It sounds like God has already...
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It sounds like God has already given us our inheritance -- his kingdom. That should make us feel so rich that we can sell our possessions and give to the needy -- like good "Democrats." We should not resent Jesus' suggestion that we are given wealth so we can share with those who have none. It is not just so we can buy yachts and big houses! God has allowed us be rich for a purpose. Some have and some don't, so those who have must share. Don't just gripe and tell God how hard you have worked for the money you have! Some may have worked harder and received less (because their boss was greedy?). There are too many examples of how God works. The important thing for us is to remember that he has given us his kingdom, which is far more than we deserve or that we could even dream of asking for. No one can steal it! It is good for all eternity! So why worry?
The command is "be ready at all times." You don't want to miss the knock on your door if it is your master. Those who are watching and waiting for him will be rewarded. It is not just those who, like myself, are in their eighties who need to be ready. God is hoping that Christians of all ages will be prepared to serve him.
If we knew when God or the thief might come (the good or the bad), we want to be ready. He warns us that Jesus will come when we least expect him. My folks died in an auto accident on the way home from my ordination. They had hoped to stop at some other relatives in our hometown and celebrate, but God had other plans. In my long life I have often been surprised at God's timing. When I graduated from college I was looking for a secondary school in California. There were no openings so I was forced to take the only thing available, a job in a grade school teaching Apache Indians. I only survived two years, but 50 some years later, when I was checking out a foreign mission opening, they said that I would need some experience in another culture. When I told them about my teaching on the reservation, they said that would do! The delay in my mission service was a bit disappointing to my mother's hope when I was a teenager that I would be a missionary some day. They weren't around to see it, but her prayers were answered. So don't make a timetable for God! Be ready for the Lord's coming at any moment! We already have the kingdom, so don't risk loosing it!
The command is "be ready at all times." You don't want to miss the knock on your door if it is your master. Those who are watching and waiting for him will be rewarded. It is not just those who, like myself, are in their eighties who need to be ready. God is hoping that Christians of all ages will be prepared to serve him.
If we knew when God or the thief might come (the good or the bad), we want to be ready. He warns us that Jesus will come when we least expect him. My folks died in an auto accident on the way home from my ordination. They had hoped to stop at some other relatives in our hometown and celebrate, but God had other plans. In my long life I have often been surprised at God's timing. When I graduated from college I was looking for a secondary school in California. There were no openings so I was forced to take the only thing available, a job in a grade school teaching Apache Indians. I only survived two years, but 50 some years later, when I was checking out a foreign mission opening, they said that I would need some experience in another culture. When I told them about my teaching on the reservation, they said that would do! The delay in my mission service was a bit disappointing to my mother's hope when I was a teenager that I would be a missionary some day. They weren't around to see it, but her prayers were answered. So don't make a timetable for God! Be ready for the Lord's coming at any moment! We already have the kingdom, so don't risk loosing it!
