Our Role in the End Times

The sermon Sunday had a different twist on the end times.  Typically this topic makes me somewhat frightened – will we be raptured before or after the tribulation?  How will it affect my kids if we are truly living in the last days?  As my grandfather used to say, “Jesus is due.”  So what should we do?

As my pastor said, we should not get caught up in the details of what all the pieces of Revelation mean exactly – if Jesus wanted us to know more, He would have told us.  What He did tell us clearly, however, was to go into all the world and tell others about Him. 

I think sharing our faith is something that makes all of us nervous.  You feel God tugging at your spirit, saying “tell that person about Me.”  Then for all practical purposes, your body thinks it is sprinting – your heart beats fast, you feel a lump in your throat, you try to rationalize the feeling away like “surely that’s not really what God wants.”  And we all have let the moment slip away at times.  But other times we have obeyed, and let God use our shaky voices and speak words that the other person needs to hear.  And it’s honestly an area where we all need to improve.

So how exactly do you share your story of what Jesus has done for you?  I think it can be as simple as completing 4 statements:

Before I accepted Jesus, I…

(and I’ll fill in my own answers) Was raised in a Christian home and had prayed the prayer of salvation at the age of 6 – but I don’t remember this.

But I somehow wasn’t satisfied with life because….

…I found myself asking Jesus to forgive me and take charge of my life every 5-10 minutes – all day, every day – because I was consumed with fear that I didn’t pray it right, or Jesus didn’t hear me, or Jesus wouldn’t accept me because I wasn’t perfect.  And I knew I couldn’t be perfect enough to please Him.

 Then I encountered Jesus when…

…I was 12 years old at youth camp, and one night I broke down crying because I couldn’t take the uncertainty anymore.  My youth pastor held my hands out as if I was going to receive a gift, and said, “Karen, you don’t have to do anything to earn God’s forgiveness and a place in heaven – you only have to reach out and accept the gift of Jesus.  Jesus did all the work for you.”  And this changed my life.

 And now…

…I have a deep peace that even though I am not perfect (thus the name of this blog), God loves and accepts me.  I know it’s okay to be myself with God because eternity is not hanging in the balance of my good deeds or bad days but it’s secure because I accepted the gift of Jesus who made me right with God.  What security!

 And then, end with a simple question.  Do you want the same?

I used to think that if I was spiritually mature, I wouldn’t feel so nervous sharing the gospel.  But I think it’s just one of those things that gets better with practice.  No, it won’t be perfect.  And people don’t always accept Jesus right away.  But God reminded me that it’s just my job to be obedient and to ‘plant a seed’ – a little bit about Jesus in someone else.  And pray that God will bring others to plant more seeds until the person finally comes to a point in their life where they are ready to accept Him.  We may never see the result until heaven.

Jesus, forgive us for the times that we have let our fear prevent us from telling others about You.  Help us not be afraid but be obedient.  Fill us with Your love for those who don’t know You yet Jesus, and help us live each day as a godly example and have the right words to answer when they ask us, “What’s different about you?”

Exercising for God?

At various times of my life, I have exercised for different reasons.  To reduce stress.  To meet Army requirements.  To make my jeans fit a little looser.  To reduce my risk of heart disease (terrible family history).  I often think of God when I exercise (in fact, keeping praise songs in my mind is the only thing that got me through military Physical Training), but this week I realized that I have never exercised FOR God, as an act of praise.

In fact, we Christians tend to think that any focus on the body is off balance, because we are primarily focused on the spirit and soul.  Though we don’t say it, we think that since our bodies won’t last but our spirits will, it’s okay to neglect our bodies.

This week I exercised at home to a DVD by Jim Pena called Prayfit.  It’s similar to other workout videos (up-to-date though) with one major exception:  Throughout the exercises, he motivates you through stories of the Bible.

• For example, as I was ought of breath from jump-squats, he talked about how Jesus was probably out of breath when he went “up onto a mountain to pray” (Luke 9:28).  Yet the Bible mentions that Jesus did this often.
• When I was in the plank position (elbows and toes), he encouraged me to go ahead and thank God for the good things in my day since I was already in a position of ‘bowing’ before God.
• During the flexibility portion, he talked about the importance of stretching to maintain range of motion and function of our joints.  This way, our bodies will be ready for whatever God might call us to do.

I know well that praising God is often a sacrifice.  Sure, it’s easy during the easy times of life.  But when the ‘going gets tough’ – it takes real effort to remember to praise God in the midst of the storm.  Yet God has called me to praise Him in every area of my life, to be a living sacrifice for Him (Romans 12:1).   I just never recognized physical fitness and eating better as another way I can praise God.

This weekend, as I worked in the yard repeatedly filling/dumping the wheelbarrow,  I thought of this same principle.  As I scooped down to pick up another load, I imagined bowing before God, and I thanked Him for my family.  As I pushed each load and felt the strain of my muscles, I prayed for my family’s health and strength both physically and spiritually.

Thank You God for the body You have given me.  Forgive me for not always caring for it like I should.  Help me to use physical fitness and eating right as another opportunity to praise You.  Help me set a godly example for my family to follow, and may You be glorified.