Luke 21:5–19
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold
When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, ‘As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.’
Signs and Persecutions
They asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?’ And he said, ‘Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, “I am he!” and, “The time is near!” Do not go after them.
‘When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
‘But before all this occurs, they will arrest you and persecute you; they will hand you over to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name. This will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defence in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name. But not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls.
Reflection - Don't Worry About It!
It's not always going to be easy. Maybe it won't ever be easy. Maybe it will be easy for most of the time, but there will arrive a time when it won't be easy. Our faith that God graciously gives to us makes life difficult at times. Our faith is a gift from God. It's not something we can muster up through our own efforts. It's not something I or you can produce. Faith is built over time and is given to us by God.
When I recall so many faithful fellow Christians that encourage me to have faith and believe and I will be saved, I feel sorry for them and this mode of thinking. This thinking makes it seem that faith is something that I can produce and if I produce some faith and the belief, then God will save me. That's backwards! God comes to me. I can't come to God or believe in God by my own will or way. God comes to me and grants me the faith and the belief that I need to build my relationship with God. God builds the relationship. I can only run to God and fall before God and ask, maybe plead or beg that God recognize me in my sinful state and save me from my selfishness, my sinfulness, the death and damnation I deserve. And maybe I can't even run to God after all. I depend on God to come to me in the end to save me.
And that God has done through Jesus. Jesus builds the Temple. The temple that I can build is not the same Temple that only Jesus can build. The temple that I can build is vain and selfish and centered upon myself and my selfish desires. Jesus' Temple is centered on God's love for all of his people. Jesus' Temple is centered on God's relationship with me and you and all of God's Church.
So, how do we get ready for Jesus coming? How do we who live in relationship with God, live in this present fallen world of sin and evil and death? What do we look for and who do we listen to? First off... don't worry about it! God will handle it, not you. But be prepared to take a stand. Be ready to stand up in the faith that God builds in you. A stand that may or may not take this life on this earth and end it now. Be ready to stand up for what God has done for you in Jesus. Don't worry about the way the stand may take place. For some of us this stand may seem easy, but for other's of us this stand may take our life here and now.
Grace is not cheap. Grace is a free gift of love and faith that only God can grant to you and to me. Grace is not something I can do to build or earn or increase in myself. Grace comes into play in that stand in this place in whatever way we may be called to take that stand. That call will probably be different for each or us. Don't worry about that stand. Think about what God has given you and the gifts you have been given and when that call comes, take the stand that God gives to you with all of your heart, soul, and might.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God--- not the result of works, so that no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
And, remember that when you take that stand an Old Testament verse from Deuteronomy 6:5 - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."
Along with these two verses, a verse from King David's Song of Thanks comes to mind, 1 Chronicles 16:23, "Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Tell of his salvation from day to day."
No, grace is not cheap, but grace is there for you and for me. Grace is not something we can gain, but grace is given to us and is present for us to use just at the right time and the right place when God calls us to put our faith to work in whatever way that may be.
So, for now, rest assured in the grace that God gives to you through Jesus Christ that when you are called and when the time comes and in the midst of that persecution or pain or suffering or maybe even in a victorious stand of joy and salvation, God will speak to you through the Holy Spirit and give you just the words and the actions to take.
Don't worry about it. God has your back. You can believe in that! Look to the cross and witness the Truth, the Life, the Way and the Grace. Thanks be to God!
Prayer
Lord, only you can fill me with life. Give me the words and the actions to take at just the right time. For I know that you are my God, my Savior, my Creator, my Life... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen
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