lot of money, but she manages to take care of her and her kids and then is willing to sacrifice her time and money to minister to complete strangers – why?  Because that is exactly what happened to her!  Her life was forever changed by complete strangers who were willing to take time and money to share grace with her, just a few months before!

No one asked her to do any of this!  As she looked for a way to serve, she found a need that needed to be met and then began to take some of the grace that God had given her and share it with others.

All I can say is “G3! = GIVE GOD GLORY!”