Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Sudden Occurrences…

I suddenly woke up! Something didn’t seem right. There was too much light coming in the window. I looked at the clock. It was 7:00 am. I was in shock. My alarm should have gone off at 6:00 am. I reached for it but it wasn’t turned on. I had forgotten to set it. I looked for Renee. She was already gone. Renee had left out-of-town to visit one of our sons and His family. I wasn’t able to accompany her.  She set her alarm for 5:00 a.m. I was going to get up with her but I was in such a deep sleep, she didn’t want to wake me. She thought I needed sleep. Now she was gone and I didn’t get to say goodbye or pray with her before she left. It felt so weird. I had immediate pains of missing her. I was caught off-guard.

A few years ago, my dad called me late one night. My mom had a heart attack. The ambulance was on the way and he wanted me to come get him and go with him to the hospital. Renee and I jumped in the car in seconds, picked him up, and took him to the hospital. Mom never did recover consciousness.  She died two days later. I never got to say goodbye to her. I was caught off-guard.

Many years ago in my airline career, I was on a flight that nearly collided with another jet. It was a near-miss I survived, but I assure you, that day I thought about how close my life was to being over. I was caught off-guard but that day changed my life.

Yesterday, I found out that an old friend I hadn’t seen in over 20 years died in a motorcycle accident. He was a great guy and I just couldn’t stop thinking about how his wife and family and all of us were caught off-guard.

There are things that happen suddenly in life. When they do, they usually catch us off guard. Had I been caught in that mid-air plane collision, I would have not been ready to meet the Lord. When my mom suddenly died, I so wanted one more last conversation to tell her how much I loved her. When Renee went out of town without waking me, I was caught off guard and missed praying with her and kissing her goodbye. And my friend, I’ll have to wait until Heaven to see him again.

God doesn’t want us to be off caught off guard—especially about the second coming of Jesus. It could happen at any time or it could be a number of years. Jesus said that no one knows the day or hour but, one day there will be, in the twinkling of an eye, the rapture of the church and all believers will be gone. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (NLT)  reveals, “For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words”

As you can see from the last verse, these words are to bring us comfort, not make us paranoid. If you are ready, then you won’t be paranoid. We want to be ready when the Lord comes. Jesus makes ready, those who’ve repented of their sinful life and received Him personally as their Lord and Savior and had their sins washed away. Have you taken that step? Have you turned from your life of sin and given your life to Jesus making Him your Lord and Savior? If He comes back soon and the trumpet blows are you ready or will you be caught off-guard?

Don’t be that person. Don’t be caught off-guard. Make Jesus your Lord and Savior today! If you aren’t sure how, click here so that you will be ready! Your life will never be the same!

Romans 13:12-14 (NLT) “The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So don’t live in darkness. Get rid of your evil deeds. Shed them like dirty clothes. Clothe yourselves with the armor of right living, as those who live in the light. We should be decent and true in everything we do, so that everyone can approve of our behavior. Don’t participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy. But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of you, and don’t think of ways to indulge your evil desires.”

In His love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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