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No sleeping on guard duty (Mark 13:23-37) September 8, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Proverbs 22

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 13:28-37
Jesus: Learn this lesson from the fig tree: When its branch is new and tender and begins to put forth leaves, you know that summer must be near. In the same way, when you see and hear the things I’ve described to you taking place, you’ll know the time is drawing near. It’s true—this generation will not pass away before all these things have happened. Heaven and earth may pass away, but these words of Mine will never pass away.
Take heed: no one knows the day or hour when the end is coming. The messengers in heaven don’t know, nor does the Son. Only the Father knows.
So be alert. Watch for it and pray, for you never know when that time might approach.
This situation is like a man who went on a journey; when he departed, he left his servants in charge of the house. Each of them had his own job to do; and the man left the porter to stand at the door, watching. So stay awake, because no one knows when the master of the house is coming back. It could be in the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows or in the morning. Stay awake; be alert so that when he suddenly returns, the master won’t find you sleeping.
The teaching I am giving the four of you now is for everyone who will follow Me: stay awake, and keep your eyes open.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

The Uniform Code of Military Justice is a special part of United States public law that applies to military members. Because of the unique duties of soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen, special laws apply when they serve the nation. When you show up late for work in a civilian job, your boss can’t throw you in jail, for instance. In the military, they can. If you yell at your boss, you probably can’t be fined by a court. You probably will be fined and maybe even demoted in the military. It’s because of the unique structure, the things they must do, the immediate obedience required to keep people alive on the battlefield, and a host of other legitimate reasons that a separate set of laws are necessary for military members.

One of those special laws can be found in 10 U.S. Code Chapter 47 Sub-chapter 10 Paragraph 913. Article 113. It is titled Misbehavior of a sentinel or lookout and reads as follows: Any sentinel or look-out who is found drunk or sleeping upon his post, or leaves it before he is regularly relieved, shall be punished, if the offense is committed in time of war, by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct, if the offense is committed at any other time, by such punishment other than death as court-martial may direct.

You heard that right. Sleeping on guard during time of war may be punishable by death if a court-martial so decides. It is an extremely serious offense. In time of war, the only thing between a service member’s much needed rest and the enemy is the vigilance of the guards on the perimeter. If they fail to keep watch, the enemy can sneak in and kill everyone in the camp before they have time to react. Guard duty is extremely important. It’s why shifts are usually not more than two hours long. Those in charge want to make sure the guards can stay awake during their shift. Longer than two hours in the middle of the night can get pretty boring when there is nothing to see but darkness and the temptation to sleep after a long day’s work is great.

Whenever I read these words of Jesus, I’m glad I spent time in the Army. It reminds me just how important His words really are. Just as for the guard on the perimeter in a time of war, these words mean life or death for us. Jesus tells us to stay away and keep our eyes open. Be alert for the signs He has given His disciples heralding His coming. Know that He will return to end all our struggles one day and He has given us clues as to when that will happen. We don’t know exactly when, but it will happen and we must be ready.

My good friend Gery discovered time ended sooner than he wanted just a few weeks ago. A routine medical procedure turned into a nightmare for his family as he fell into the 1% that had adverse outcomes from the procedure. He died that evening after the medical team worked feverishly all day trying everything they knew to do to save him. He didn’t expect to see Jesus that day. He expected to retire soon and spend a lot more years with his wife of 44 years, his children, and his grandchildren. But Gery had also been alert and watching for Jesus’ coming. He was ready and although alert as his passing drew near, he was at peace knowing he would soon be in the hands of his Lord.

See, we never know when the end will come. Jesus may call an end to time for all of us today or He might call one of us home individually. The rest of us will grieve for a time, but we will all be together again if we stay awake and stay alert for His coming. His command is a matter of life and death. Stay awake. No sleeping on guard duty.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Be alert and remember (Mark 13:14-27) Septeber 7, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Psalms 105-107

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Mark 13:14-27
Jesus: On the day you see it, whoever is in Judea should flee for the mountains. The person on the rooftop shouldn’t reenter the house to get anything, and the person working in the field shouldn’t turn back to grab his coat. It will be horrible for women who are pregnant or who are nursing their children when those days come. And pray that you don’t have to run for your lives in the winter. When those days come, there will be suffering like nobody has seen from the beginning of the world that God created until now, and it never will be like this again. And if the Lord didn’t shorten those days for the sake of the ones He has chosen, then nobody would survive them.
If anyone tells you in those days, “Look, there is the Anointed One!” or “Hey, that must be Him!” don’t believe them. False liberators and prophets will pop up like weeds, and they will work signs and perform miracles that would entice even God’s chosen people, if that were possible. So be alert, and remember how I have warned you.
As Isaiah said in the days after that great suffering,
The sun will refuse to shine,
and the moon will hold back its light.
The stars in heaven will fall,
and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
Then you will see (as Daniel predicted) “the Son of Man coming in the clouds,” clothed in power and majesty. And He will send out His heavenly messengers and gather together to Himself those He has chosen from the four corners of the world, from every direction and every land.

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Having seen combat and the results of combat, the things men can do to other men, these words of Jesus terrify me. I know too many people who have not come to know Jesus as their personal Savior yet and I believe the days are getting short heralding His return. The signs He gave us in the verses we considered yesterday happen with increasing rapidity every day. Those birth pangs the earth experiences show His coming is close at hand.

Yet so many today discount those prophecies. They say it’s just a lot of stories. Marx said religions is just something to calm the emotions of the masses. I wonder what He would say about the alignment of the things we are witnessing today with the signs Jesus gave His disciples in Matthew 25 and Mark 13. More earthquakes this week in Oklahoma that could be felt from Nebraska to Texas. We can blame it on fracking and the oil industry, but I just don’t think the earth is so fragile that we could do that kind of damage to it. The nuclear blasts in the 1930’s and 1940’s didn’t create earthquakes that large, so why would we think fracking could do so much damage? It doesn’t make much sense to me.

We don’t have the power to destroy the earth the way the climatologist and the ecologists think we do. Yes, we pollute it. Yes, we cause damage to it. Yes, we are not very good stewards of God’s creation. But it seems every time we think we have done some horrific thing to the planet, the planet heals itself as if God is showing us that we just can’t break it ourselves. But He can. It’s His to do with as He wills, and the signs are growing stronger.

Many refuse to believe it, though. So what will happen? Things will get noticeably worse. Jesus said it would. Christians will be hated more than they are now. We will be blamed for the failing economy. We will be blamed for the increasing violence. We will even be blamed for the climate changes our failure to stop the capitalist movements to make more money. Somehow, it will all be the Christians’ fault. And we will feel the brunt of the world’s wrath because of it. We will suffer because of the world’s false accusations.

But Jesus is returning. He’s coming back and when He does, something dreadful will happen to those who have pointed the finger at the wrong people. Those non-believers will feel the wrath of God. Jesus says there will be suffering like no one has seen since the beginning of the world. When He begins to defend His children.

Think about that for just a minute. No suffering like that since the beginning of the world. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Not as bad as this. The Nazi annihilation of the Jews. Not as bad as this. The hurricanes like Andrew, Katrina, and Ike. Don’t hold a candle to the suffering God will pour out. Sodom and Gomorrah. Nope, not like the suffering that’s coming. Even the flood in Noah’s day will pale in comparison to the suffering the world will endure at the end of time.

Jesus gives us warning. We’ve read the words many times. They are available for anyone to read and hear in almost every language now. No one has an excuse. The time is ripe for His coming. All the signs are playing out before our eyes. I don’t want anyone to miss their opportunity for salvation, but many are asleep and just pretend it isn’t going to happen.

But Jesus said, “Be alert and remember how I have warned you.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Stay alert! (Matthew 13:24-30) March 25, 2016

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Today’s Podcast

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Today’s Bible reading plan:

Read it in a year – Jeremiah 1-6

see the whole year’s plan [here](http://www.bible-reading.com/bible-plan.pdf)

Today’s Devotional

Matthew 13:24-30
Jesus told them another parable.
Jesus: The kingdom of heaven is like this: Once there was a farmer who sowed good seeds in his field. While the farmer’s workers were sleeping, his enemy crept into the field and sowed weeds among all the wheat seeds. Then he snuck away again. Eventually the crops grew—wheat, but also weeds. So the farmer’s workers said to him, “Sir, why didn’t you sow good seeds in your field? Where did these weeds come from?”
“My enemy must have done this,” replied the farmer.
“Should we go pull up all the weeds?” asked his workers.
“No,” said the farmer. “It’s too risky. As you pull up the weeds, you would probably pull up some wheat as well. We’ll let them both grow until harvesttime. I will tell the harvesters to collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, and only then to harvest the wheat and bring it to my barn.”

What do Jesus’ words mean for us today?

Well, I have another confession to make. I don’t know how many times I’ve read this passage. I’d have to look up the number of sermons I’ve preached on this passage and used it to talk about the fact that Christian life in a sinful world. God doesn’t take us out of the world, but leaves us here among the thorns and weeds until His harvest-time comes. Then He will separate the wheat from the weeds. He will sort out the good from the bad. Until then, we just put up with some of the evil around us because it’s not going away until He comes again.

I’ve talked in the past about the fate of the two types of plants. The wheat is gathered into bundles and taken into the farmer’s barn to be enjoyed by the farmer and his family. The weeds are bundled and burned. Sounds a lot like the two kinds of punishment meted out at the final judgment, doesn’t it?

I’ve talked about how Satan, God’s enemy does everything he can to spoil the good work God does and sows evil wherever he can. Sometimes Satan even sows evil in the institutional church with its gossip and dissension, its politics, jealousy, and greed. He makes many look more like the world than Christ and so weeds are sown in the middle of God’s field.

But that’s not the confession I need to make today. For the first time, I noticed two important phrases I’ve just passed over time after time as I focused on other parts of this parable. Did you see them? The first one says, “While the workers were sleeping,…” Ouch! The enemy came in while the workers slept! Did you know the Uniform Code of Military Justice carries a punishment up to death for sleeping while on guard? There’s a good reason for that. If you are on guard duty, you are responsible for alerting the rest of the unit if an enemy is on the perimeter and being the first defense to keep the enemy out. If you’re asleep on the job and the enemy breaks in and kills your buddies, you’re essentially an accessory to murder because of your failure to carry out your responsibilities.

So here are these workers sleeping on the job. When they should be watching for the enemy and protecting their boss’ land, they are snoozing under a tree and let the enemy creep in and sow weeds in the field. But that’s not all that happens in the story. Did you catch the second phrase? The workers said to the farmer, “Sir, why didn’t you sow good seeds in your field?”

So here they are blaming the farmer for their negligence. Isn’t that just like too many of us? Oops, I messed this one up, who can I blame! I know, let’s blame God for all the bad things that happen to us. We’re good at that, aren’t we? When in reality, if we would just wake up and keep watch the enemy would never have the opportunity to sneak in and destroy the way we let him. Notice I said we let him! See it’s our choice.

We are not strong enough to stand up against Satan, but God is. The sentry on duty isn’t strong enough to stand up against an attack when the enemy begins to rush the perimeter of a unit. The commander knows that, too. But his job is not to defeat the enemy. His job is to give the warning, alert the rest of the unit, make sure everyone knows the enemy is about to attack. That’s the sentry’s job. So if we will just recognize the enemy is on the perimeter, God will take over and help defeat the enemy. He has already defeated him anyway. Satan just doesn’t know it yet.

All we have to do is stay awake, stay alert, watch for the temptations that Satan sends our way. Then we sound the alarm and bring in the big guns. Call the artillery. Send for reinforcements. Let God deliver us from the attacks that Satan might bring our way. What happens then? Victory! That’s what! Don’t sleep on the job. Stay awake. Stay alert. Sound the alarm. You won’t be sorry when God keeps Satan and his minions outside the gates of your life.

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.

Stay alert when you pray (Colossians 4:2-18), June 18, 2015

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Today’s Podcast


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Today’s Scriptures

Today’s Bible reading plans include:

Ready – Colossians 4:2-18
Set – 2 Chronicles 19; Colossians 4
Go! – 1 Kings 22; 2 Chronicles 18-19; Colossians 4

Colossians 4:2-18
2 Pray, and keep praying. Be alert and thankful when you pray. 3 And while you are at it, add us to your prayers. Pray that God would open doors and windows and minds and eyes and hearts for the word so we can go on telling the mystery of the Anointed, for this is exactly why I am currently imprisoned. 4 Pray that I will proclaim this message clearly and fearlessly as I should.

5 Be wise when you engage with those outside the faith community; make the most of every moment and every encounter. 6 When you speak the word, speak it gracefully (as if seasoned with salt), so you will know how to respond to everyone rightly.

7-9 I am sending this letter by Tychicus and Onesimus, both dear brothers. Tychicus has been a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. He will update you on me and my situation here, and he will no doubt be an encouragement to you. Onesimus is one of you; and he, too, has been faithful. You will get the whole story from them.

10 My cellmate Aristarchus sends his love, as does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. (You’ve been sent instructions about him, so if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, also called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only workers in God’s kingdom here who are of the circumcision, and they are a great comfort to me.

12 Epaphras, another one of your hometown fellows and a servant of Jesus the Anointed sends his regards and wants you to know how passionately and sincerely he speaks to the Lord about you. He prays for your spiritual journey, that you will continue to mature and stand tall in the kind of confidence that comes from knowing God’s will. 13 I can testify to his zeal for you and those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Luke, the beloved doctor, says hello; and so does Demas. 15 Send my well wishes to the brothers and sisters of Laodicea, especially Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 16 After this letter has been read among you, see that it is also read to the church of Laodicea, and make sure you publicly share the letter I am sending to them. 17 Tell Archippus, “Take care that you complete the service you received in the Lord.”

18 I, Paul, am signing this letter in my own hand. Remember that I am chained. Grace be with you all.

Today’s Devotional

From today’s background scripture God might say:

Have you ever thought why Paul admonishes you to be alert and thankful when you pray? What’s that about? Maybe thankful makes sense to you. I give you blessings and gifts. I protect you from the evil around you. I forgive your sins and help you through the problems and troubles of life. I answer your prayers. So staying thankful makes sense.

But what of this stay alert when you pray? Why would Paul need to tell you to stay alert? Does he expect you to fall asleep? Well, perhaps. When do you pray? Is it when you go to bed? Do you give Me the scraps of your time at the end of the day when you are tired and have no energy left over for Me? Maybe you have your devotions at the very beginning of the day when you are trying to shake off sleep and you’re barely awake.

How are you to hear My voice if you give Me only the times when you are only half awake? Paul’s admonish to stay alert when you pray is as important today as it was when he wrote it to the people in Colossae, maybe more so. With your rushed schedules, busy lives, and sleepless nights, the average person seldom gets enough sleep, so early morning and late night you are often not at your best.

When you read My word you need to be alert. You need your mind and heart ready to hear My voice and ready to respond to the directions I give you for the day. I cannot guide you if you cannot hear Me. When you’re in a daze from lack of sleep or the fatigue of the day, you’re not at your best. And I want your best.

So when is the best time to hear My voice? During a break at work? Right after supper at home? During your lunch hour? After breakfast? When can you give Me your full attention and expect to remain most alert when you talk with Me? I want you to learn from Me. I want you to understand and know Me. I want you to hear Me clearly when I speak. That only happens when you are alert.

Listen to Paul’s words once more. “Be alert and thankful when you pray.”

The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
In accordance with the requirements for FTC full disclosure, I may have affiliate relationships with some or all of the producers of the items mentioned in this post who may provide a small commission to me when purchased through this site.