There are no words strong enough to describe the devastation that we are all watching on our news channels right now at the massive destruction that this earth quake has left behind for the people in Japan. I have to poke myself to wake thy self up in order to digest that this all indeed is not some made up scene from a Hollywood movie. It is mind blowing to see the power of that wave of water that has engulfed everything with in its path. It has consumed their land, their homes and their lives. Talk about heart breaking news! Water with such force and power pushing homes and trees along with ships, cars and trains as though they are toys in some child's bath tub is just so unreal to me. I am just in awe. Within a blink of an eye, your home, your land and your life are gone. And now, the only thing that is left is a wake of devastation for those who have been left behind to try and put all the broken pieces back together and with heavy hearts move forward. Nothing is ever going to be the same for these people as they once knew it. The only good thing I can think of here is if this had to happen is that this happened during the day light and not the evening when everyone was sound a sleep. I think the death toll would of been much, much higher.
My very first thought and question when anything like this happens anywhere is this; was it well with their souls? Were they all where they would of wanted to be when God came to claim their lives? I have checks and balances in my daily walk that I constantly am asking myself, like am I doing what I would want to be doing if my Lord came right now to claim my very own life? Am I speaking, thinking, living or acting out as I would if I knew He were coming back right here right now for me? Is my very own life glorifying God as I was created to do? Am I 100% certain that I am ready to meet the King of Kings the Lord of my life, or am I involved in something of the flesh that would make me uncomfortable to meet Him at this particular moment in my life?
I was listening to Francis Chan one day as he was telling a story about a woman who came to church with a heavy heart with the news that her 30 something year old husband had passed away in his sleep last evening. How heart breaking to kiss your children and your wife good night and go to bed as you have done every evening, to never wake up again. Yet that is the least of the heart breaking news of this story. He was sleeping in his lovers bed at the time. Not with his wife but his lover. What in the world do we say to a Holy, Holy, Holy God at the alter when we come face to face with him right from our lovers bed? Maybe he felt that he was young enough, and that he had enough time to have a little fun on the side and get away with it for now? And of course in due time ask forgiveness later on? What ever the case maybe, his time is now over. He is now in the presence of the Holy,Holy, Holy God, fresh out of his lovers bed.
Parable of the ten Virgins from the lips of Jesus:
Matthew 25
25:1 "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
25:2 Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
25:3 Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
25:4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
25:5 But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
25:6 And at midnight a cry was heard:
'Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!'
25:7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
25:8 And the foolish said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
25:9 But the wise answered, saying,
'No, lest there should not be enough for us and you;
but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.'
25:10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came,
And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding;
and the door was shut.
25:11 Afterward the other virgins came also, saying,
'Lord, Lord, open to us!'
25:12 But he answered and said,
'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.'
25:13 Watch therefore,
for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
God's word is what keeps us informed and ready. It is up to us to be ready and pressed ever so close to His word. I think that it would be very wise of each and every single one of us to be keeping a watchful eye on the oil levels of our very own lamps as none of us knows the time nor the hour of His return. Yes, there is grace and there is time, but the question that none of us knows is this; how much time? We are warned by Paul more than once not think that because we increase our sin that grace to will increase, Paul says, "may it never be!" Romans 1:1-2
He clearly tells us that even grace has it's limits.
My heart felt prayers for all of our brothers and sisters in Japan for the healing and rebuilding of what has been ripped away from you all but most importantly of all I pray that we all are ready for our Groom when He comes to take us to that wedding banquet. I pray that it is well with our souls.
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