Christ is Coming!!!

Wow, I had no idea how long it had been since I had posted! Life has been very busy, that's for sure. Well, I wanted to share some things that I learned and was convicted of during a week at Aletheia Springs Christian Education Center this summer.

The theme at Aletheia this year was "living in the light of the soon return of Christ." God spoke to me in so many ways. He was definitely moving in everyone's heart. The testimony time at the end of the week had me weeping. In fact, I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the whole room by the end of it. It was so wonderful to see God at work.

And do you want to know something amazing? I prepared some of these thoughts to share at church the Sunday after we got back, and the scripture that we read aloud together that morning was Revelation 22:6-20. Verse 12 says, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done." Verse 17 says, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come.' And let the one who hears say, 'Come.'"

God was driving my point home before I even opened my mouth! I was just in awe. We almost always read from the Psalms for our call to worship. Why in the world were we reading from Revelation? Because God had a plan and wanted His message to get across to the congregation. What a great and mighty God we serve!!! He is SO BIG!!!

At Aletheia, we were taught how important it was to be ALERT and to watch for Christ's return. It could happen any day, any moment. We are to LONG for it, to the point of groaning in our spirit. As His people, we should be praying for Christ's return. Will He find us ready when He returns?I, personally, was convicted of so many things, not the least of which was about how I use my time. What are my priorities? How much time do I spend on the computer, and how much time do I spend in God's Word?

I rarely talk on the phone (Facebook is the biggest area I need to reevaluate), but how many minutes are on your cell phone, and how many minutes do you spend on your knees talking to God?What are we doing that counts for eternity? We are Christ's ambassadors, and we need to stop playing around and get engaged in kingdom work! He has put us here for a reason, and He has a purpose for our lives! Are we seeking His will and living out that purpose, or living for ourselves?

How much of our lives will be burned up as hay and stubble when we stand before the judgment seat of Christ? How much will remain as precious stones?What opportunities to witness to we let slip by? How are we helping the needy? These are all things the Bible tells us to do.

The Bible also instructs us to be praying and meditating when we lie down and when we rise up. What are your last thoughts when you go to bed? What are your first thoughts in the morning? If our focus is on the things of the Lord, it will make a big difference in our lives. When we wake up, one of our first thoughts should be, "Lord, I surrender my day to you. I surrender my life to you. I am an empty vessel. Fill me and use me." What a great way to get our day started!

Another wonderful tidbit from one of Mr. Bailey's morning devotionals was the idea that our struggles with each other are Satan's decoys to keep us from engaging in the REAL battle at hand. As it says in Ephesians, our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of evil. If Satan can keep us divided and busy fighting with each other, we'll be distracted from the real fight. Brothers and sisters, we need to lay aside our petty quarrels and stand united against the devil and his forces of darkness!

Even if Christ does not return before we die, our life is so short! Every second ticking by on the clock brings us closer to eternity. We need to make every moment count, and life a purposeful life instead of drifting aimlessly down the river of life with no clear direction or purpose. Let us run the race set before us with all dilligence and faithfulness, so that when we stand before Him, He will say, "Well done, good and faithful servant!"

There are so many other things I could add, but I'll stop there for now. It was a wonderful week of good Christian fellowship and learning about God! I was privileged to be a student counselor this year, and I loved all my girls! My brothers and sisters really ministered to me during that whole week, and I was so blessed. I can't wait for next year!