Summertime

Bougureau's la vierge aux agnes courtesy of The Art Renewal Center Online. I really like most of this artist's material. :-)

Well, sorry it's been so long. After I was done with classes for the summer I just turned my computer off. Glitches with the phone lines? No problem! But, I've been remiss in my posting.
I'm going to put livingwaters.org's address in my links bar. They're a great resource and they are a ministry that is not in it for the money. All their CDs are reproducable with their blessing.

So, what all have we been doing? Well, I've been feeling a little lost without classes hanging over my head, if you can believe that! After a year and a half of online school with no real breaks to speak of, I feel like I'm missing something. I have really enjoyed playing with the kids more. Most of the stuff on TV these days is either full of blasphemy (what's up with all the cussing on the regular channels?!) or smut- which I think really ruins good shows rather than making them more appealing. So, we're watching less TV, too. Two big time suckers gone for awhile. I was thinking about canceling cable after the next season of LOST. I may just before hand and just watch it online. You know, even the kids' stuff has overload of crudeness and that just isn't comedy. Who do they have writing this stuff? Maybe the guys at the top need to get out of the city/office every once in a while and see what people really want to watch. But, enough of the rant. ;-)

Does anyone else feel like there's this pervading sense of urgency? Sometimes it feels like there's this silent war going on all around us and it's getting ready to be settled for good or ill- once and for all.

I reckon I'll try to live each day as if they were numbered. Not to gratify my flesh, but to draw near to my Saviour and to those He's given me to love. To try to reach out as best I can to those in need, even if I'm not very good at it. What would I do if I knew there were only three days left? What would you do? I always thought those movies where people went crazy and started looting were stupid. If the earth is getting ready to be blown up by a meteor, what need has anyone of a stolen big-screen TV? People aren't that ridiculous. Yea, some would go violent, but I think that a great deal of people would want to know more about God since they were getting ready to face Him. Would the Christians try to help them? I think so. I think that even the most backslidden among us would step up and try to help as many people be ready to face God as possible.

So, why aren't we doing that anyway? Why does some big disaster have to be looming for us to step up and do one of the few things our Saviour asked us to do? We live in a free country; it isn't like our neighbors are going to behead us for sharing the gospel like in some other countries. Our neighbors might die tomorrow on the way to work. Have we helped them be ready? Are they even aware that they can be ready?

And, on the other hand, we ourselves might not live to see another day. Have we done all we can for our Lord? Have we shared the Good News with anyone lately? Will we stand before Him ashamed? Sometimes we just need to look at the coming storm and think of the mighty holiness of God. We will be facing Him someday soon. Really, life goes by so quickly that it really will seem soon to us, even if we live another 50 years. Just ask any elderly person.

So, how will we stand? Are we "christians" in name only? Have we ever really humbled ourselves before a Holy God and repented in sorrow for our sinfulness? Have we accepted the free gift of Salvation that cost Jesus everything in His sacrifice for us? Or will He say to us in that day, "Depart from me- I know you not!"? Will we stand there saved but ashamed for the way we squandered the time and resources He has given us? Will we stand before Him in tears because we were too afraid to upset a family member who is now in Hell for eternity- suffering- when we could have made a difference? Or will we rejoice with our whole hearts because from this day we did all we could for Him?

God help me! I know I've been slack. Even though I have been redeemed, I know that I have not, not, not! done all I could for Him. I have not made myself available for His service as I should. When I think about standing in His presence, it terrifies the flesh part of me. The spiritual side looks forward to giving Jesus the biggest hug ever, but in my humanity, when I am outside at night and look at the vastness of the universe He has made, I feel so small. I understand for a moment how anyone in this flesh would be burned to a cinder in the presence of God. I understand why the Hebrews asked Moses to be the one who talked with Him from now on. Imagine how they must've felt seeing His glory! Imagine for a moment how you, dear reader, will feel.

Please pray for all Christians everywhere. It's hard times for God's people. And please always remember to pray for the Jewish people. They are still God's chosen people and they are having a really hard time of it right now. And please, dear reader- if you do not know the Saviour- if you have not faced the moment when you realize that you will stand before a Holy God someday and give an account of every single one of God's laws you have broken; if you have not fallen upon His mercy and grace- I beg of you, accept the blood of Jesus as the covering for your sins before it is eternally too late. He was the once and for all sacrifice- perfect, sinless- and He paid the price for our sins.

Praise the Lord!
ttfn
Rose