And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" -- Luke 18: 6-8 (NIV)
Another day another dire prophecy. Yes folks, it's the end of the world as we know it if you believe the over-hyped Mayan calendar, which suddenly stops on December 21, 2012. I remember writing about this last year when Harold Camping embarrassed himself by trying to say he knew when the world was going to end, twice. The same holds true in this instance. Because of the Mayan prediction we have learned one thing for certain -- the world will most definitely NOT end on December 21, 2012. We know this because the Bible assures us:
"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don't know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert! -- Mark 13: 32-33 (NLT)
So in order for the Mayans to be correct, they would have to have had knowledge that was not even available to the angels and Jesus Christ Himself when He walked the earth. Read these verses very carefully and remember them the next time someone else tries to predict when it all will end. No one knows the day or hour! No one! So when the Mayans say December 21, I know it cannot be December 21. It is that simple because faith does not need to be complicated. We usually make things more difficult than they need be.
We could just end the devotional right here and move onto Christmas shopping but I think it is at moments like this that we should reflect to the very real fact that while Jesus is not coming back on December 21, 2012 -- He is coming back soon! In fact, He could come back tonight! Are we ready? Will our King find us about His work? The key verses come from the end of the story of the persistent widow. This widow harassed the unjust judge until he ruled in her favor -- not out of a sense of right and wrong but rather so he wouldn't have to hear her annoying him every day. If this widow can find justice amongst such a corrupt system and within such a corrupt judge, how much more justice can we expect from Jesus Christ Himself? So when we read the Words of Jesus describing His return we can take that to the bank. He is coming back. The sad ending to the verses however reminds us that Jesus remains concerned about our state when He returns. Will Jesus find faith on earth when He returns? In the middle of discussing His return He spoke two parables we can discern some truths for us to remember today as we approach "the end."
The parable of the Ten Bridesmaids shows the importance of being prepared. Five of the bridesmaids were wise and carried extra oil for their lamps because they did not know how long the groom would be. The other five were foolish and did not consider this. When the groom was returning the five who ran out of oil tried to go purchase some but when they came back, the door to them was closed and the groom would not let them in saying he did not know them. Jesus is the groom here and we are the Bridesmaid. The church is consistently referred to as the bride of Christ. So the question for us today is who are we? Are we a wise Bridesmaid or a foolish one? The oil is representative of the Holy Spirit so the question for us today is -- how is our lamp?
"Your eye is a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is good, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is bad, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! -- Matthew 6: 22-23 (NLT)
How deep indeed! I fear there are many people who believe themselves to be wise bridesmaids but in reality are foolish. They have replaced the oil of the Holy Spirit in their lives for the emotionalism of a church. Realize today that collectively we are the church. No building. No tithing records. No attendance records. Individually however is what this parable is addressing. Notice the five wise bridesmaids did not share their oil! You will not get into heaven on your mother's worship. You will not get into heaven on your father's Bible study habits. The oil you have must be yours alone and there must be enough of it to last. There are far too many hit and run Christians. Living on yesterday's oil; not even aware the time is running short and the oil is running out. Be prepared because the Groom is coming and the time is growing short.
The second parable is the parable of the talents. Where the bridesmaids dealt with our relationship with God this one deals with our obligation to serve Him. In this parable, a man is going on a long trip and leaves some money with his servants. The one who was left five bags of silver gained five more. The one who was left two bags earned two more. The one who was left one bag however buried it in the ground and did nothing with it. The two servants who earned more were praised and given more responsibilities but the one who buried his silver was cast aside. The question for us today is which servant are we? God has given us all a measure of silver based upon our abilities. He expects us to invest the talents He has given to us for the advancement of the
For God's gifts and his call can never be withdrawn. -- Romans 11: 29 (NLT)
Many do not want to answer the call or use their gifts. When Jesus went missing at the age of 12, his parents eventually found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers. As they questioned Him, Jesus simply responded:
And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. -- Luke 2: 49-50 (NKJV)
Will we be found about the Father's business? Two very different parables both with eternal consequences. We must make sure that our relationship with God is right. That we are filled with the Holy Spirit and that we are feeding the Spirit and not the flesh. We cannot get by on yesterday's oil. We need a fresh anointing every single day. We also must make sure that we are about the Father's business when He returns. That we are not the lazy wicked servant who takes what God has given him and buries it. The Mayans are wrong because no one knows the day or the hour. They are right though that one day it will end as we know it. The trumpet will sound and Jesus will return as our conquering King. Will He find faith on earth beloved? That answer is up to us.
Rev. Anthony
