As I write this I am again preparing the funeral service for one of our dear members. It is a harsh reminder that we never know what tomorrow will bring. We make plans and life changes.
Luke 12:16 And he (Jesus) told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
More than anything this reminds me that we are not guaranteed the luxury of time. God has called us to be his witnesses and all too often we do not take this serious enough. How urgent do we see this mission. If we saw someone stranded in the rising waters of a flood would we say, “I want to rescue them, right now I am on my way to the movies. I will come back after the movie is over and rescue them.”
People all around us are in need of being rescued. Most humans recognize how fragile and troubled life is. We try desperately to avoid pain and suffering, and even cheat death. We take matters into our hands often pushing the suffering off onto someone else. Jesus unlike us willingly took the pain in our place even going to the cross for us.
Jesus has already saved us. Everyone needs to know this and he has called us to be his witnesses. This now begs the question, “How committed are we to this mission of Jesus to save everyone?” Are we committed enough to stop focusing on ourselves and take this mission as urgent?
The whole point of Pentecost is that He puts His Spirit in us and equips us with His power to proclaim His salvation. May God give us boldness as we testify of His grace.
Pastor Mark
Luke 12:16 And he (Jesus) told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
More than anything this reminds me that we are not guaranteed the luxury of time. God has called us to be his witnesses and all too often we do not take this serious enough. How urgent do we see this mission. If we saw someone stranded in the rising waters of a flood would we say, “I want to rescue them, right now I am on my way to the movies. I will come back after the movie is over and rescue them.”
People all around us are in need of being rescued. Most humans recognize how fragile and troubled life is. We try desperately to avoid pain and suffering, and even cheat death. We take matters into our hands often pushing the suffering off onto someone else. Jesus unlike us willingly took the pain in our place even going to the cross for us.
Jesus has already saved us. Everyone needs to know this and he has called us to be his witnesses. This now begs the question, “How committed are we to this mission of Jesus to save everyone?” Are we committed enough to stop focusing on ourselves and take this mission as urgent?
The whole point of Pentecost is that He puts His Spirit in us and equips us with His power to proclaim His salvation. May God give us boldness as we testify of His grace.
Pastor Mark
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