God lives and works today.
That means that the distress and darkness in
our lives and the world today need not
remain there.
What a joyful message.
God has prepared a way out.
Today's meditation by Basilia Schlink will tell about
the great and exciting promise this truth holds
for each of our lives.
In James 5, verse 7, the Apostle warns
his congregation, Be patient, brethren, until the coming
of the Lord.
James was addressing these words to people who
were faced by many threats and much persecution.
Their lives were greatly endangered.
And yet, in this verse, God's infinite love
is shining out.
With Him, the darkness in and around us
is never a blind alley.
God always has an exit prepared, and a
truly appropriate one for every need.
If our problem is small, then there is
also only a small way out.
But if the distress is great, as it
was with Job, for example, who had to
go through infinite suffering, then the exit, the
end which God has prepared, will be infinitely
wonderful and triumphant.
This promise is especially true in respect to
the last great time of trouble which we
are now entering.
The darkness will oppress us more and more
as we become increasingly surrounded by violence and
murder, pollution and the horror of sin.
But God has prepared a triumphant exit with
the return of Jesus Christ.
In the same measure that the earth is
dark before His coming, so brightly will Jesus
then appear that the whole world will be
brightened by His glory.
And the people who come out of horror
and night will be as if intoxicated, giddy
with joy and exultation.
They'll never be able to take their eyes
off Jesus' face, which radiates with such infinite
love.
For us, this means we have to make
a decision.
Whoever eagerly awaits the Lord's return is prepared
to endure and patiently bear what is difficult
for him at the moment.
He commits himself willingly to his difficulties because
he knows these difficulties are not the end
of the story.
No, Jesus is coming again.
The Apostle James, however, also mentions another condition
besides being patient.
In chapter 5, verse 9, he tells us,
Do not grumble against one another.
Here he's referring to people who are annoyed
or angry.
They let everything become too much for them
and, in fact, no longer want to carry
on.
In this state, Jesus won't be able to
come to us as the bridegroom of our
souls.
Rather, we will have to face Him as
our judge.
The decision rests in our hands.
God is merciful and only love.
If we believe this and carry this loving
picture of Him in our hearts, and if
we patiently endure, waiting for His love to
reveal itself in the darkest hour, then we
will experience it.
We will see Jesus come again in glory
and we'll be united with Him in love.
The wedding day draws near.
Then all the world will stand in awe
when Christ appears.
And all the heaven will be a star.
The wedding day is near.
You have been listening to a program written
by Basilia Schlenk of the Little Land of
Canaan.
To learn more about how God lives and
works today, visit us at our website, www
.canaan.org.
That's K-A-N-A-A-N dot
org.
If you contact us, we would be happy
to send you a free inspirational booklet.
If you do not have access to the
web, please contact this radio station for our
postal address.
God bless you.