The End?

If you were to drive down Highway 50 in Nevada you would be confronted with a billboard which proclaims in large letters that judgment day is coming on May 21.  Billboards like this one have been placed on highways throughout the country to warn the people of the end of the age.  Television ads and news stories declare the impending doom of the world.  Harold Camping's prediction has captured the attention of the nation.  Camping claims that the Bible guarantees that he is right.  As Christians, how should we respond to this bold claim?

First of all, let's take a little trip back through history.  This is not the first time that someone has predicted the end of the world.  End of the world predictions go back all the way to the time of Christ.  Looking at more recent history, in 1669, the Old Believer's in Russia were convinced that judgment day was coming in that year.  Twenty thousand Russian's burned themselves to death to save themselves from the Antichrist. William Miller claimed that Christ would return on March 21, 1843.  When March 21, 1843 came and went, Miller decided that October 22, 1844 must be the day.  For Miller's followers, October 22 will live down in history as "The Great Disappointment."  Because of the failure of this prediction, many believers abandoned their faith.  In 1850, Ellen White, founder of the Seventh Day Adventist movement prophesied that Christ would return during that year.  When again He did not come back, she changed her prophesy to 1856.  Once again, this prophesy proved to be incorrect.  The Watchtower Society tried their hand at prophecy and predicted the years 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994.  It should be apparent from this VERY brief overview that hundreds of predictions of the end of the world have been made.  They have all been WRONG.

Camping claims that "the Bible guarantees it." Really? Where?  When I read my Bible I don't see anything that tells the date of Christ's return.  In fact, what I read is that NO ONE knows when Christ will return.  In Matthew 24, the disciples ask Christ when he will return again.  This is what Christ told them:

"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coning of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.  For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be." ~ Matthew 24: 36-39 

This is interesting...not even the angels or the Son know when Christ will return?  What about Harold Camping?  If the world does end on May 21, 2011, it will not be because of Camping's prediction.  Jesus makes it very clear to us that it is impossible to the know the date or the hour of Christ's return.  Instead, Christ's coming will be like that of a thief in the night.  Even though we cannot know when Christ will return, one thing we do know.  He WILL return.  Since it is impossible to know when that will be, we must be ready.

When Christ left His disciples, He told them what to do while they waited for His return.  At the end of the chapter Christ tells this to His disciples:

"For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes." ~ Matthew 24: 44-46

While we wait for Christ's return, we must be on the alert.  It is imperative for us to live in light of the reality of the second coming.  Christ is going to return.  That is an undisputed fact.  However, His return will be sudden and unexpected just as Noah's flood interrupted business-as-usual.  As we wait, we must remain responsible in our God-given duties so that when Christ does come back He will find us busy.   False teachers will try to set dates for the coming of Christ, but, according to the Scriptures, no one can know the date and time.  Let us pray for those who have fallen to the false teaching of Harold Camping, that their faith may not be shaken.  May it be our goal to proclaim Christ in everything we do!   


If you are interested, here is the link to an excellent sermon which my pastor preached on this topic and from which came many of the ideas expressed above.

Bittersweet

When I started college, I couldn't wait to finish.  Now that I have completed my first year, however, I find it very sad to leave.  Yes, I will see everyone in a few short months, but not everything will be the same and I will miss it.  My first year here has been wonderful.  It is chalk full of good memories, funny stories, and lessons learned.  I have learned so much about myself and other people.

A few of the best memories (most of which also double as funny stories) from this year include the following:

• Running barefoot on the sidewalk late at night 
• Attending late night movies on campus and squishing into the crowded Devries theater (or rather, being carried along by the current of people into the theater...)
• Attending the Denver and the Mile High Jazz Band concert on campus and meeting Denver
• Campus Christmas and turning our unit into a world of Disney princesses (and princes!)
• Overtaking Briana's room and telling stories, laughing ridiculously, and generally reveling in the splendor of God's creation
• When Dr. Hartman visited our unit, and even helped us study A&P!
• Playing wallyball with our brother unit and getting spiked in the face by Lizzie

Some lessons learned (or reinforced) are as follows:

• The only way to make it through college is by God's sustaining grace
• God has mercifully put certain people in my life for a reason--don't take them for granted
• God is always faithful even when I am not
• Live in a way to always glorify the Father who is in heaven
• Be prepared to give a defense for the Gospel (1 Peter 3:15)
• I am very blessed!

To be perfectly truthful, I hate saying goodbye.  It is incredibly strange to feel as though I have two lives now...I am no longer based simply in Carson City, Nevada, but I also have many ties here in Ohio and throughout the country!  God has truly blessed me with many wonderful people here.  I will miss them so much over the summer! Losing the seniors who are graduating is the worst part, as I don't know when I will see them again.  This is the bitter part of "bittersweet"....

However, there is a very sweet part as well! My friends and family at home can NEVER, ever be replaced.  It will be so wonderful to be back with them again! I most look forward to worshiping at my church with my wonderful, huge family in Christ.  Also, there is nothing that can compare to Nevada sun and the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Even though I am saddened by all this packing, I am looking forward to going home and spending time with the amazing people who have stood by me since I was small (well...smaller haha).  Also, I look forward with anticipation to the year which lies ahead.  Both the new and the old will continue to grow me and shape who I am becoming.  God truly has blessed me, far more than I deserve!

A Work in Progress

I want to take a moment to explain the title of this blog, "Under Construction."  No, this title does not mean that the blog is under construction (though that is also true :)).  When I was trying to come up with a name for this blog, I thought about how each of us are constantly undergoing the process of sanctification.  We are works in progress; the experiences we go through in our lives are meant to shape us and mold us into Christ's likeness.  In our limited view, we may not be able to see the masterpiece that God is creating with our lives.  Right now, looking at our lives (and hearts) can be compared to looking at a building surrounded by scaffolding.  The outside may be ugly, but beneath the rough exterior something beautiful is being created.

God works in each individual in different ways, pruning and cutting, melting and molding until we are rendered into His likeness.  This process is difficult, but the outcome is a work of art.  Going back to the analogy of a building, the creation of a home is a long drawn out process.  At first it is hard to see how it will even be possible to make something beautiful out of a jumble of boards and rocks.  But after all the scaffolding is removed, it is amazing to see how each board fits perfectly into place in order to create a complete building.  The shaping of our lives is like this.  We may not be able to see how God will use each joy or tragedy to shape us but in the end all the pieces will fall into place to reveal a beautiful creation of God's handiwork.

So when I titled my blog "Under Construction," this is what was going through my mind.  Remember that Christ IS at work in you and He has a wonderful plan for you!  May our prayer be for our lives to exemplify God's handiwork as he is constructing us into something we could never be on our own.

Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand. ~ Isaiah 64:8

Life is a Vapor

As my first year of college is drawing to a close I am realizing just how quickly life flies by.  Our lives truly are like a vapor--here one moment, vanished the next (James 4:14).  Of course, we all know that life should not be taken for granted, but how many of us actually live that way?  I know I don't.  Lately I've been thinking about what life would look like if we lived every moment as though it were our last.  In no way am I imbibing that we should become pessimists.  On the contrary, we should live joyfully, enjoying our days, because we never know what day will be our last.  A question I must ask myself is, am I living every moment for Him?  Do I glorify God in everything I do?  Oh how I wish this were true.  As a college student, there are so many tasks that must be done.  It can be so hard to do these things with a joyful spirit.  Recently, I had a close friend tell me that even in the menial tasks, such as writing papers, I CAN give God the glory by offering my work to Him!  My prayer is that my short life would be a testimony to God's grace.  I am incredibly thankful for the time that God has given me on this earth.  However, I am ready to meet Him whenever He calls me home.  Are you?

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.  You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ~ James 4:14

Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. ~ 1 Peter 4:11

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. ~ Colossians 3:17