Sudden and Final

August 2

(Luke 17:26-37 NIV) “Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. {27} People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. {28} “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. {29} But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. {30} “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed. {31} On that day no one who is on the housetop, with possessions inside, should go down to get them. Likewise, no one in the field should go back for anything. {32} Remember Lot’s wife!”

(1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 NIV) ““Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, {2} for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. {3} While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. {4} But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. {5} You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. {6} So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. {7} For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. {8} But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. {9} For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. {10} He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. {11} Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.””

When God’s coming Kingdom finally arrives, it will come suddenly. There will be signs of its coming, but it will happen in a heartbeat. It took years for Noah to build the Ark, but when the flood came, it was sudden. People will be engaged in the normal, daily routines of life when that lightning flashes across the sky signaling Christ’s return. But that will be their last normal day. Just as in the days of Lot, Christ’s coming will surprise the secure and the sensual. As they are striving for power, prestige, and possessions, Christ will come. They will be eating and drinking like there is no tomorrow -- and then, there will be no tomorrow. Just as fire came down suddenly from heaven to consume Sodom, Christ will come for those who are His. We must be ready. We must not be detoured or distracted. There will be no time for looking back -- only looking up. Hold on loosely to this world. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

The Coming Kingdom

August 1

(Luke 17:22-37 NIV) “Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. {23} People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. {24} For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. {25} But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.”

(Matthew 16:21-27 NIV) ““From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. {22} Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!" {23} Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men." {24} Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. {25} For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. {26} What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? {27} For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.””

In contrast to the present Kingdom, Christ’s coming Kingdom will be visible to everyone. When Jesus returns as King, his presence will light up the sky and all mankind will see His glory. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But our Lord taught that before His Kingdom could come, there must be a suffering. The coming King would be rejected by those who should have known better. Many today (who also should know better) do the same thing. We create a god in our own image. Our god looks like us and thinks like us. We minimize His suffering, because it predicts our suffering. We embrace a god of health, wealth, and prosperity -- a god who is always on our side. And though the Kingdom comes visibly, many fail to recognize the King because they worship a different god. Don’t be among them. Know the King! -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day

The Present Kingdom

July 31

(Luke 17:20-21 NIV) “Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, {21} nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in you.”

(Matthew 4:17 NIV) ““From that time on Jesus began to preach, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.””

(Colossians 1:13 NIV) “For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,”

Jesus told the Pharisees that the Kingdom was coming, but that it was also already present. They were looking for a Kingdom they could see -- a visible throne with a visible person on that throne. They wanted a political king, but Jesus said they weren’t going to see that. The Kingdom was among them because the King was among them, but they were not going to find what they were looking for. The Kingdom was not observable, because it was internal, not external. Christ’s Kingdom was not of this world. The Kingdom of God is still among us. It lives inside of God’s people. It’s not external, except as it is reflected in the lives of those who believe. It doesn’t have a set geographic location, because it’s not a geographic Kingdom. It is a spiritual Kingdom. It lives inside the hearts of those with faith in Christ. Does it live in you? Does Christ live in you? -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day 

Gratefully Seeking the Healer

July 30

(Luke 17:15-19 NIV) ““One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. {16} He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. {17} Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? {18} Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" {19} Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well.””

(Colossians 2:6-7 NIV) “So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, {7} rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

(Colossians 3:16-17 NIV) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. {17} And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Gratitude is a vital key to genuine wellness. Only one man out of the ten who were healed came back to express gratitude. Jesus declared that this man’s faith had made him well -- a faith expressed in seeking Christ with gratitude and praise. Wellness comes when we seek the Healer more than the healing. The man who returned with gratitude knew he had met someone unique -- someone with more to offer than just temporary healing. Something in his soul had been stirred. His thankful heart wanted more of the Healer. He returned praising God and fell at the feet of Christ, and for his grateful demonstration of faith he was pronounced “well” by Jesus. It was a wise move that we should consider duplicating. Don’t settle for just being healed. Seek the Healer more than the healing. Return to Christ and publicly acknowledge what He has done for you. Gratefully seek the Healer. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day