Tuesday 1/15/13 Hide and Seek

Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters.  It is a great day to be alive, and even greater if you are saved, born again, washed in the blood of Jesus.  In fact, let me be bold, if you are not saved, then you are not alive, you only think you are!  Excuse me a minute, "burp", sorry about that, I just finished eating a really good breakfast that I made.  I had some leftover mashed potatoes, and this morning I had potato pancakes with lots of real butter and sunny side up eggs on top.  I love to cook, and either today or tomorrow I am making hamburger BBQ and also macaroni soup.  I am washing down my breakfast now with a big, really big glass of real milk.

Today please pray for Luella Hale, Pastor Larry's wife.  They were at the ER the other night and she is now having her heart checked out by her doctor.  Please keep Pastor Larry and also his assigned flock in your prayers.  Speaking of hearts being checked out, the Hales are really good-hearted folks and they love our Lord Jesus above all else.  Also pray each day please for our president, for he thinks since he has been re-elected that he can just pass laws himself.  Folks, don't be alarmed for our Lord God is still in charge, even in Washington!!  Let me get to the message.
READY OR NOT

Acts 1:7 - "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority."  (NIV)

Matthew 24:36 - "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."  (NIV)

READY OR NOT!  I remember standing in the evenings when I was young (back when the streets were still  dirt and the Dead Sea was just sick) with my head buried up against a power pole or a tree counting to a hundred while all my friends and neighborhood playmates would run and hide. I confess that sometimes I would cheat when counting.  Then I would turn around and say ... READY OR NOT, HERE I COME.  In most cases all would be hidden from me, for it was my turn to be "It."  If someone did not get hidden in time and I called out their name, then they would be "It" for the next game.  But you still had to hunt down the others and try and get them out.  READY OR  NOT HERE I COME.  Then you would go look and when you found someone you had to race them back to home base, the pole or tree where I had my face hidden.  If you did not catch anyone, you would be "It" again.  In senior high school I had a nice car, in fact a couple of them, and some people would say, you think you're "It" with that car, and I would say, I am not it anymore, but sadly I did not tell people that God really was "It" the way they were saying it.  Hey, back to my game of hide and seek.  Yes, when I would get up to 100 in my count, I would yell out ... "READY OR NOT, HERE I COME."

Brothers and sisters, we are not going to get that kind of warning from our Lord Jesus when He comes back, so we are getting our warnings now, and remember this, when our Lord Jesus returns it will not be a game of hide and seek, for you will not be able to hide from Jesus.  Let's face it, you can't hide from Him now, not even Adam and Eve could hide from God in the Garden. Jesus is good.  Now you might go to your Bible and try and figure out when Jesus is coming back, but it tells you, you just don't know.  In fact the Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus does not know.  Only the Father.  Old Gabriel the horn player does not know.  Only God The Father knows.  Folks, most every day I write in one form or another about Salvation, and I can't help wonder how many put it off thinking they have lots of time to come fully to Jesus to be saved.  How many did not read, or did not repent?  But my job for Jesus is to just get the word out that He is coming back, not to tell you when.  Gosh, I don't know when and neither do you, nor does any other person.  Not one person knows.  And again I tell you to be ready.  God The Father someday will get tired of the way we are living, get tired of the cursing,the swearing, the abortions, the unfaithful in marriage, and I could go on and on.  He is going to get tired of all the sin.  In the days of Noah, He went to Noah and had Him build an Ark, He had warned people.  It is the same today, we have been warned and warned and warned.  From John the Baptist to Jesus Himself have told us to "Repent for the Kingdom of God is Near."  So, brothers and sisters, maybe, just maybe God the Father is doing the countdown or count-up.  You have heard some parents counting when their kids are bad.  I am counting, I heard a mother say one day at the food store, to her unruly child.  One, two, three, she went, and then she said, I really mean it.  I am counting, one, two, three.  You are going to get it.  One, two, three, I mean it, you are going to get it.  I am thinking, hit the brat, already.  My dad was a math teacher, but he never counted when I got out of line.  He punished and I love him to this day for it, but then he would forgive me.  Brothers and sisters, God the Father is going to send Jesus back to get those who are saved, those who are Born Again, those who are washed in the blood.  ALL OTHERS WILL BE LOST.  The game will not end like a game of hide and go seek when the one who is "it" would yell after giving up, "All in Free, All in Free."  Oh, no, no free pass to heaven after the big event, your free pass needs picked up now!!  If Jesus would return right now ... WOULD YOU MAKE THE CUT?

Dear Father in Heaven, we do not know the time or the date, but I for sure want to be ready and I also want to work for Jesus and get the good news of Salvation out to the masses of people.  Help us, Lord, to do just that.  Help us reach out and help others in Your name, Father.  I love You, Lord, and I pray that all who these words reach also come to You if they have not already.  Lord, thanks for blessing this line.  In Jesus' name, I pray.  Amen.

Now go forth and share your blessings, all of your blessings.

Love ya, Pastor Dan.