The Messy End

"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved."   Mark 13:8-13 (ESV)

The end is messy. However, those who have trusted and waited upon the Lord can take courage, for the messier it gets, the closer to victory we are.

We often forget that this life is a war. We see the war clearly outlined in Genesis and Job, and we read its conclusion in the book of Revelation.

We fight this war by identifying with Christ and allowing Him to fight for us, for in Him we gain victory.  For now, the choice is mine.





Dave Wager
 https://nightime.podbean.com/ 
 https://davewager.podbean.com/ 
 https://youngerolder.podbean.com/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What will you do with the facts?

Image
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. Luke 1:1-4 (ESV) Luke, the physician, does not claim to be an eyewitness account of what happened with Jesus, but he is one who personally evaluated the claims of those who had been with Jesus. As a doctor, he felt compelled to get the facts about Jesus’ miraculous birth recorded for Theophilus so he could have all his doubts erased. There is no reason to doubt Luke’s scholarship, methods, and conclusions. There is no reason to doubt unless your belief system has become the basis of your understanding, and you have slipped into thinking that whatever you belie
Read more

One day, we answer to God.

The next day the common people who came to the feast, having heard that Jesus is coming into Jerusalem, took the branches of the palm trees and went out with a view to meeting Him. And they kept on shouting, Save now. Let Him who comes in the name of the Lord, the One who in times past has been eulogized, be regarded as such at present, even the King of Israel.  John  12:12-13  (Wuest) The crowd saw Christ's exceptional power and authority and wanted Him to act on their behalf now. This crowd would soon change from wanting to crown Him to wanting to crucify Him. What makes a crowd change its mind so quickly? Propaganda soon focused on the truth, and Jesus was in the crosshairs. If the people believed Jesus, the religious establishments were history. Therefore, religious leaders began to fight for the right to control their subjects. Jesus offers freedom. Religion offers repression. Jesus offers hope. Religion offers fear. Jesus gives life purpose. Religion is its own purpose. We mu
Read more

Watch Him Work

But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord's anointed and be guiltless?" And David said, "As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord's anointed. 1 Samuel 26:9-11 (ESV Strong's) Waiting on God….Waiting on anyone or anything can be difficult. Waiting often means waiting for something to be transferred to our control. We do not like things we cannot control. David could have quickly taken matters into his own hands and get on with being king. He could easily have justified his actions before all his loyal subjects. Yet, those who live by faith do not spend time justifying their actions; instead, they give reasons for them. David understood that God was going to make him king. He needed to watch Him work. We do not need to help God accomplish His will; we just need to be obedien
Read more